Naked in a Korean Spa

I'm pretty sure I haven't been naked in a room full of people since I was a baby and didn't know the concept of nudity.

I was super nervous to visit SpaLand in Busan with my friend Gabby, but going to a jjimjilbang is a necessary Korean experience so I knew I had to go before I leave.

I haven't looked into going to a jjimjilbang in Jinju because I know my students go with their friends or moms on the weekends and having a student see me naked is NOT an experience I would like to have. I've done plenty of embarrassing things in my life, but I don't think I would be able to recover from that.

SpaLand is a bit pricier than the average jjimjilbang and has a 4 hour time limit, but it's the "famous" one and a good journey from Jinju, so I knew my chances of running into a student were low.

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The awkwardness of being naked with your friend surrounded by other naked ladies wore off after a few minutes. We walked into the women-only bathing area, tiny towels covering our chests, and washed off before we got into one of the warm salt pools.

I'm sure some people were looking at me because I'm a blonde-ish, big chested foreigner with a couple tattoos, but I didn't notice. SpaLand is used to foreigners visiting so I wasn't an anomaly. People just casually look at each other and it didn't feel weird!

I saw big titties, small titties, old lady saggy titties, stretch marks, scars, skin discoloration, huge bushes, no bushes, tramp stamps (on a Korean woman!), and everything in between.

Korean women are usually always very put together - perfect hair and makeup and clothes. My girl students have complained to me that they don't want to date a Korean guy because they expect all girls to look and act the same way, and if you don't act the "proper" way they will just dump you and find a girl that does (the patriarchy is a curse everywhere). Being in a bathhouse surrounded by naked women made me realize (again) that it really is the male gaze that ruins our freedom, makes us self-conscious and ashamed.

(Necessary disclaimer: this is not MEN'S fault but the patriarchy, a very important distinction that guys like to ignore so they can get self-righteous and ignore what women have to say. It's dumb that I even feel the need to do a disclaimer because only 10 people read this blog and I bet you they're all women. That is all. Carry on.)

I know I can't change the past, but I can't believe it took me almost a full 12 months to go to a jjimjilbang! I wish I had gone sooner and way more often.

If you're ever in Korea, definitely go to one, especially if you're nervous about the nudity. You will feel like an animal at a watering hole, but in the best way possible.