You have arrived in Seoul. Yes! But it’s only 5 am and it’s
too early to check into your hotel. Nooo! What do you do? Fear not. Incheon
International Airport is not the 2nd best airport in the world for
nothing.
You can head down to the basement level where you can take
the Airport Express-- but don’t take it yet. First, go to a Jimjilbang!
Jimjilbangs are gender-segregated spas where you can leave your luggage, take a
shower/ bath, use the sauna and hot tubs and sleep! It was fairly early in the morning (5:30 AM) when we arrived
in South Korea and an overnight trans-Pacific flight doesn’t do anybody any
favors.
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| The partition right before you enter the women's locker area |
You pay KRW 2,500 (they take Visa/Mastercard and AMEX if you
didn’t have enough Korean cash yet) and in exchange, they give you two towels (the size of hand towels), your spa uniform (a t-shirt and shorts) and your
locker keys. By this time, make sure you’ve got everything you need as your
main luggage will be stored up front. I had my change of clothes, tablet and
makeup bag with me for the 6 or 7 hours we planned to be in the spa. They do
provide soap and shampoo but you can bring that in, too. There are no
toothbrushes or hair iron but there are dryers available.
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| The locker area, looking towards the women's showers |
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| Sleeping area with cots |
The sleeping quarters are basic foam cots on the floor and
what looked like yoga blocks for pillows but if you’re tired from a long trip,
there’s no complaining. There are several rooms in this Jimjilbang, and in
ours, there was only one other lady in the other corner.
Obviously, you’re not supposed to take photos in here so
forgive the shots stolen with my phone. It was a cool experience, and frankly
one that really helped us get into Seoul refreshed and not wandering around
like zombies. ;)
Xoxo,
Karrisa and Ketie
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