Getting naked with koreans- the jimjilbang experience

Growing up in the western world, nudity is something that’s embarrassing. We grow up feeling self conscious about our bodies, wondering if we’re too fat or too thin. As guys, we’re insecure about our biceps and other things related to our manhood. But in Korea, it’s no biggie, and the more you get naked, the more you’ll feel the same.

Communal non-nude area where you sleep, watch TV, eat and generally, unwind

Jimjilbangs are public bath houses in Korea, and are a pretty popular way to relax and unwind after a stressful day at work. They’re gender segregated spas, with communal lounge and sauna areas. You can spend the whole day there, ordering drinks and eating icecream, watching TV, unclogging your blackened pores, getting a massage or just relaxing in a hot pool, all while naked. Nudity, in the gender segregated areas, is a requirement and you can’t enjoy the sublimity of the hot baths without all your flesh exposed. For an outsider coming in, it can be a bit of a confronting situation, both being nude and being around so much naked flesh, but it’s also one of the most relaxing things to do.

Once you get over the initial hesitation and the shock of dozens of wangs flapping quietly around, you’ll find yourself relaxing more, both inside and out. The hardest thing is taking off your underwear for the first time. There’s hesitation, you fiddle around arranging things in your locker, you pretend you left something somewhere and you awkwardly try to avert your eyes from unsavoury sights. You wonder if you can really do it, then you tell yourself ‘fuck it, im getting naked’. You proudly strip off the last shackles of oppression and proudly strut out with your head held high and your willy hanging low.

For those inclined, an 80C sauna...literally a kiln

And it really is a liberating experience. When you realise that everyone else looks the same as you do, in all colours, shapes and sizes, it’s relaxing. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a little vain. I worry about what I wear, I exercise and eat healthy so my body looks right and I’m obsessed with my hair. But being naked, that feeling is gone. I’m hanging out with a whole bunch of other naked Koreans who aren’t muscley and toned, have bits of fat hanging out their guts, hair wrangled every which way and yes, manhoods that aren’t worth describing. For me, it was a feeling that appearance didn’t really matter. All that did matter was the amazing spa jets massaging my sore back; the warmth of the pools soaking my tired feet. What’s more amazing about the experience is that Koreans do this as a norm.

Friends will go to jimjilbangs to hang out, even washing each other in the buff. Fathers will bring their sons, mothers, their daughters, all in the nude. Of course, there’s always that huge juxtaposition that Korea is also one of the plastic surgery capitals of the world. And there’s also the fact that I’m a westerner that’s coming to this experience with a completely different mindset. But I don’t care, I felt more comfortable in my body than I ever had been and no amount of juxtapositions can take that away!

They also have ice rooms. But dont worry men, this is in the communal clothed area

My advice for anyone wanting to try a jimjilbang but are a bit nervous, just do it. Do not let the shackles of a nudeless society oppress you any longer! And though going with a friend may seem very off putting, it doesn’t have to be so remember that.

For more, read my guide on jimjilbang etiquette.