Yesterday I spent the day at a bathhouse (http://wiki.galbijim.com/Jjimjilbang) with a friend. Today as I reflect back on the marvelous day and soft, squeaky clean skin I'm realizing how totally lucky we are to have this place close by.
I first heard of this place when I lived in Olympia and at that time, when they first opened, I believe the all day admittance fee was $7! Incredible! At this point it was mostly local Koreans using the place and I'm sure some of them would come quite often. I remembering wondering if there was some special yearly or monthly rate for Koreans that they didn't let us whiteys in on.... perhaps they still do, which seems only fair- because the whiteys have taken the place over!
I actually didn't make it up for my first visit until I was graduate school. Myself and a couple of fellow students would go to relax, hang out naked and share stories about our husbands! I tried to get some other friends to go but many people actually are intimidated by this place. I've often told my sister how wonderful this place is but I usually get some nonsense from her about how she needs to lose 10 more pounds or something. Yesterday I actually wanted to take a friend there to celebrate her 40th birthday, I was offering to pay for her to get in and get a scrub, something I wouldn't blink to accept if some one was offering the same to me. However, I got the same reasons from my friend as I get from my sister. Not comfortable in my skin. While I understand and there's certainly been times I'm not feeling real friendly with my own body, they really need to get over it!
Magic happens when you walk into the communal shower and bath area and you don't give a rats ass what any one thinks about your big beautiful body- because every one has big beautiful bodies! There's seriously no better body/image therapy then hanging out nude with a bunch of other women. First of all, no one is perfect, no one. That is never more apparent than when you're nude but having said that let me completely confuse you by saying everyone is perfect! Because every one seriously looks great all naked and steamy and hurray for that we all don't look the same because that would be so boring. I loved subtly glancing at all the lovely and totally different breasts woman have. Shape, nipple color, size, etc.... You can't find two that look exactly the same. Same with butts, this is probably my biggest issue area but when you're naked with a bunch of other naked woman one thing you notice is that say, even though that young woman over there has a fabulous body, what's that? