Mar20 - Seoul 2011 (Day3) - Jiljimbang

Nothing much can be done on Sunday, the big Seoul Marathon 2011 race day. Race started at 8am and by the time we got back to the Myeongdong Guesthouse, it was already 2pm. 

The agenda today was actually to visit Seoul's Palaces but at our condition with the lack of sleep as well, a hot shower and bed is priority. With the morning cold downpour, I was more afraid of getting sick, especially when my holiday hasn't actually properly started.

I received a tip from a fellow Singaporean marathoner, who was staying at the same guesthouse that he had gotten a voucher to a good jiljimbang for a relaxing session. Jiljimbang is Korean's version for sauna/spa. For the Japanese, it's onsen (hot spring).

Coming from a conventional country like Malaysia, you won't see naked people in the same room as you other than ur parents (until a certain stage). In Korea, it's a norm. We went to a jiljimbang located at the Good Morning City shopping mall basement. Only for Won8,000, we received a numbered key for shoes & clothes locker and also provided was a set of clothing aka PJs and small towels. 

Once we locked up our shoes, and step into the changing room, BOOM!!! Naked people of all sizes. Siok Leng & I went on our way hoping that people won't think that we're tourist. But we were talking in English, so no matter what, people still look at us one kind.
Siok Leng and I got naked (Oi!!! Don't think weird stuff!!) and went towards the bathing area.
There's the :-
a) standing shower area
b) squating shower area
c) soaking area in different temperature
d) sauna area

We cleaned ourselves at the standing shower then the squating area to give each other back scrub. Siok Leng scrub me real well until it actually stung. hahhaha.... we then soaked ourselves in the tub for a few minutes. Also located in the bathing area, were services like body massage, body scrub and facial. Tempted to try it but feels abit weird having old ahjumahs scrub me like a baby. We dried ourselves then changed into our PJs. Proceeded to the communal area where everyone gathered together.

Located Ray on a massage chair while Keat Seong was having a body massage. The general area is really big with big screen TV, various rooms with people sleeping on the floor at every corner and sauna dome with different temperature.

If you don't have enuff money or a place to stay, jiljimbang is the best place. It's cheap. It has toilet & shower. Food is available at a price. Provides you clean clothes. And also a bed for you.

 Too bad we didn't spend much time here coz we had to catch the last train back. But made a promise, to visit a jiljimbang before we leave Seoul.