Bathhouse Fun

I had my first experience with a Korean sauna/bathhouse today, finally, after how many months being here? I've heard all about them, some good and some bad, but most foreigners I know won't go because they get tired of being stared at by naked ajummas. But I still wanted to go just to check it out, but I never got around to it. I woke up this morning, and all I could think was . . . must . . . get . . . massage . . . today! I'm used to getting the occasional massage since my bro is a therapist (www.bigbearmassage.com), and I was about due.

So I wandered around my neighborhood until I found the familiar Sauna symbol, which looks like a bath with steam coming out. However, the one I found also had a barber pole next to it, which in Korea is often an indicator of a brothel. Hmmm...imagine the embarrassment if I tried to walk into one of those and handed them my money! This is a very nice neighborhood, but you never know. So I called Taejin, and she kindly helped me to determine that the place was not a whorehouse, and yes, they did do massage for $40. Ok.

I was totally nervous about going in, because people usually don't see foreigners in places like this. But I got over it, headed in, and I think managed to conduct myself without making any bathhouse faux pas. And, it was awesome. They had a hot pool, a cold pool and a sauna room, plus a dozen or so little mirrored stations where with shower hoses where you can sit and scrub and wash and primp to your heart's desire. One the side, there were 2 ladies with plastic covered tables and shower hoses who would do a full exfoliation for free -- in other words, scrub you with scratchy mitts until your skin was red and raw.

I splurged and went for the whole massage -- I mean, $40? Why not? Let me tell you, this was nothing like the gentle relaxing massage I am used to. You've heard of shiatsu, the Japanese massage? A lot like that, with lots of slapping and pounding and pummeling and pulling. Oh, and lots of hot hot towels and splashes of warm water. The lady tossed me around on that table like a rag doll, so much that I was afraid I'd slip off a few times. She would pick up my arm to work on those muscles, and when she was done she would literally throw it back down on the table. Basically, I paid someone's grandmother to beat me up for an hour. And I know I wasn't getting the rough treatment for being a foreigner, because the Korean lady next to me was undergoing the same thing. And it felt great!
The best part was that it included a hair wash and a facial. I'm not sure of all the different stuff that was rubbed on my face, but I did identify one that I had seen her making -- freshly made cucumber paste. The final stage of the facial was the best though -- strawberry Yoplait, which has been one of my favorite snack foods since I was a child. I eat it almost everyday, but had never thought of putting it on my face. It turned out to be quite a pleasant experience, with the nice smell and cool feeling.....ahhhhh! And in the end, she used soy milk to wash it off. An interesting choice of face products for sure, but my skin feels like a million bucks today.

Afterwards, I went home a took a delicious nap that I had been craving all day. A great way to end the weekend!