Taking A Look at Korean Bathhouses: The History, The Tradition, and The Current Practice

For most people, taking a bath and showering is the most personal and private thing to do yourself. It’s a moment where you can be by and enjoy yourself, cleaning and taking care of your physical well-being and body, and your mental health as well. Due to the nature of the activity, some religions incorporate them into their rituals, such as the Hindus in India. However, Koreans have a different image compared to the rest of the world of taking a bath, and we can observe this by visiting a bathhouse anywhere in South Korea. The first Korean bathhouses appeared in the history books in the late 19th century. Upon entering the bathhouses, the first thing you do is to undress everything. While this is not a rule that the establishment enforces heavily (you can wear underwear if you feel uncomfortable with being completely naked), it’s the custom. This part of the experience made many foreigners nervous and surprised, but we can trace this back to ancient Korea to understand why Koreans are used to this. <a href="https://medium.com/@gedeprasidha/taking-a-look-at-korean-bathhouses-the-history-the-tradition-and-the-current-practice-f661f82b18ce">Website</a>