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Before we get into what the Korean body scrub exactly is and how you can also do it at home, it’s important to describe the environment in which it normally occurs.
Korean Spas also known as “jjim jil bangs” roughly translates to “heated bath houses.”
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Imagine this.
You walk into a Korean spa with your significant other or perhaps your girlfriends. There is an upfront payment of about $25-40 per 24 hour stay. The Spa will provide a comfortable outfit to wear (usually a baggy set of shorts and t-shirt that matches with everyone inside), a clean towel, key for your locker, and directed to a gender specific locker room to change.
In the locker room, you will change out of your street clothes and wear the outfit provided for you. This part of the spa will feel very similar to any gym locker room. The biggest difference usually is the age range of the women and the comfortability of nudity.
Modesty at a Korean spa is rare and getting a good scrub down at a Korean spa is a ritual that starts in elementary school.
The bathing area is usually completely wet. Most, if not all will be completely nude. It will feel like one huge shower in a large room, as most Korean Spas do not partition with doors or curtains between shower heads. The floors will be wet from the open shower stalls, women will be walking into and out of the hot or icy bath tubs and there will be “ddae mi ri” areas. In this subsection there will be completely naked women who are receiving Korean body scrubs lying down on a massage table from a “ddae mi ri” or a professional body scrubber.
Women will be contorting themselves all over so that that ddae mi ri can get the best angle to scrub every fiber of dirty skin rolls off of you, also known as “ddae.” This is usually an added service to the entrance fee of around $30-50 dollars with tip. But it ensures a complete scrub down without completely exerting your own energy or if you asked for help from who you came with. FYI, most of the time people come with their mom or grandma for the first time and they do it for you.
At this point you can decide your intent of coming because as a matter of fact people come to Korean Spas for different reasons and it isn’t always to do a Korean body scrub.
There are 3 general purposes of going to a Korean Spa.
You can do only one or all of the above because usually you pay for 24 hours worth of stay in addition to any foods or scrubbing services you purchase inside.
- Socializing
- Relaxing
- Korean Body Scrubbing
1. Socializing
Food
Eating is a huge deal in a Korean spa. Many spas have a separate cafeteria-like area and some just take a tray full of food to the communal relaxation area to eat. Common food orders are hard boiled brown eggs. Now you might ask what’s the big deal with hard boiled eggs? I can make that at home. For some reason or another, a hard boiled egg at a Korean spa is a staple. It’s also very common to order a sweet Korean dessert drink called “shik hae.” It is in essence a sugary rice beverage and you will often find very soft rice pieces as well inside. If you’d like to try a taste at home before you commit at a spa, try this store bought version first.
These two are just the top most ordered items, but it’s likely you will be able to order Korean stews, cold noodles, bibimbap, bingsoo desserts and even a few Americanized items like french fries and fried chicken.
Watching TV
If you don’t understand Korean, the tv portion may not be as intriguing to you. There are usually multiple tvs around the room set to different Korean tv shows and stations. Do not attempt to ask to change it to an American tv show, that will probably not go well and your request may just straight out be refused. The only caveat is if you are literally the only one trying to watch tv. You will see people lying on the heated floor, leaning against the wall, and if it’s a nice one they might even have massage chairs facing the tvs.
Meeting up with friends
Going to the Korean spa is a quick way to get acquainted with someone and also something to do with friends. A lot of mother-in-laws/father-in-laws actually take their new daughter-in-laws/son-in-law (obviously the same sex) to break the ice. Weird way to break the ice maybe, but it happens. You will see some friends chattering away as if they are catching up in a coffee shop. Now how much you can talk and how loud you should be really vary depending on which room you are in and how many people there are. Chatter at your discretion as you may get dirty looks from other patrons.
2. Relaxing
Hot tubs
Korean hot tubs are set to as high as 170 to 180 degrees according to a popular Korean spa in Chicago. The high temp is considered necessary by spas for optimal detoxification and ease of exfoliation. If the temperature is too high for you, then it would be best to skip and try the more moderately heated sauna-like rooms.
Ice tubs
Ice baths are also available in some locations.
Pebbled, Himalayan salt, oxygen and cold rooms
Once you leave the bathing area, there will be another huge communal room. This is where both genders can relax, socialize, and eat together. Off the side there will be smaller heated and cooled rooms. The rooms are often lit red or blue to signify the type of temperature room it is. Some areas have pebbles all over the floor for those who prefer to lie down on textured material and others have ice cold mat floors. You are meant to lie or sit down in these smaller, more private rooms with much fewer people and relax quietly.
General rooms to sleep, even overnight
If you’ve ever watched a Korean drama, you may have seen some characters fight with their spouses or parents, lose their home suddenly, or simply need a place to get away overnight. Instead of checking into a hotel, many Koreans decide to spend their night at Korean Spas since they are paid in increments of 24 hours and these spas are open 24/7. If you happen to go late at night, don’t be surprised to see people sleeping for the night.
