Jjimjilbang / bathhouse
Explore & experiences

Korean jjimjilbang & bathhouse for foreigners

The Korean bathhouse is intimidating only until you know the flow. 5 venues with hours, prices and tattoo rules taken from their own official sites, the 8-step entry flow from shoe locker to the heated-floor lounge, 8 etiquette rules, and a 6-line survival phrasebook.

5 venues — filter + sort + search

5 results

Spa Land Centum City

스파랜드 센텀시티 · Busan · Haeundae (Centum City)
🟢 Foreigner-ready

₩26,000 adult entry

? Ask about tattoosJjimjilbang floor
Best for
A polished first visit in Busan
Getting there: Shinsegae Centum City department store, 1F — Centum City Station (Busan Line 2).
Highlights:
  • • 09:00–22:00, last entry 21:00
  • • Adult ₩26,000 (same price every day) for up to 4 hours; +₩5,000 per extra hour
  • • Children from elementary-school age only, with a same-sex guardian
  • • Luggage lockers outside the entrance (₩3,000 for 5 hours)

No overnight stays. Big suitcases are not allowed in the locker rooms — use the lockers by the ticket office. Ask about tattoos at the counter.

Cab card →Naver reviews ↗

Hurshimchung (Hotel Nongshim)

허심청 · Busan · Dongnae (Oncheon-dong hot-spring area)
🟡 Some English

₩15,000 adult entry

✕ No tattoosJjimjilbang floor
Best for
A natural hot-spring (oncheon) soak
Getting there: Hotel Nongshim, 23 Geumganggongwon-ro 20beon-gil, Dongnae-gu, Busan — Oncheonjang Station (Busan Line 1) area.
Highlights:
  • • Hot springs 05:30–22:00 (last entry 21:30), open all year
  • • Adult ₩15,000 weekdays / ₩18,000 weekends & holidays; jjimjil gown +₩4,000
  • • Time limit: 4 h baths, 6 h with the jjimjil area; ₩2,000 per extra hour
  • • Jjimjil area 06:30–21:00

Pay on the way out at the 4F desk. The hotel states that tattooed guests are not admitted at all.

Cab card →Naver reviews ↗

Aquafield Hanam

아쿠아필드 하남 · Hanam · Starfield Hanam 3F
🟡 Some English

₩26,000 adult entry

? Ask about tattoosJjimjilbang floor
Best for
Families combining a mall day with a spa
Getting there: Starfield Hanam 3F, 750 Misa-daero, Hanam (Gyeonggi). Tel 031-8072-8800.
Highlights:
  • • Jjimjil spa 10:00–22:00, adult ₩26,000
  • • Indoor water park 10:00–19:00, adult ₩48,000
  • • Multi pass (spa + water park) adult ₩58,000

More water-park-meets-spa than a traditional jjimjilbang. Swimsuit for the water park; the bath halls themselves are nude and gender-separated.

Cab card →Naver reviews ↗

Aquafield Goyang

아쿠아필드 고양 · Goyang · Starfield Goyang 4F
🟡 Some English

₩26,000 adult entry

? Ask about tattoosJjimjilbang floor
Best for
Sauna fans — Aquafield bills Goyang as its Aufguss sauna branch
Getting there: Starfield Goyang 4F, 1955 Goyang-daero, Deogyang-gu, Goyang (Gyeonggi). Tel 031-5173-4500.
Highlights:
  • • Jjimjil spa 10:00–22:00, adult ₩26,000
  • • Rooftop pool 11:00–18:00
  • • Multi pass (spa + pools) adult ₩58,000

Modern mall spa north-west of Seoul. Check the official site for seasonal pool hours.

Cab card →Naver reviews ↗

Neighborhood 목욕탕 (local bathhouse)

동네 목욕탕 · Nationwide (incl. Seoul) · Residential areas
🔴 Local-style

Price posted at the counter

? Ask about tattoos
Best for
The everyday local soak (baths only, no jjimjilbang floor)
Getting there: Look for the ♨ hot-spring symbol on neighborhood buildings.
Highlights:
  • • Price posted at the counter
  • • Everyday Korean experience
  • • Found in residential neighborhoods

A 목욕탕 is just the bath hall — no sleep floor. Expect little English; bring your own toiletries or buy at the desk. Many offer 세신 — ask at the counter.

