the korean bath house

for our last night in the city we decided to visit the itaewon district of seoul. our primary destination is a sauna or oncheon, korean for hot spring bathhouse. after two easy subway transfers, we arrive in itaewon and begin walking our way to the sauna. we walk past many shops and see more western restaurants and tourists than we've seen anywhere else in seoul. the area is very commercial and has a lot of neon and hostess bars with "escorts". they yell to us, "hello!". some of them definitely look like very pretty men...

after a short walk, we arrive to the hamilton hotel and proceed underground to the sauna. we take off our shoes and place them in a small locker in the lobby. the receptionist shows us a list of options which include massage and reflexology. we opt for the bath and sauna only. we pay the $8.50 each and are each given two tiny towels and a locker key for the changing room. we continue on to our separate sex bathing areas and plan to meet in about an hour.

i enter the changing area and begin looking for my locker number. i must look like i need help, because the attendant rushes over to assist by escorting me to my locker. i quickly strip and continue on to the shower area. it is required to shower and be completely clean prior to entering the baths or sauna. after showering, i enter the large blue tiled room that contains 3 different mineral baths and 2 saunas. one bath is cold and the other two are ripping hot. i can't understand the signs noting mineral content of the baths because they are in korean. there are also 3 rows of "sit down" showers, where you can sit on a small stool to bathe in front of short showers. these are very popular, as they are all full with about 30 bathers. i feel a bit self concious as everyone stares. not only am i the only foreigner, but i also feel like a giant with about 5 inches, 50 pounds, and huge boobs, compared to anyone. everyone around me is mini in size. i quickly get over the funny feeling and proceed to the nearest mineral bath. i enter the hot bubbling water and sit on the floor, with the water up to my ears. i immediately feel relaxed. after about 10 minutes i enter the cold bath - which isn't nearly as cold as i expect. i think i've swum in colder ocean water before. i alternate between the baths and saunas over the next hour. i curiously watch the korean bathers as they enthusiastically scrub, loofa, and exfoliate. friends wash each other's hair and backs and a mother bathes her two young sons. it almost seems like a social hour as everyone laughs and has fun.

i leave the bathing area and enter the shower area once again. i shower off the mineral water - whew, do i feel clean! i get dressed and go to the lobby to retrieve my shoes and wait for david. i feel relaxed, invigorated, and ready for some dinner. - alina