Travel & Entertainment

This is part 2 of my solo ‘jjimjilbang’ (찜질방) experience in Hongdae, Seoul.

If you haven’t read part 1 yet, click through the link for the deets:

I paid 11.14 SGD for a solo ‘jjimjilbang’ (찜질방) experience in Seoul, South Korea. Here’s my honest review (part I)

So, as we ended the post previously at the end of the stairway to the main hall, here’s what greeted me when I entered.

It was pretty dark and many people were sound asleep.

I wasn’t sleepy, so I wasted no time and headed straight for the food store.

Here’s the price list for the food menu:

As I’ve pointed out, there’s minimal English around the signs, so it’s not tourist-friendly, especially if you can’t read Korean.

Anyway, the Korean sauna-style eggs are 4 for 3,000 KRW (approx. 2.77 SGD) and the ‘sikhye’ (rice punch drink) is 4,000 KRW (approx. 3.70 SGD) for a medium cup; while a cup of ramen is 4,000 KRW (approx. 3.70 SGD).

I don’t think it’s very wallet-friendly, tbh.

Since the bathroom was in sight, right beside the food store, I went in to relieve myself.

It was pretty clean, but there was a weird musty smell.

All in all, very dated.

There’s only one cold sauna room, and they call it the ‘Frozen’ ice room.

All the other 3 are hot saunas and vary in temperature.

This ‘Finnish Sauna’ was the most bearable in heat, in my opinion.

I was able to enter the room and close the door behind me without feeling too overwhelmed.

There were two people in there when I entered, so I couldn’t take a clear picture with flash, but here’s what it looks like:

The second hot sauna room, named ‘Red Clay Sauna’, was empty when I entered.

It’s empty and quite understandably so because it was much warmer than the ‘Finnish Sauna’, almost up by 50%.

Here’s what it looks like on the inside:

Much more spacious.

The last hot sauna room is the ‘Charcoal Sauna’, and this one is no joke, yeah.

When I opened the door, there was an intense, I repeat, INTENSE heat wave that swept over my face.

I had to close the door immediately and then reopen it to take a picture of the interior.

At least, I tried to show what’s inside.

This will be really comfortable during winter, but during summer, it can burn you.

There was also a ‘no mobile phone’ warning at the entrance.

Here’s the main hall view again, with lights on now.

The staff on duty turned it on and then explained that it was his routine cleaning time.

Good for me since I can take clearer pictures for y’all. Heh.

Tons of sleeping mats and pillow blocks, so use as you wish.

There were also massage chairs that you can use at an extra charge.

I like how there are separate men’s and women’s sleeping “rooms” at two opposite ends.

This is the women’s sleeping “room” but the sign is in Korean -.-”’

Here’s what it looks like after you take the staircase up:

Pretty roomy!

I also stumbled across this unmanned DIY ramen corner.

The variety is pretty impressive, with about 4 to 5 vending machines selling ramen, snacks, and drinks.

The ramen packets are all priced at 5,000 KRW (approx. 4.63 SGD) each.

Make your purchase, and you can cook them right here:

Thank God there are simple instructions in English on how to operate these machines.

Anyway, there are no staff on duty at this corner, so you can just buy what you want and pay via credit card.

For those not craving noodles, you can go for these rice options.

Again, I don’t think there’s an English menu, so you might have to play with luck or use a translator to help you navigate through these options.

FYI, a plain instant rice bowl is 2,000 KRW (approx. 1.85 SGD), and the other rice bowls are 5,000 KRW (approx. 4.63 SGD).

There’s also this self-bar/corner where you can sort your food waste and do some light cleaning/washing.

There are tables and chairs so you can dine comfortably alone or with your travel buddies.

And of course, how can we live without an internet connection?

The Wi-Fi ID and password are printed out in signs and pasted in various areas inside the ‘jjimjilbang’, so just walk around and you will spot them on the walls.

I could do some light surfing while inside the ‘Frozen’ ice room, but the signal was weak.

I gave up on the warm sauna rooms and went for the ‘Frozen’ room to end my tour of the place.

It was surprisingly empty, so I had the whole place to myself.

It was cool, not ice cold, when I entered.

Even the ice was melting and water was slowly dripping…

But after sitting inside for about 15 minutes, I felt the chill creeping in.

Eyeing that bench right outside to recover my body temperature.

Getting ready to leave the place, but wanting to just linger around for a little longer in these cool temperatures, knowing that the heat is about to greet me outside. Boohoo.

Time to go!

I changed into my own clothes and threw the used ‘jjimjilbang’ clothes and towels into the designated laundry carts.

And that sums up my solo trip to the ‘jjimjilbang’.

I would rate the place a 5.5/10.

5 points for existing, and an extra 0.5 points for the cleaner ahjussi who turned on the lights and also spoke to me in English, asking me if I’d checked out the women’s sleeping corner.

This is not my first ‘jjimjilbang’ experience, and in all honesty, I’ve been to much better (and cleaner) ones that are of similar prices or just a little more pricey.

The staff on-site generally couldn’t speak a word of English and didn’t even make an effort to try communicating (except the ahjussi).

They were also not smiley at all, and I don’t think that’s the right attitude for service staff.

It’s a very old-fashioned place, so if you like all things vintage and local, you can give this place a try.

For me, there probably won’t be a second time unless they have renovations or remodeling to refresh the entire place.

All image credits to Celeste Elle and should not be reproduced without permission.

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