Jjimjilbang manners, and what nobody tells you
찜질방 예절
Most jjimjilbang manners come down to a few habits: wash before you get in the water, keep the small towel out of the pool, leave your phone in the locker, keep your voice down on the shared floor, and do not overdo the heat.
The one rule that matters
Wash before you get in the water. Sit on one of the low stools at the shower row, rinse properly, and only then use the pools. This is the custom people notice most if you skip it.
In the bath area
Keep the small towel out of the pool. Leave your phone in the locker and do not photograph anything on the bathing floor, since other people are naked there. Tie long hair up so it stays out of the water.
On the shared floor
Keep your voice down. People nap on the mats, including in the middle of the afternoon, so a group talking at normal volume reads as loud. Lie down where there is space rather than spreading a group across a corner. Ask before bringing in outside food, since many places sell their own.
Heat, and not overdoing it
Start with the cooler rooms and work up. In the hottest rooms, above about sixty degrees, the official tourism advice is to stay no more than about twenty minutes. Drink water between rooms. Bathhouses are required to post heat room cautions, for example for people with high blood pressure, pregnant people, and anyone who has had a drink in the last two hours, so read them or ask. If you feel unwell, leave the room. Leave early rather than late.
If you are unsure
Posted rules are often only in Korean. If you are unsure whether something is allowed, ask with a phrase card.
Phrases to show staff
Show the Korean line on your phone, or say it aloud: the spelling in brackets reads like English.
- 영어 되는 분 계신가요?
- Is there anyone here who speaks English?
- Yeong-eo doeneun bun gyesin-gayo? (yuhng-uh dweh-neun boon geh-sheen-gah-yoh?)
- 외국인도 이용할 수 있나요?
- Can foreign visitors use this place?
- Oegugindo iyonghal su innayo? (weh-goo-geen-doh ee-yong-hahl ssoo een-nah-yoh?)