My Jimjilbang Experience: Baring It All at Dragon Hill Spa

It was THE day. After having a nice breakfast, my mom and I were on the subway heading to Yongsan Station. We’re finally going to experience the Korean bath house or jimjilbang! We had the whole morning to spend at Dragon Hill Spa, one of the largest jimjilbangs in Seoul. (Directions to this location at the end of this post.)

almost there

From the entrance, a beautiful walkway leads to a beige building.

a short walk to the building

dragon hill spa

Upon entering, we were greeted by friendly receptionists who speak good English and Chinese. They gave us a short orientation on what to expect inside. Entrance fee for the common facilities like sauna and bath is 10,000 won (around Php 450). Other special services such as facials, massages, body scrubs, food, arcade games, etc. will incur extra charges. These will be charged to an electronic plastic bracelet which will serve as our “credit card” and key holder inside the spa.

reception area as seen from the shoe lockers section

these electronic bracelets are water-proof and heat-proof (photo from dragonhillspa.co.kr)

First thing to do once inside: leave your shoes inside the shoe lockers. Look for the locker whose number corresponds to the number on your bracelet. This will also be the number for your clothes locker upstairs.

shoe lockers

We rode the elevator to the ladies’ floors. The third floor is like a big changing room. You can find rows and rows of locker, vanity tables, plus a counter selling toiletries. In here, we saw women in all stages of undress :p

elevator to ladies' floors

buy toiletries here

We changed into the uniforms provided before entering the sauna/bath area in the second flooor. Actually, you may also leave your uniforms in the locker and just bring a towel and your toiletries with you. You save yourself the trouble of carrying your clothes all around when transferring from one pool to another. We should have done this, but we were not sure when to remove our clothes. Or should I say, we wanted to postpone walking around stark naked up to the last possible minute!

not the most flattering shirt :p

The most important thing to do is to take a shower before entering any pool.

don't forget to shower!

Aside from the shower area in the photo, we found another area with low shower heads and small chairs and started to shower while seated. (Better this way because only half of our naked bodies will be exposed :p) Halfway through our bath, we suddenly realized that we were showering in the wrong area, when some ajummas (old ladies) started giving us weird looks. Much later, we learned that it was the back scrubbing area. Haha, sorry for that, but regardless of shower location, we did shower until we’re squeaky clean J.

Now, it’s time to try the baths. By this time, not a piece of clothing should be on you! If you’re shy, you can use the towel provided and casually hold it in front of you. It is big enough to cover your whole front body. As for your back side, well, it is not every day that other people get to see your bottom. Do allow them the honor to admire it :p

one of the indoor baths

We tried the indoor baths for several minutes each. Digital thermometers indicate the various temperatures of these pools. Try getting into the hot tubs then moving to a cold one. The change in temperature is good for body circulation. :) After that, we went to the open air baths. There is a ginseng bath and also a sea water bath. We spent a longer time there because we had the place to ourselves and the gentle breeze of the outdoors felt good with the hot waters of the pool.

if I remember it correctly, this is the ginseng bath. (photo from dragonhillspa.co.kr)

Then, we got into the uniforms and explored the rest of the area. Dragon Hill Spa is really big. It has 7 floors of amenities that include:

The main hall. It is a co-ed meeting place. In here, we saw several people lying asleep on the floor. There was also a Chinese-inspired throne for the guests to feel like emperors and empresses. The luxurious interiors has been used as a shooting location for several Korean series. Perfect for picture taking. J (I think you can rent traditional costumes from the convenience store – not sure about this though). You can also try the salt room, facials, hand and body spa, and nail art services. (at additional charges.) Or you can just watch TV.

common area / main hall

A sleeping room. While my mom tried the massage chair (3,000 won), I explored further and saw a small stoned path to a Japanese styled room. It turned out to be a sleeping room. I peeked inside and heard some snoring haha.

they call this the winter sonata walk

sleeping room (photo from dragonhillspa.co.kr)

sleeping room

Saunas/steam rooms. There are several steam rooms of different designs. One is Egyptian-themed with pyramid structures. Another is designed to look like interiors of old English castles. There is even an area called womb cleansing wherein women sit on toilet-bowl-like chairs and get steamed from under! Eeww!

pyramid sauna

steam rooms

Ice room. If hot steams are not your thing, you may opt for the ice room and freeze yourself into an iced statue hehe kidding.

Arcade area. The jimjilbang is also a kid-friendly place. Kids or adults can get occupied for hours in the arcade area. (all with additional charges.) In their website, there is also a computer room and a fitness center but I did not find them.

arcade

Canteens. I don’t know how many there are, but I saw a couple of them during our tour.

canteen

Swimming pool. There’s a real outdoor pool with lounge chairs (swimming suit needed). We relaxed there for a while to people watch.

outdoor swimming pool

Sky Garden. On our way to this sky garden, we passed by the sleeping quarters. This is a bigger sleeping area for overnight guests. A restaurant is located at the topmost floor, and a small door led us to the sky garden.

welcome to the sky garden

parties can be held at the sky garden

It was past lunchtime when we showered and changed. At the vanity tables, we used their hair dryers and lotions. I also got to watch the Korean women dressing up and putting on their make-up. J

vanity/dressing area

Autographed photos of celebrities who have visited dragon hill spa

My verdict: Visitng a jimjilbang is a must-try activity in Seoul! For me, our trip was a very “liberating” and wonderful experience. I was surprised to find myself comfortable walking around with nothing on at all! One thing I learned: Flaunt your bodies while you still can :p

Dragon HIll Spa

Open 24 hours

Admission: 10,000 won for weekdays and 12,000 won for the evenings and weekends

Website: www.dragonhillspa.co.kr (in Korean)

Tips for visiting Dragon Hill Spa or jimjilbangs in general.

1. Go there on weekdays and on early mornings to avoid the crowd. We went to Dragon Hill on a Friday morning, not much people were there. The place will get crowded in the evenings and also on weekends.

2. Shower first before dipping yourself into any pools, or else you risk being scolded by ajummas/ajushis (old ladies and old men). There are many of them inside!

3. For those on a budget, you can stay overnight in a jimjilbang instead of hotels. The price is much cheaper, plus you get to enjoy the saunas and baths.

4. If you have to visit other places after the jimjilbang, do yourself a favor, don’t bring too much things with you. Shampoos, soaps, and even lingerie are being sold there. Towels are also available. So just bring your essentials and you can enjoy your city tour afterwards without lugging a big bag around.

Directions to Dragon Hill Spa:

1. Ride the subway to Yongsan Station.

Yongsan Station

2. Look for exit 1 and go down the escalator. You will see the I-Park Mall to your right.

I-park Mall (right) and My Wedding Hall Buffet (front)

3. Turn right and walk for 250m toward the white western style building. That is My Wedding Hall Buffet and Dragon Hill Spa is just beside it. (You will find some big circle structures along the way.) Then cross the road. You will see a big clock and the big “welcome to dragon hill spa" sign.

cross the road and you will find a car passageway. that is the entrance to dragon hill spa.