Dare to Bare?

It was summer, my third month in the Land of Kimchi. I never thought that Korean summer will be much hotter than the usual sunny weather in the Philippines. “Are you going to come with us?”, asked my Korean friend. Today’s weather was terrible. It was the hottest I’ve ever felt in Korea. I had guessed that my Korean friends are taking me to the nearby recreational center where there is a large pool, an ice skating rink, boxing ring, etc. Late did I know that they were taking me to the Jimjilbang. I don’t know what that was before so I just shrugged and obliged. All right jimjilbang, whatever you are, here I come! The place was really nice. The entrance was beautifully landscaped with shrubs, mini fountains, artificial palm trees, pebbles, and ornamented glass windows and doors. It was a distinctly Korean spa. I felt excited because it’s gonna be a total relief from this day’s uber heated weather. “You can take off your clothes, Sir.”, said one of the attendants. I was shocked, baffled, confused…Without ado, my friends started stripping in front of me. I asked them if it’s really necessary, if I could be exempted from total nudity. They asked if I was shy. I told them that I am not…it’s just that I’m not used to being clad-less. Anyhow, I took of the last piece of clothing that is my boxers. Voila! I started to not care after some minutes. They didn’t care. I got used to the feeling of lightness that comes with walking undressed. Anyhow, I started feeling more relaxed and I saw the beauty of the jimjilbang. There were amazing showers and pools and Jacuzzi. Different scents filled there air. There were mint, jasmine, and some other aromas that I can’t recognize, but there were orientally pleasant. We spent 2 hours bathing, scrubbing, relaxing in the Jimjilbang. The shower store sells various scrubs made of both synthetic and natural fiber. I bought a sponge as a remembrance. Today was one hell of an experience that somehow brought me back to the Garden of Eden where there were only Adams. Today was nice, I concluded. I had a very good night’s rest. I thought that I would save money so when I go back to the Philippines, I could purchase shower enclosures online. I know it’s going to be a bit expensive but installments are usually entertained here. I’m also sure that I could even find discount steam showers from the local shop. Relive the jimjilbang moments in my own bathroom--! Jjang!