A Korean bath is one of the cheapest things you can do in the country. In 2026 a neighborhood mogyoktang (목욕탕) costs about ₩11,000 in Seoul. Regional averages are lower, about ₩8,000–9,500 (2025–2026). A 24-hour jjimjilbang (찜질방) in Seoul costs ₩11,000–14,000 by day and ₩14,000–16,000 at night. Big spas such as Spa Land in Busan and Aquafield near Seoul cost ₩25,000–30,000. At larger places, everything you buy inside goes on your wristband, and you pay when you leave.
Prices are rising with gas, electricity and water bills, so every figure below carries its date. By law, every bath must post its price board (목욕요금표) at reception. Trust the board over anything printed here.
Admission by type and city
| Type of place | Adult admission | Date and example |
|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood bath, Seoul | ₩11,000 (average) | July 2026, 소비자24 price data |
| Neighborhood bath, other regions | ₩8,154 (Gyeongnam average); ₩9,444 (Gangwon average) | November 2025; January 2026 |
| 24-hour jjimjilbang, Seoul | ₩11,000–14,000 day; ₩14,000–16,000 night | Hongdae Bulgama ₩11,000 day (Feb 2026); Sparex Dongmyo ₩14,000 day (Feb 2026), ₩15,000 night (Feb 2025); Hwanghak-dong Golden Spa ₩13,000 / ₩14,000 (Apr 2025); Sparex Dongdaemun ₩14,000 / ₩16,000 (2026) |
| 24-hour jjimjilbang, Busan | ₩10,000–18,000 | Taejongdae ₩10,000 bath only, ₩11,000–13,000 with the jjimjil hall; Dalmaji Hill Spa ₩12,000 bath only, ₩15,000–18,000 with the hall (2026) |
| Hot-spring bath, Busan | ₩12,000–18,000 | Haeundae Oncheon Center ₩12,000 (from September 2026); Hurshimchung (허심청) ₩15,000 weekday, ₩18,000 weekend, jjimjil hall ₩4,000 extra (2026) |
| Big spa (department store or resort) | ₩25,000–30,000 | Spa Land Centum City ₩25,000; Aquafield Hanam ₩26,000; Club D Oasis ₩30,000 (2026) |
| Women-only hanjeungmak (한증막), Myeongdong | ₩20,000 | Golden Sauna Myeongdong, February 2026 |
The Seoul average was ₩10,462 in July 2024, ₩10,769 in July 2025 and ₩11,000 in July 2026. Gyeongnam's average rose 39% between 2020 (₩5,850) and November 2025 (₩8,154). In Busan, Haeundae Oncheon Center and Dalmaji Hill Spa both raised the bath fee from ₩10,000 to ₩12,000 in autumn 2026, three weeks apart.
Booking platforms sometimes sell tickets below the door price. The bath-types guide explains what each type of place offers.
What is included and what costs extra
At a large jjimjilbang the ticket includes the uniform (찜질복), two small towels and the wristband key. Body wash is provided, and often shampoo and hair dryers too. Sparex Dongmyo charges for its hair dryers. A neighborhood bath may provide only soap. Bring shampoo, or buy a single-use packet at a convenience store or at the bath. The towels are small, close to hand-towel size.
Some small baths charge for towels. In 2025 the National Human Rights Commission of Korea reviewed a bath that charged ₩9,000 admission and, for women only, ₩500 per towel. It found the fee discriminatory. The city said the law gave it no basis to act, and the bath then printed the towel fee on its price board. If you see 수건 (towel) on the board with a price next to it, that is the towel fee.
Bring one large towel of your own. It is bigger than the bath's towels, and dermatologists advise against sharing towels and slippers because athlete's foot spreads that way. The health guide explains more.
Everything else is an extra, charged to the wristband:
| Item | Price | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Seshin (세신) at a bathhouse | ₩20,000–40,000 | 2025 |
| Men's seshin, Sparex Dongdaemun | from ₩25,000 | 2026 |
| Admission plus scrub, Sparex Dongdaemun | men ₩39,000, women ₩49,000 | October 2026 |
| Towel rental | ₩2,000–3,000 | early 2026 |
| Lost towel or uniform | ₩5,000–10,000 | early 2026 |
| Lost wristband key | ₩20,000 at Sparex | 2026 |
| Sikhye (식혜) or stone-baked egg | ₩1,000–3,000 each | early 2026 |
| Admission plus luggage storage and one re-entry, Sparex Dongdaemun | ₩20,000 | October 2026 |
| Parking, Sparex Dongdaemun | 3 hours free, then ₩1,500 per 30 minutes | 2026 |
Private one-person scrub shops and hotel spa courses cost much more; the seshin guide lists those tiers. Tipping is not customary for scrubs.
Children and seniors
Child prices vary. At Sparex Dongdaemun (2026), children under 24 months are free. Children from 24 months to 7 years pay ₩7,000 by day and ₩8,000 at night. From age 8, children pay the adult rate. Hurshimchung charges ₩11,000–12,000 for elementary-school children and ₩7,000 for preschool children (2026). Spa Land charges ₩20,000 for elementary-school children. It does not admit children under 7, and children aged 7–13 must come with an adult of the same sex (2026).
