If there’s anywhere I needed to visit in Seoul with my kids, it had to be a JJIMJILBANG.

Because?

Because this:

I needed a reason to put on a sauna “uniform” and wrap my head up in a ‘Princess Leia’ towel bun.

And because watching so many kdramas and k-variety over the years have reinforced this message: you ain’t been to Korea if you’ve not stepped into a jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is a korean sauna and an integral part of korean culture. In this huge expanse of space, you would find public baths, pools that rid your body of toxins, grooming and face-care services, entertainment zones, gym, ‘fomentation’ rooms of varying temperatures, and places to sleep and even spend the night.

And so to one we went. The 3 kids, fatherkao and I spent an entire day at Siloam Sauna.

Of course, before we headed there, I did some research on this particular sauna which was a stone’s throw from where we stayed (literally we see the building from Seoul Station), so as to brief the family as to what to expect. That Backpacker has an entire guide to this place (plus an awesome video), and I made tons of notes from just that one blogpost, so you absolutely need to check her post out. (Thank you, Audrey!)

We went in the day, after a light breakfast of Paris Baguette buns, and opted for both access to the bathhouse AND the other floors. We were given a locker key, a set of clothes to change into, minimal instructions in korean about how males and females need to be separated, and in a hurry, we parted ways and forgot to state exactly what time we should meet on the 2nd floor. I just said, “See you later”, and not knowing what to do (the boys were lost!), we kinda only regrouped after some time and searching for one another on the various floors. So much for making notes!

So the sauna is HUGE. It’s an entire building. There are 6 floors in all including a basement. You pay and enter into the changing area on the 1st floor, get completely undressed in a gender-specific area, walk down the stairs to enter the public bath (take everything off; the only thing allowed is a towel). You need to take a bath first before entering the different pools of varying temperatures with various health benefits. There’s also a steam room and a jacuzzi. Becks and I tried every pool except the one with the freezing water. I enjoyed soaking in the warm mugwort one (can’t remember, think it was maybe 60 deg C?) and it smelled medicinally beneficial. Only beware of standing up suddenly because like being in the onsen, sudden movements can result in fainting spells. True story.

When we finally regrouped, we checked out Level 4 as a family. Called the fomentation rooms, there are rooms in varying temperatures from sub zero to almost boiling point laden with good stuff like jade and crystal and salt and mud. There are cave-like pods to sleep in for privacy and mats for resting and I couldn’t last more than 5 minutes in any room because the kids were zipping in and out and I had to mind them for fear of disturbing the people who needed their fomentation therapies.

Lunch was on Level 2 and I had the best soondubu jiggae (spicy tofu soup) that Seoul trip. The bibimbap (rice with mixed vegetables) was lovely and so were the mandoos (dumplings). My kids ran in and out of the eatery to play at the adjoining kids playroom and watch korean cartoons.

After a short rest, fatherkao headed for a body massage while the kids and I checked out Level 3. There was an arcade and a table tennis room. No surprises there what the kids did.

We met 2 teen boys from Singapore a while later and the kids became quick friends sparring in good fun while I just lay on the straw mat right outside the games room and caught some sleep.

Becks wasn’t too interested in being with the boys so she checked out the karaoke room and hung out with me.

The boys played table tennis for a long time and by the time we were done, it was time for dinner. We agreed to spend some time in the bathhouse floor and to soak in the pools for one last time before meeting on the first floor.

When we regrouped again for dinner, our kids’ conversations were all about what they saw in the bathhouse basement. The details were hilarious and I loved it that this experience was something they wouldn’t forget for a long time. Siloam Sauna’s a great place to add to your itinerary if you have even half a day to spare. I love it that we hung out and the kids could explore the place freely. It would have been best if they were interested in taking naps but I got some shuteye and fatherkao got a massage and that was a good bargain already!

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IT’S SEOUL GOOD: Read more on our Seoul Adventures here as the SG Running Man team!