Scrub, Scrub, Scrub

Having been chilled to the bone for a few days- I took matters into my hands and decided it was a good day to indulge in a public bath, otherwise known in Korea as the Jjimjilbang (gender segregated public bath house) If you've read some of my earlier posts- you'll know that making this decision doesn't come lightly!

The place was packed, as I suspected that others were of like mind, beating their weather woes with a good spa treatment. I took my time, enjoying the heat and relaxation. I enjoyed the steam room, jumping from the ice cold pool to hot whirlpool. I even indulged in the high jet massage pool. I felt relaxed and warm. A perfect week day afternoon.

Having spent about an hour savoring the the different pools- my eye caught sight of a woman heading in to a tiny room off to the side of the spa. She was escorted onto one of two massage tables lying side by side. I had heard of these scrub rooms, where Korean women frequently go to have an extreme exfoliation treatment. Women who work at the public baths, called ajuma's (Korean for Aunt) scrub you down.

I sat nervously in the whirlpool, desperately wanting to experience this scrub down for myself. After an internal fight with myself - I decided what the hell. Now or never. As I strutted my stuff across the pools, I glanced over at the lady getting scrubbed down. She appeared calm and relaxed as the ajuma scrubbed away. I stood there for a moment, and caught the ajuma's attention. She smiled as I pointed to my self and made circling scrubbing motions. She nodded her head and flashed her palm. The woman on the table briefly opened her eyes and in her broken English told me to wait a few minutes. As I scoped the scene, I had no idea of the cost, the duration or what to expect- the sign above was of course only in Korean.

My ajuma finally appeared, a petite curious looking woman wearing her bra and panties. She smiled and pointed towards the table. She asked me something in Korean and repeated again. I flicked my eyes towards the woman on the other table, hoping she could possibly translate. She pointed to her face and questioned if I wanted a facial treatment. With nothing to lose I nodded eagerly in agreement.

In silence, she tapped gently on my legs or arms to position me properly. As I lay face up on the table, she poured two pails of hot water over my body. A seaweed and fresh cucumber face mask was slathered on and away she went. She scrubbed every inch of my body. The process is repeated three times, with different products. The scrubbing was quite enjoyable actually. At one point during the treatment I heard her say something to the other ajuma. Slightly paranoid I wondered if she was talking about me? I know that I am the only Caucasian to have entered this public bath. I quickly let it go, and put my attention back into enjoying the treatment.

After applying a thick layer of lotion and exfoliater I was asked to sit up so she could scrub parts not previously covered. As I gently opened my eyes I observed that I was surrounded by piles of dead skin. I must have gasped and winced a little because my ajuma began to giggle. She nodded her head agreeing that the filth around me was in fact mine. I could not believe the amount of skin. I must have shed a least a few pounds. I knew I scrubbed myself- but this was unreal. No wonder Korean women go every second week to get a good scrub down. My skin never felt softer.

As the last rinse was completed, she slicked on a thick layer of body butter and told me to go rinse off. I was done! I felt so relaxed and clean. The whole treatment lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. As I showered up, patted dry and dressed I worried about where I paid for this and what the cost would be.

As I stepped out to collect my shoes- the lady scribbled the amount I owed on a piece of paper for me. The total cost was 15,000 won. That's roughly $14.00. I happily paid for the service, and as I left the building filled with glee- I knew this would become my new addiction.

Bubble Baths

I have always loved a good soak in the tub. Nothing beats being nestled into a bath, surrounded by warm porcelain , candles and a terrycloth pillow. Enveloped in layers of aromatic foam, steam and hot water. Soaking your limbs to the sounds of soft background music. Completely alone.

After two months of wrestling with my daily shower routine in my small 4x4 box-of-a- bathroom the thought of soaking my body in a bath was overwhelming.

Here in Korea bathrooms are not usually equipped with any type of fancy claw-foot tubs but they do have what's called public baths. You can find one of these bath houses just about everywhere within a 2 mile radius.

Being a newbie to Korea; we first heard of these establishments within days of our arrival. With no idea what to expect- my girlfriend and I decided to try one a couple of weeks ago. Walking around downtown one day- we spotted the sign and went in on whim. (enter record scratching here).

For about 4,000 won (that's roughly 3.50$) you are handed two very teeny towels, enough to say .... dry your hands and were quickly ushered towards the entrance.

With quizzical brows, we fumbled around the wall of small lockers. As a Korean woman brushed past us, we noted she carefully placed her shoes in the locker, and then went on to another desk. She gave us what we thought was a side glanced semi head nod- and so we followed pursuit.

With our shoes neatly tucked away, we knew that the next step would be to strip. As we entered the lounge, we were immediately blinded by buck- nakedness. A few women gaped as the two foreigners walked briskly towards their assigned locker numbers. They continued to stare even as we began to peel back layers of clothing. There was a slight awkwardness in knowing that in less than 30 seconds the two us would be in our birthday suits in front of not only each other but amongst 35 Korean women of all shapes and sizes.

We stared each other in the eye and both shrugged slightly. "This is Korea", we chimed in unison. As we took the iddy bitty towelette to cover whatever we could we bee lined it for the bath.

I scanned this new universe quickly- trying to avoid eyeballing the thirty or so bathing women who were all goggling back at us. Most stopped dead in mid-rinse to get a good look at the fresh white bodies. Horrified at their lack of privacy- we found our way into the closest nook- the steam room. With stifled giggles- we were safe. The hard part was trying to keep our conversation going all the while sitting their totally in the nude. We peered through the steamed glass to get a good look at our surroundings.

The public bath is laid out on one floor- it contains a sauna, a steam room, and a cold pool. There is a hot tub, and two other rectangular hot baths. This one even included a warm bath equipped with powerful jet sprays that send intense pressure to your muscles. And then there are about 25 shower stations lined against the back walls. Everything is out in the open, including the women.

The experience was interesting to say the least. With no knowledge of Korean and what the heck we were doing- we just did our best. Hopping from one pool to the next, taking it all in. The obvious staring was quite aggravating after awhile- but then again I think they were more concerned with our lack of hair down there than anything else. As shocking as it was for them- trust me it was a real shocker to be bombarded with bush. In case you were never informed- Korean women go at it "au naturelle" .

This concept of publicly bathing is a hard one to get around- as North American's we usually cover up as much as possible when in the gym locker room or any public place where undressing is required. We are used to shower curtains and privacy- but here in Korea if you want to get a soak on- you need to brave the masses.

I've been twice now on my own- I've held my head high and done my own thing. I still struggle with walking from the locker to the bath (which is about 8 meters away) with only a face cloth to cover my heiny- but I hope one day to just prance right on through without even a care in the world. Until that day arrives, I'm still resorting to leaving the contacts at home so that I don't see a thing.

Tip #1: Better to go at it in two's your first time. Language barriers and nudity may pose a problem to some.
Tip #2: Go prepared. Bring a large size bath towel and toiletries!