Go Ahead and Stare

      It seems that I do this far too often but I'm apologizing, yet again for the absence of a recent entry. I haven't been feeling the greatest for the past few days and this morning I awoke feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. The sinus pressure headache, the runny/stuffy nose, the terrible body aches throughout my ribs and spine, and of course a fever. There are a million and one hand-me-down home remedies for how to get better and at this point, I'd be willing to try them all.

      One of the more popular remedies is to soak in a hot tub and breathe in the humidity. Well I don't have a tub. But there are plenty of jimjilbangs here in Korea. A jimjilbang is a local bath house where you can go to soak in pools of various temperatures and sit in saunas. They are separated by gender and require that you be completely nude.

      So my logic earlier today was that if I'm going to go to my first jimjilbang, it might as well be the best. Spa Land (an incredibly large jimjilbang, perhaps the largest in the country) is located in Shinsegae, the world's largest department store, and through research, looks so nice that I probably shouldn't be let in. Although I felt terrible, I decided to take the 30 minute subway ride in hopes of finding relief in the utmost of style and comfort. Feeling extremely light-headed I barely made it there but couldn't wait for the relief. Now Spa Land doesn't have an English interpretation to its website (something I'd expect from such a popular and well known attraction), so my first move was to find the information desk.

      I successfully discovered the entrance and was amazed that a place so nice would only cost $12 for four hours! And then, just as I foreshadowed earlier, they didn't let me in. You see, there's a no tattoos policy. At this point, I felt like passing out. But what could I do? I just got on the subway and rode it all the way back home...money well spent.

      I knew of a very small, local jimjilbang just a few block away from my apartment but couldn't help but picture it as the dirtiest, sketchiest place of all. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I stopped in, paid my $4, and headed to the baths. Needless to say I drew the full attention of the 30 Korean men as I stumbled through the baths trying to figure out what everything was. There were maybe twenty shower heads and stools to sit on for your normal lather up, shave, and shower. Then there were five different pools ranging in temperature from "a little to cold" to "a lot too hot."  There was one sauna that was absolutely too hot and humid and they even had heated rooms to sleep in.  Most jimjilbangs are open 24 hours a day and Koreans take advantage of this.  It is customary to sleep on the floor here in Korea, so why not grab your blankets and spend the night lying around on a heated floor?  Perhaps sweating your fever out.  The highlight of my time spent in the baths was getting to listen to a Korean pawpaw moan what sounded to be Gregorian chants for an hour.

      Was it awkward? Yep. Was it dirty? Yep. Did it help? Momentarily. Was it worth being stared at for 2 hours for only $4? Ehh, why not?! Will I go back? Probably so.