A Korean Bathhouse

Day six in Seoul.  One of the few things remaining on my list of things to do was visit a jimjilbang, a Korean bathhouse.

Heather and I visited the Dragon Hill Spa, a bathhouse located
in the building behind us.

Bamboo entrance to the spa.

Upon entering Dragon Hill Spa, Heather and I were given a waterproof wristband with a key that opened a locker where we stored our shoes and a separate locker where we stored our belongings.  We were also given a set of gym clothes to wear in in the unisex areas.  

Inside the spa, before entering the women only area.

Before visiting the unisex area, Heather and I visited the women's area containing a number of heated pools and two saunas.  The pools were varying temperatures, some had tea or minerals in them, some featured massaging jets, and a couple were outside.  There was also a special area where a spa employee would scrub all the dead skin off your body. Everyone is naked in the segregated area, even the lady who scrubs dead skin off your body.  I politely declined the offer to scrub my body as the idea of being scrubbed by a naked woman, while I was naked, was just too far out of my comfort zone.  

The women's area.  "No Entry to the Male."

After relaxing my tired muscles in the heated pools, Heather and I put on our gym clothes and headed to the unisex area.   I really enjoyed the sauna with blankets over a bed of pebbles.  The pebbles were surprisingly cozy. 

The pebble sauna.

The pebble sauna.

The bathhouse was very different than a spa in the United States.  Unlike the quite, tranquil atmosphere of a spa in the U.S., the Korean bathhouse is a busy place filled with families, couples, and friends  There was an arcade, a cafeteria area, saunas, and rest areas.   In one large room, people were sleeping, talking, or watching TV while kids ran around.  There are also sleeping quarters because bathhouses are open 24 hours.

A large rest area where people were lounging.

An ice room - probably more popular
in the summer.

In the afternoon, Heather made reservations for us to watch a traditional Korean music and dance performance.  The performers were wearing Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and playing a variety of instruments I had never seen.  My favorite musical performance was a group of three individuals playing a peaceful song on instruments similar to a guitar, flute, and rain stick.   My favorite dance performance was a group of dancers with long ribbons attached to their hats.  The dancers controlled the movement of the ribbon by bobbing their heads while they danced around to loud drum music.

The Seoul Arts Center where the performance was held.

Heather and I ate dinner with several of her foreign friends at a Mexican food restaurant.  Yes, I live 11 miles from Mexico and I  traveled half way around the world to eat Mexican food.  Unlike Mexican restaurants at home, however, this restaurant was located in busy area with loads of lights, people, and stores.

The restaurant was also located near the Cheonggyecheon stream that flows through part of Seoul.  Even though it was darn cold outside, there were still a lot of people out and about.

On the way back to our apartment, we transferred subway lines in a large subway station with a big undergound shopping area, one of several subway stations like this in Seoul.  I don't know how Koreans resist the temptation to shop at every corner.

Subway shopping area.

Shopping for socks in a subway station.