How to Use a Jjimjilbang (Korean Bathhouse): Steps, Rules and Etiquette

What a jjimjilbang is

A 찜질방 (jjimjilbang, “heated room”) is a bathhouse and lounge in one. It has two very different parts:

• The bath area (목욕탕, mogyoktang): hot and cold pools, showers and saunas. These are separate for men and women, and everyone is naked.
• The shared area: heated rooms at different temperatures, floor mats for lying down, TVs, a snack bar and sometimes massage chairs or a gym. Men and women use it together, all dressed in the same loose uniform.

Koreans go to unwind, to warm up in winter, to spend a lazy afternoon with family and, at 24-hour places, sometimes to sleep. A visit is a good way to see everyday Korean life, and once you know the steps it’s simple.

Step by step

1. Pay at the front desk. You’ll usually get a locker key on a wristband (sometimes worn on the ankle), a towel or two and a uniform: a T-shirt and shorts.
2. Leave your shoes. There’s a shoe locker (신발장, sinbaljang) at the entrance. Shoes never go further in.
3. Find the changing room for your sex. Signs say 남 (nam, men) and 여 (yeo, women). Bath areas are often called 남탕 (namtang) and 여탕 (yeotang). Lock your clothes and bag in the locker that matches your key number.
4. Undress fully and shower. Wash your whole body, hair included, at the shower stations before you get into any pool. This is the one rule everyone notices.
5. Bathe. Move between the hot, warm and cold pools as you like. Tie long hair up so it stays out of the water.
6. Put on the uniform and go to the shared area for the hot rooms, food and rest.
7. Pay for extras on the way out. Snacks, drinks and services are charged to your key number. Return the key and towels at the desk and settle the bill.

The hot rooms

The shared floor is a series of rooms, each with a theme. Names you’ll see:

Korean	Romanization	What it is
한증막	hanjeungmak	A dome-shaped kiln room, the hottest. Often you sit on a burlap mat
소금방	sogeumbang	Salt room, with salt crystals on the floor or walls
얼음방	eoreumbang	Ice room for cooling down
수면실	sumyeonsil	Sleeping room, usually separate for men and women
식혜	sikhye	Sweet, cold rice drink sold at the snack bar
맥반석 계란	maekbanseok gyeran	Eggs roasted brown on hot stones, the classic snack
세신	sesin	Body scrub service (see below)

VisitKorea’s advice: start in the cooler rooms (about 30–40°C) and work up, and keep visits to rooms above 60°C to about 20 minutes. Drink water between rooms. Leave if you feel dizzy.

Etiquette

• Shower before the pools, and rinse again after the sauna. Don’t take soap into the pools.
• Towels stay out of the water. Fold yours on your head or leave it at the edge.
• Nobody stares, and you shouldn’t either. Nudity in the bath is ordinary in Korea.
• No photos or phones in the bath or changing areas. In the shared area, keep calls short and quiet.
• Lying down is fine in the shared rooms. People nap, read and chat. Keep your voice down near sleepers.
• Don’t tip. Services have set prices (see tipping and etiquette in Korea).

Tattoos: we couldn’t find an official, current rule for tattoos at the places in this guide, and policies differ from place to place. If you have large tattoos, ask at the desk before you pay.

Body scrubs (sesin)

The 세신 (sesin) service is a vigorous full-body scrub with a rough mitt, done in the bath area by an attendant of your sex while you lie on a table. It takes off a surprising amount of dead skin. Many bathhouses also offer massages or facials.

• It’s a paid extra. Prices are on a board near the scrub tables, and you usually book or pay on the spot. We didn’t find official prices for the places below, so check when you arrive.
• Soak in the hot pool for a while first so your skin softens.
• Point to what you want on the price list, or say 세신 해 주세요 (sesin hae juseyo, “a scrub, please”). The Say It in Korean tool has more phrases you can show.

Staying overnight

Many jjimjilbangs are open 24 hours, and sleeping on a mat in a shared room or a 수면실 (sleeping room) is a common budget option for a night. Places that allow this often charge a higher night rate and limit how long one admission lasts, with an extra charge per hour after that. Rules differ by bathhouse, so ask what the admission covers.

If you do sleep over:

• Lock everything valuable in your locker. The rooms are open to everyone.
• Expect lights, noise and snoring. Bring earplugs and an eye mask.
• Use the single-sex sleeping room where there is one.
• It works for a night between trains, not for a restful week. A guesthouse is usually better value for proper sleep.

Spa Land Centum City does not take overnight guests: it closes at 22:00.

Spa Land Centum City, Busan

The best-known bathhouse for visitors is Spa Land (스파랜드) on the 1st floor of the Shinsegae Centum City department store, at Centum City Station (Line 2). It uses natural hot-spring water and has 18 hot-spring baths and 13 themed rooms, including a Finnish sauna and a steam sauna. Details from Shinsegae’s official page, as of October 2026:

Hours	9:00–22:00, last entry 21:00
Adults	₩26,000
Students (born 2008–2019)	₩21,000
Age rule	Elementary-school age and up; elementary-school children must be with a same-sex parent or guardian
Time limit	Up to 4 hours; ₩5,000 per extra hour. Spend ₩10,000 or more inside (not counting the ticket) and you get up to 6 hours
Luggage	Suitcases can’t go in the locker room; luggage lockers ₩3,000 for 5 hours, then ₩1,000 per hour
Contact	1668-2850 (Korean number)

The department store has monthly closing days and holiday hours can differ, so check the official page before you go. Pair it with the rest of the city using things to do in Busan.

In Seoul, there are large jjimjilbangs near main stations and in Yongsan, but we couldn’t confirm the current hours and prices of any of them on an official source, so we haven’t listed them. Check recent reviews and hours in Naver Map or KakaoMap before you go.

What to bring

• Toiletries if you’re picky. Many places sell single-use shampoo, razors and toothbrushes at the desk or snack bar.
• Hair ties, a small comb and moisturizer. Hairdryers are usually in the changing room.
• Some cash as a backup for small purchases, though big places like Spa Land take cards.
• Water or money for drinks; you’ll sweat a lot.
• A small bag for wet things.

Visiting in the cold months? A bathhouse afternoon pairs well with the ideas in Korea in winter. To read the signs, the Read Korean tool shows any Korean word in English letters.