Jjimjilbangs

Jjimjilbang is Korean for:

 Spa on Crack
Most Amazing Spa ever
That's a Spa? Seemed more like heaven to me!

However you choose to translate this magical word one thing remains, Jjimjilbangs are the single most amazing discovery of my life in Korea. A Jjimjilang is comprised of several main components: several showers, a river, a sauna and several different temperature pools. You undress (yes naked, boys in a completely different level) in the locker room and then proceed to the showers where you scrub every last inch of you with soap (it's UHmazing) and then you sit and soak in pools. The pools are all different temperatures, some hot, some cold and some of them are infused with different things: coffee, pine needles, smells, you name it you can have it. So you sit, soak, and chat with your girl friends until you feel sufficiently pruny, then you wander over to the Ashimas (women older than you) and they give you a massage. Oh it's glorious, they use gloves that are the equivalent of wire scrubbing a pan to scrub off all the dirt and whatever that has accumulated on your skin, give you a face massage and cucumber pack, they wash your hair, and give you an oil massage. It's the most amazing thing in the world. After the Ashimas have done their damage you go and sit in the sauna, sweat out all the oil then return to the pools. You can stay as long as you want, and frequently people sleep overnight at these places. Needless to say, i'll be returning soon (and often!)