Two rules matter more than price. First, by law a child aged 4 (48 months, 만 4세) or older may not enter the bath or changing room of the opposite sex. The limit was lowered from age 5 and has applied since 22 June 2022. Facilities may add their own rule: at Sparex, boys taller than 105 cm may not enter the women's bath. Second, anyone under 19 may not stay in a 24-hour facility between 22:00 and 05:00 without a guardian or the guardian's written consent. The families guide covers both rules.
We found no published senior discount. Some rural counties give bath vouchers to their own older residents; these are for local residents only. You can still ask at the counter.
Paying
Pay admission at the counter by cash or card, or at a kiosk. Sparex has a kiosk with a language selector, and Aquafield sells tickets at unmanned kiosks. At larger places, everything inside goes on your wristband or locker number: the scrub, the snack bar, the massage chairs. You pay at the counter on the way out. Carry some cash anyway, because some places and some older snack bars take only cash.
Some facilities ask for a passport or ID at entry; Sparex Dongmyo required a physical ID in 2025. In Busan, the Visit Busan Pass covers 4 hours at Spa Land, the Spa Pass at Club D Oasis, and the sauna and jjimjil hall at Aqua Palace (2026).
Do you take cards?
Hours by type
| Type of place | Hours we found | Examples (2025–2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood or hot-spring bath | opens 04:00–06:00, closes 22:00–24:00; no overnight | Junggok-dong Siloam Sauna (Seoul) 05:00–22:00; Hurshimchung 05:30–22:00, last entry 21:30; Haeundae Oncheon Center 04:00–23:59; World Spa (Busan) 05:00–24:00 |
| 24-hour jjimjilbang | 24 hours, all year, with cleaning pauses | Sparex Dongdaemun: men's bath closed 00:30–01:30, women's 03:00–04:00, no scrubs 01:00–03:00 |
| Big spa | fixed daytime hours, no overnight | Spa Land 09:00–22:00, last entry 21:00; Club D Oasis 10:00–22:00; Aquafield Hanam spa 10:00–22:00 |
In 2023, owners reported cutting hours, adding closing days and shutting steam rooms to save energy. Check the hours (영업시간) on Naver Map or KakaoMap before you go. Our directory lists published hours with the month we checked them.
Closing days and holidays
Sparex, Spa Land and Hurshimchung are open every day of the year. Other places close one day a week or one day a month. Examples: Haeundae Oncheon Center every Wednesday; Taejongdae Oncheon Jjimjilbang, Club D Oasis and Halmae-tang on Tuesdays; Park Habio in Seoul on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; World Spa on the last Wednesday of the month; Water House in Gijang on the third Tuesday. Look for 정기휴무 (regular closing day) on the door or the listing. We found no survey of closing days at neighborhood baths, so check each one.
For the two big holidays, Seollal (설날, Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (추석), practice varies. Sparex runs all year. Haeundae Oncheon Center closes on both. Hana Mud in Euljiro opens late, at 14:00 or 15:00, on those days. If a bath is part of your holiday plan, confirm it the day before.
Time limits, night rates and re-entry
At a 24-hour jjimjilbang, the ticket is split into day and night. At Sparex and Hwanghak-dong Golden Spa, the night ticket starts at 20:00; at some other places it starts at 21:00. Night costs ₩1,000–3,000 more at the Seoul places in the table above. A Korean guide from 2026 puts the overnight premium at ₩2,000–5,000. One ticket covers one continuous stay. Sparex charges extra after 24 hours. Dalmaji Hill Spa's base ticket is 10 or 12 hours; two 2026 guides differ. A 2022 traveler guide advises entering after the night rate starts, so that you pay one rate, not two. The overnight guide walks through the night.
Fixed-hour spas limit each visit:
| Place | Time limit | After the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Spa Land Centum City | 4 hours | ₩5,000 per hour for Visit Busan Pass holders |
| Aquafield Hanam | 6 hours | ₩5,000 per hour |
| Spa Haesurang, Busan | 5 hours; 8 hours with the rooftop bath | not published |
| Sanbangsan Carbonate Hot Spring, Jeju | 4 hours | ₩1,000 per hour |
Re-entry is generally not allowed once you leave. Sparex is the exception we found. The Dongdaemun branch sells admission with luggage storage and one re-entry for ₩20,000, and the Dongmyo branch allows one re-entry within 24 hours for guests who leave luggage.
What to bring, what to leave
Passport or ID. Cash and a card. A hair tie: long hair must stay out of the water. A large towel. Flip-flops or slippers. Shampoo and conditioner for a small bath. A scrub mitt, sold at convenience stores. Moisturizer for afterward. Earplugs and an eye mask if you will sleep. Clean underwear, socks and loose clothes for the trip home. A case for glasses or contacts. Any medication you need.
You do not need a swimsuit for the bath hall, which is nude. Bring one only for spas with mixed pools or outdoor baths, such as Club D Oasis, the rooftop bath at Spa Haesurang, Water House or Termeden. Leave outside food behind: Sparex bans outside food and alcohol, and other places post their own rule at the entrance. Do not bring valuables you cannot lock; larger places have front-desk safes for a small fee. Lockers are small. Large bags can usually be stored at the front desk; ask before you pay.
What you can buy inside
The snack counter (매점) sells sikhye, stone-baked eggs and cup noodles; larger places also have a restaurant. The food guide explains the staples. Massage chairs, screen golf, doctor-fish tanks and private rooms cost extra where they exist. The Italy towel (이태리타월) scrub mitt is also sold outside: at convenience stores, at markets such as Namdaemun, and at Daiso.