What to Wear and Bring to a Korean Bathhouse — Assume No Shampoo, Leave Your Phone in the Locker, and Dress for Your Scrub Day (Fall 2026)
A big jjimjilbang hands you almost everything. A neighbourhood bathhouse does not: expect soap and a couple of towels, usually no shampoo, and since 2024 larger Korean hotels no longer put out free disposable shampoo either. This page is built around a bathhouse day with a body scrub: what to wear there and back, what to pack, how towels work, and how to tell the scrubber what you want when your phone is in the locker. Venues differ; this is a summary of public information and visitor reports.
Short answer — a big jjimjilbang needs nothing; a neighbourhood bathhouse needs shampoo, cash and clean underwear
Korea has two kinds of places to wash. A jjimjilbang or hotel spa gives you an outfit to wear and towels, and many also stock shampoo and lotion, so you can turn up empty-handed. A neighbourhood bathhouse (mogyoktang) is just baths and a sauna: there is usually soap, and often no shampoo or conditioner. Some sell small bottles at the counter or in the changing room; some do not.
One more thing overlaps with this. Since March 2024, Korean lodgings with 50 or more rooms may not hand out free single-use toiletries such as shampoo sachets and toothbrushes. Wall-mounted dispensers are still allowed, so your hotel shower is fine, but the old habit of pocketing a mini shampoo from the room to take to the bathhouse no longer works.
So for a neighbourhood bathhouse, three things are non-negotiable: shampoo in a small bottle or sachet, cash, and clean underwear. Everything else follows below.
What to wear — easy on and off, nothing tight after a scrub, and a light layer in October
Going there — changing rooms are often small and busy, so clothes you can pull off and on beat anything with lots of buttons or laces. Leave jewellery at your hotel; hot water and steam can tarnish it.
Coming back — a scrub takes off a lot of dead skin in one go, and some people find their skin sensitive afterwards. Soft, loose clothing is more comfortable than tight jeans or a scratchy knit. Skin can also be more sensitive to sun for a few hours, so pack sunscreen if you will be walking around in daylight.
Seoul in October runs from the low teens Celsius in the morning and evening to around 20°C in the afternoon. You will keep sweating for a while after the bath, so a T-shirt or thin long sleeve with a layer you can take off works better than one warm top. Hair often does not get fully dry, so a hat helps on a chilly day.
Make-up — you wash before getting into the bath, so it comes off first. Bring cleanser, and your kit if you want to put it back on.
What to pack — cash, shampoo, underwear, a zip bag, a hair tie, moisturiser, and how towels work
1. Cash — entry is around 9,000–15,000 KRW, and a scrub is roughly 25,000–35,000 KRW, paid separately to the scrubber. Some bathhouses take cards at the counter, but the scrub is often cash only. For two people, about 100,000 KRW in small notes leaves room to spare.
2. Shampoo and conditioner — a small bottle or single-use sachets. Convenience stores and Olive Young sell travel sizes.
3. Clean underwear — putting yesterday's back on after a full wash is the one regret everyone mentions.
4. A zip bag or plastic bag — for the wet towel, the shampoo, and the paper card described below.
5. A hair tie or clip — long hair should not touch the bath water.
6. Moisturiser — skin dries fast after hot water and a scrub. Some changing rooms stock toner and lotion, but bring your own if your skin is sensitive.
Towels — bathhouses provide them, but the women's and men's sides often differ. On the women's side you are commonly handed about two small towels at the counter; on the men's side they are usually stacked at the bath entrance to take as needed. With long hair, two can be tight, so one extra from home is useful. A large towel you brought stays in your locker, not in the bath.
A scrub mitt (the green "Italy towel") is not needed if a scrubber is doing it. If you want to try it yourself, the changing room sells them for a few thousand won.
Your phone stays in the locker — so put what you want to tell the scrubber on paper
Photography is banned inside every Korean bathhouse, and phones stay in the locker. The catch is that you lose your translation app. Most scrubbers speak only Korean, and the hardest moment is once you are already lying on the table and want to say "a bit gentler" or "please skip my face."
The reliable fix is to write what you want in Korean on paper and take it in inside a zip bag. These cover most situations:
· 세신 해 주세요. (Se-sin hae ju-se-yo) — A scrub, please.
· 살살 해 주세요. (Sal-sal hae ju-se-yo) — Gently, please.
· 얼굴은 빼 주세요. (Eol-gul-eun bbae ju-se-yo) — Please skip my face.