Cab card →Naver reviews ↗

The 8-step entry flow

In order — this is the part that trips up first-timers.

  1. 1

    Shoe locker first · 신발장

    At the entrance, take off your shoes and put them in a shoe locker. Keep the key/wristband — its number is often also your clothes-locker number.

  2. 2

    Pay at the counter · 카운터

    Hand the shoe key to the counter, pay entry, and receive a wristband + a set of spa clothes (shirt + shorts) if there is a jjimjilbang floor. The wristband charges food/extras — pay on the way out.

  3. 3

    Go to your gender's changing room · 남탕 / 여탕

    Bathing areas are split: 남탕 (men) and 여탕 (women). Find your clothes locker, strip fully, and store everything. Phones stay in the locker.

  4. 4

    Wash BEFORE you soak · 샤워 먼저

    Shower and scrub thoroughly at the seated wash stations before entering any bath. Entering a communal bath unwashed is the #1 taboo.

  5. 5

    Enter the baths nude · 탕 입욕

    The bath hall is fully nude and same-gender only. No swimsuits, no towels in the water. Try hot/cold/herbal pools. A small towel is for wiping, not covering in the water.

  6. 6

    Optional: 세신 body scrub · 세신 / 때밀이

    Where offered, a 세신사 scrubs off dead skin on a table. Intense but iconic. Prices are posted or given at the desk; expect to be fully nude and handled briskly.

  7. 7

    Dry off + put on spa clothes · 찜질복

    After the baths, dry off, change into the issued spa uniform, and you can now enter the mixed-gender areas.

  8. 8

    Enter the jjimjilbang floor · 찜질방

    The heated-floor lounge + sauna rooms are mixed-gender and clothed. Sleep, eat 식혜 + 맥반석 eggs, sweat in the kiln rooms. Some 24h venues allow overnight stays — ask first.

Etiquette + culture rules

  • Full nudity is mandatory in bathsSwimsuits are NOT allowed in the bath hall — everyone is nude, segregated by gender. It feels strange for ~5 minutes, then nobody cares. Confidence reads as normal.
  • Wash thoroughly before soakingAlways shower + scrub at the wash stations before entering any pool. Getting into a communal bath dirty is the biggest faux pas.
  • No phones / no photos in bathsPhones stay in your locker. Photography in the nude bath area is illegal and taken very seriously. The jjimjilbang floor (clothed) is fine for photos of the space.
  • Small towel ≠ swimsuitThe provided small towel is for wiping your face/scrubbing, not for covering in the water. Fold it on your head — the classic "yangmeori" look — or leave it poolside.
  • Keep the water clean + quietDon't put your head/hair underwater, don't shave at the pool edge, keep voices low. Wring towels outside the bath.
  • Tattoos: check the policyPolicies differ and many venues do not publish one. Some refuse tattooed guests outright (Hurshimchung in Busan says so on its official page). When unsure, ask at the counter or call ahead.
  • 세신 etiquetteTipping is not customary in Korea — pay the price you are quoted. Lie still, turn when told. You'll be fully nude and scrubbed briskly; it's clinical, not a massage.
  • Jjimjilbang floor = clothed + mixedOnly the heated lounge + kiln saunas are mixed-gender, and only in the issued uniform. Never wander toward the baths in spa clothes — and never toward the lounge nude.

Survival phrasebook

One adult, please. How do I enter?
성인 한 명이요. 입장 어떻게 해요?
Seong-in han myeong-iyo. Ipjang eotteoke haeyo?
Is the jjimjilbang floor included?
찜질방도 포함이에요?
Jjimjilbang-do pohamingeyo?
How much is the body scrub (sesin)?
세신 얼마예요?
Sesin eolmayeyo?
Are tattoos okay?
문신 괜찮아요?
Munsin gwaenchanayo?
Where is the men's / women's bath?
남탕 / 여탕 어디예요?
Namtang / yeotang eodiyeyo?
Can I stay overnight?
여기서 자도 돼요?
Yeogiseo jado dwaeyo?

See also

Cab address cardWellness & spaSurvival Korean