Can I enter a Korean sauna with tattoos?+
There is no law against it — each bathhouse sets its own rule, and most never write it down. In practice small tattoos rarely cause a problem; large or full-body pieces may be refused anywhere, most often at hotel saunas and pools, where a 15 cm limit or a cover-up patch is a common written rule. Every HANTANG card shows the published policy where one exists (Tattoo OK, cover-up, no) and says ask at the counter where none does.
Do I really have to be fully naked?+
In the bath area, yes — it is separated by sex, nobody pays attention, and swimsuits are not worn in the bath pools (a few large spas add a separate mixed zone where swimwear is required). The jjimjilbang lounge floors are mixed, and there everyone wears the cotton outfit handed out at the counter; the law requires it in mixed sweat rooms. If nudity is not for you, skip the baths and use the clothed floors.
How much does it cost?+
A neighborhood bath in Seoul costs about ₩10,000–12,000 (the city average was ₩11,000 in July 2026; prices outside Seoul are often lower); a 24-hour jjimjilbang in Seoul about ₩11,000–16,000, with night tickets at the top of that range; premium spas such as Spa Land Centum City run ₩25,000 and up. A seshin scrub is ₩20,000–40,000 on top. Cards show the most recent published price we found, with the date we saw it.
What exactly is seshin?+
A full-body exfoliating scrub done by a same-sex professional with the rough green or pink “Italy towel” mitt, after you have soaked for 15–30 minutes so the skin softens. It lifts off a visible layer of dead skin; say 살살 (salsal) if you want it gentler. It is charged to your locker key or wristband and settled at the counter, and tipping is not customary.
Can I sleep overnight in a jjimjilbang?+
In 24-hour jjimjilbangs, yes — night tickets start at about 20:00 and cost around ₩16,000 in Seoul (Sparex Dongdaemun: ₩14,000 by day, ₩16,000 at night in 2026), which buys you a mat and a block pillow on a heated floor in a shared sleeping hall. Cards marked Sleep OK have overnight hours; expect each bath to close for about an hour of cleaning at night, and usually no re-entry once you leave. Minors (under 19 in Korea) cannot stay between 22:00 and 05:00 unless a parent or guardian is with them or has given written consent.
Can I bring my children?+
Yes, and Korean families do. One rule is law: since June 2022 a child aged 4 (48 months) or older may not enter the bath or changing area of the opposite sex, so a father cannot take his five-year-old daughter into the men's bath. Some places add their own limits, such as a height cut-off, and Spa Land Centum City in Busan admits no children under 7 (2026).
What should I bring?+
Very little. The entry price includes a locker and, in a jjimjilbang, the outfit and two small towels; a small neighborhood bath may charge a few hundred won for a towel and provide only soap, so pack a hair tie and a small bottle of shampoo (single-use packets are also sold at the counter and at convenience stores). Bring some cash as well as a card, and your passport or ID, which some places ask to see.
Can I use my phone or take photos?+
Not in the locker room or the bath area — filming there is a sex crime under Korean law, and bathhouses ask you not to use a phone in those rooms at all, camera or not. Phones are fine in the clothed jjimjilbang lounge; keep them on silent in the sleeping hall.
Does anyone speak English?+
Do not count on it. Big tourist jjimjilbangs in Seoul have ticket kiosks and signs in English, Chinese and Japanese, but English-speaking staff are not guaranteed, and at a small neighborhood bath expect Korean only — the visit needs very few words anyway. Our Show-This Cards put the Korean on your screen for the moments you need it.
When are they open, and do they close?+
Neighborhood baths open early in the morning and close in the evening — the places we list run from about 04:00–06:00 to 22:00–24:00 — and some close one weekday or a fixed day each month, or on Seollal and Chuseok. 24-hour saunas stay open around the clock, though each bath closes for about an hour of cleaning at night, and some large spas cap your stay — Spa Land Centum City allows four hours. Cards show hours and closing days as published, and the directory marks which places are 24-hour.
Is it safe? Who should skip the hot rooms?+
For a healthy adult, yes, with common sense: about 10 minutes at a time in the sauna and 10–15 minutes in a hot pool, water between rounds, never after drinking alcohol, and slow steps on wet floors, where most bathhouse falls happen. If you are pregnant or elderly, or have a heart condition or high blood pressure, ask a doctor first and skip the hottest rooms and the cold plunge.
How do I find a bathhouse near me?+
Search in Korean — 목욕탕 (bathhouse), 사우나 (sauna) or 찜질방 — in Naver Map or Kakao Map, the maps Koreans use; Google Maps had no walking directions in Korea as of 2026, and English place names often fail. On the street, older bathhouses still carry the ♨ sign, and “24시” marks 24-hour places. Our directory lists each place's hours, prices and tattoo policy as published, with the date we saw them, and marks which places we have visited.
Do I tip?+
No. Tipping is not customary in Korea, and that includes the seshin scrubber. At most larger places everything you use inside — the scrub, food, drinks — goes on your wristband or locker-key number and is settled at the counter when you leave; a few older baths take cash on the spot.