· 여기는 아파요. (Yeo-gi-neun a-pa-yo) — This spot hurts.
· 얼마예요? (Eol-ma-ye-yo) — How much is it?
On the table, the scrubber will signal "turn over" or "sit up" with gestures; just follow along. Many finish with a soap wash and rinse. We also keep a free printable card with these lines and the order of a bathhouse visit: https://luwei.kr/scrub-pass/card
What to avoid on a scrub day — sunburn, a fresh tattoo, drinking beforehand, and arriving late in the evening
· If you have fresh sunburn, a cut or peeling skin, ask the scrubber to skip that area, or move the scrub to another day.
· If you just got a tattoo in Korea, the usual advice is to stay out of baths, saunas and scrubs for two to four weeks. Tattoo entry rules are covered separately at https://luwei.kr/guides/korea-jjimjilbang-tattoo-allowed
· Skip hot baths and saunas after drinking. Drink plenty of water before the scrub and again afterwards.
· At many bathhouses the scrubbers finish around 7–8 PM. If the scrub is the point, go during the day; weekdays from 10 AM to 3 PM are the quietest.
People feel scrub pressure very differently. On a first visit, starting with "gently" is still plenty.
Where to go — a jjimjilbang if you want to show up empty-handed, a neighbourhood bathhouse if you come prepared
If packing feels like a chore, a jjimjilbang is the easy option: they hand you clothes and towels, and many have shampoo. The full list for those is at https://luwei.kr/guides/korean-jjimjilbang-packing-list
If you want the neighbourhood bathhouse locals actually use, the list above is all you need. Prices, hours and closing days for places like Hanam Sauna near Seoul Station (scrubbers on both the men's and women's sides), Seongsu-tang in Seongsu-dong (open since 1966) and Spacebon in Gwanghwamun are at https://luwei.kr/guides/seoul-public-bathhouse-mokyoktang-guide
If finding a bathhouse and phoning in Korean is the part you would rather skip, our Scrub Pass does that for you: we call a bathhouse near where you stay, hold a scrub time, and the scrub fee can be included in what you pay us, so on the day you only pay entry. It is a paid service; details at https://luwei.kr/scrub-pass
Prices and scrubbers' hours change often. Check the latest notices and price board on Naver Map before you go.
Gukilgwan Jjimjilbang Sauna
Men-only 24-hour jjimjilbang near Jongno 3-ga Station with yellow clay room and sleeping facilities
Hanam Sauna
A neighbourhood bathhouse in Huam-dong, a 12-minute walk from Seoul Station Exit 12, refitted in 2025 with cypress saunas. A scrubber works on both the men's and women's side.
Seongsu-tang
Est. 1966, Seoul Future Heritage. Clean and cozy neighborhood bathhouse.
SpaceBon Sauna
24-hour sauna at the foot of Bukhansan · with Bulhanjungmak
Sparex Dongmyo
A large jjimjilbang opened in 2024, with a Himalayan salt room and a cypress forest bath.
The Park Spa Land
Near Yeongdeungpo District Office, with a wide range of baths
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Seoul Public Bathhouse Guide — Not the Jjimjilbang, the Neighbourhood Mokyoktang: 9,000–15,000 Won, No Booking, Where the Scrubber Is (Fall 2026)
Every guide for foreigners is about the big jjimjilbang. What Koreans actually go to is the neighbourhood mokyoktang — tubs and a sauna, 9,000–15,000 won, walk in without booking, and a scrubber on duty. Listed prices, hours, closing days and scrub fees for 13 bathhouses open now around Seoul Station, Gwanghwamun, Hongdae, Seongsu and Gangnam, plus the order of things from the door to the exit.
The 12 Best Jjimjilbang in Seoul for Foreigners (2026)
From 24-hour mega complexes to traditional charcoal kilns — 12 jjimjilbang across Seoul, with district, price and opening hours. Selected with first-time foreign visitors in mind.
Korean Body Scrub for Men — Most Private Scrub Shops Are Women-Only, the Men's Bathhouse Scrub Is About 25,000 KRW, and Scrubbers Finish Early (2026)
Almost every one-on-one scrub shop in Seoul is women-only, so for a male traveller the real answer is the men's side of a neighbourhood bathhouse. There the scrub is done by a male scrubber and usually costs around 25,000 KRW, a little less than on the women's side. This page lists men's bathhouses with published scrub prices, men-only 24-hour saunas, the one men-only private spa we know of, and the timing catch that trips people up: scrubbers often stop in the early evening. Based on venues' published information and phone checks.
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