Jjimjilbahng...

... is a korean onsen. i wish i could compare the japanese onsen to the korean style one but i can not. never did go to the japanese one. it was a little odd to be naked in front of my new friends and many korean strangers but when everyone is undressed the same it makes it much easier to deal with. if you dont know what an onsen is, it's sorta like a public bathhouse, except much fancier. water massage, steam rooms, hot pools with wogwort, charcoal, or other alternative medicine stuff. the odder things were upstairs where they had rooms where you relax - this is where you are wearing clothes the facility gives you. there was the hot salt room. tons of rock salt covered the floor and you lie down on it. it was hot but you get used to it after couple minutes. and of course you sweat like crazy. then there was the warm pebble room. just like the salt room except you lie in pebbles. then the hot jade room. you see the pattern? except the jade retained the heat much more so it was a temperature that i couldnt get used to; they have linen for the sensitive girly types to sit on. it gets more odd. they have a 'fire' room. it's a room where it's just freakin hot. a room where if you stood up, the heat just roasts your face that you immediately duck. it was much hotter than being trapped in a car (windows rolled up) in the AZ summer. we were guessing 140-160F. we were sweating intensely after just a couple minutes. after torturing ourselves for 5-10 min, we hopped into the ice room. they kept that room somewhere between -2 to 2 C. it was actually very relaxing after a week of working real long hours. my favorite was the pebble room. it was warm and very comfortable sleeping on pebbles. the best was that it only cost me 7,000 won. and they also have sleeping areas there too. why would anyone stay at a hotel. family and friends that visit me will make a trip to one of the jjimjilbahngs. and to make things a bit more comfortable, i will not be in the public bath part with them. but we will hop around the odd rooms. i'm sure juggler will love it. oh, the bath house is no co-ed. when you're clothed, then it's co-ed.