3. Korean Body Scrubbing
Pay a professional body scrubber to scrub you
This experience will feel very strange to a newcomer or anyone even new to this idea. Even though it’s called a “spa” it is far from the typical American spa experience. It is not a place of relaxing music or tranquil scenery. You won’t be receiving a body rub down massage or a facial treatment. This is ultimately a place to get a good and thorough body wash. After a few visits, I would highly recommend paying a professional to scrub you down. The experience will be a little painful, uncomfortable, but this is the most efficient and absolute way to feel the cleanest.
Scrub alone
It would be ok to attend and do the Korean body scrub on your own. Tons of people actually do visit bath houses alone. The only limitation is that it would be very hard to scrub your back and other hard to reach places.
Scrub friends and family together
Most people visit with friends and family. It’s usually a very social event and the most cost efficient because you can scrub each others’ hard to reach places without paying a professional.
If you live in an American city with a relatively large Korean population, there should be at least a few in that area. Chicago, Los Angeles and New York definitely have them. I would recommend going the first time with someone who is Korean and has attended before so you have a personal guide. If not, try a spot out with your closest girlfriends and experience it for the first time together. It might feel a bit strange at first, but will be an amazing and very new experience.
But what if you’re not quite ready for the full experience and just want to explore the benefits of a Korean body scrub at home.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do the Korean body scrub at home
- Simple body wash in a tub. Some people recommend doing a quick rinse/shower prior to the bath. I tend not to and reserve this for after the scrub. If you choose to do this step first, make sure to use a harder body wash like this one and not a silky gel-like one. A gel-like one will make your skin slippery and more difficult to scrub.
- Rinse out the tub, plug it and start filling with hot water. I like to sit in it while the tub fills because I noticed it’s a lot harder to dip into a fully filled hot one. If I sit in it then my body has an easier time adjusting to the temperature.
- Hot water bath. The hotter the water the better it is for exfoliation. However, if setting the temperature too high is limiting you from really soaking for a good 20-30 minutes then it’s better to lower the temperature. THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP in the Korean body scrub process is to soak until your skin prunes. This allows for easier exfoliation. If you try scrubbing without the bath, your skin will get raw trying to scrub the dead skin rolls off and will not work very well.
- Korean exfoliating mitt. This will be the one purchase you absolutely have to make to do the Korean body scrub at home. My favorite is this one. There is no other product that can get the skin rolls off your body. It usually comes in this square shape and you simply put your fingers inside the square pocket. Wet the towel before use and squeeze out excess water.
- If your tub was filled to the max, I would drain it enough so that your legs and upper body are exposed to the air and not covered with the water. It is hard to scrub your body while it is immersed in the water.
- A sitting stool like this placed inside the tub might make this process a little easier. Also when it’s time for someone to assist with your back, it will be easier for the scrubber as well since you are sitting higher up.
- I like to start with my ankles, behind my knees, thighs or upper arms. I start here because the skin rolls come off the easiest in these areas. The scrub towel needs to be scrubbed back and forth on a section of your skin with a good amount of pressure. It should be as if you’re using all the tips of your fingers to rub off marker that has smeared on a table.
- If you have immersed yourself long enough in the hot water and you’re scrubbing your skin with the right amount of pressure, you will begin to see dark gray/green skin rolls or “ddae” rubbing off your skin. Understanding how hard you need to scrub back and forth will come with experience. It isn’t meant to be a soft scrubbing session. You should expect it to be uncomfortable, at least at first.
- I like to move from least sensitive to most sensitive places. Generally, the calves, thighs, arms, top of feet, top of hands tend to be the least sensitive. Then the belly, sides of the torso, around breasts, neck, and armpits. Finally, the back of the neck, whole back, and butt will require assistance from someone else.
- You should scrub until you don’t see any more skin rolls coming off your body. There will be skin rolls everywhere and this is completely normal. Your skin also may be a little raw or pink in certain areas. If you feel it is too painful, then move onto another area.
- This whole process will likely take about 1.5 hours. Once you’re done, finish off as if you would do a normal bath and clean the tub.
- Once you’re done, make sure to lock in the moisture with a good lotion or cream.
- Drink a huge glass of water, you will be thirsty!
What are the benefits of Korean body scrubs at home?
It’s mainly to perform a full body, deep cleanse and exfoliation of your skin. The process will smooth out rough patches of skin, improve blood and lymph node circulation, and release toxins. This is also an amazing way to take time for yourself and relax, especially during extra stressful times.
How can I tell it’s working?
For most doing this for the first time, you will scrub yourself more lightly than you really should. Frankly, it’s because it can feel uncomfortable and kind of hurt. There is a small cheat soap you can also try using. This Korean body scrub soap can make the scrubbing a little easier. You will know you are doing it the right way when you start seeing gray/green skin rolls start rubbing off.
How should my skin feel after?
Your skin should feel soft and supple to the touch. However, initially some areas, may feel a little raw right after, so make sure to moisturize as well.
How often should I do the scrub at home?
It’s quite a commitment since it not only takes 1.5 hours, but you are also exerting quite a lot of energy doing it. On average, older Korean women who have been doing this all their lives, do it at least once a month. Scrubbing at home more than once weekly is not recommended.
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