5 faux pas at public baths: no. 1 女 or 男?

It’s autumn and the time for hiking and exercise followed by a refreshing soak in the tub. But this year you’ve plucked up the courage to go to a public bath. And you’re mentally prepared to wander around completely starkers in front of other completely naked people. But now what?

First of all, if it’s your first time and you’re feeling shy, timing is important. In peak season right before breakfast and right before dinner are the BUSIEST times at the baths.

This goes for any of the range of bathing opportunities on offer in this part of the world – jimjilbangs (Korean-style saunas), hot springs, and local public baths. If you don’t want to be packed boob to boob (or whatever) lining up for the showers, I recommend avoiding popular hotel baths in tourist destinations around 5pm during holiday seasons. They can be HEAVING! So bare that in mind. 😂

Even so, I LOVE going to public baths, hot springs, and jimjilbangs.

These days, flats in modern apartment complexes include baths. But older homes and smaller apartments (‘villas’) don’t, so the tradition of going to the local public bath house every week still exists. Bathing for health goes way back too…

Often in historical dramas we see the king going off on a hot spring retreat for his health. But with less security, leaving the palace is always dangerous and it’s a good opportunity for the baddies to get up to no good. Do you remember in episode 25 of The Jewel in the Palace the king collapses after eating ‘poisonous duck soup’ during one of his hot spring retreats? Here he is about to eat the dodgy duck.

Going to public baths is not just about sitting around in hot water. You can go to saunas, communal areas, restaurants, even have a sing-song in a karaoke room. What’s not to like? And if you’re feeling very brave you can book a professional body scrub (seshin) or massage into the mix.

But for a first-timer, the naked world of the public bath can be intimidating. In this series, I’ll have a look at 5 things to AVOID at the baths.

NUMBER 1

DON’T walk into the WRONG changing room 

You might be thinking, ‘What are you telling me that for? I’m not an IDIOT’. But in Korea or Japan walking into the wrong changing room can be quite an easy thing to do! (And I don’t mean on purpose.) 

JAPAN

At a hotel in Japan in my novice bather days, I picked a quiet time and scuttled nervously down to the baths. But my plans were scuppered as soon as I got there as the signs at the entrance were only written in Chinese characters. And the colour of the noreng entrance curtain to the men’s baths and to the women’s baths were both GREEN. I had to wait till another bather arrived to work out which entrance was for me.

Then after getting over the initial shock of being NAKED in PUBLIC, I began to enjoy my public bath experience and so went back to the same bath a few days later. This time I marched with confidence towards the ladies changing rooms. What could possibly go wrong?

STOP. I was on my way into the MEN’S changing rooms.

WHY? Hotels in Japan swap the women’s and men’s baths around every day. So the ladies’ baths will be the men’s baths the following day. And so on. You have to check the sign! It keeps you on your toes. Remain vigilant at all times. Assume nothing. 

KOREA

In some countries men and women may get changed in the same changing rooms. That is NOT the case in public baths in Korea (or Japan). EVER. (unless you have rented a private family bath)

I heard of one European lady (no, it wasn’t me) who went into the men’s changing room and started to get undressed. (honestly, it wasn’t me) One of the semi-naked Korean men had to go over and tell her that these were NOT communal changing rooms.

She was lucky he stopped her! She could have ended up naked in a bath full of blokes. That might be standard practice in some countries (I’ve been in a communal sauna in Norway but that’s another story) but it’s not the norm here!  

What you need to know: 女 and 男

In most cases the sign on the changing room should be clear. At large modern hotels and jimjilbang saunas, there will be English signage, or at least an internationally recognisable symbol. But in smaller facilities you might be faced with a sign only in Chinese characters (or hangul). 

So If you only ever learn 2 Chinese characters in your life, consider learning these two:

女 (여) WOMAN, 男 (남) MAN 

😩

5 faux pas at public baths: (no. 2) FEET

5 faux pas at public baths: no. 3 knickers

5 faux pas at the public baths: no. 4 sweat

5 Faux Pas in public baths: no. 5 towels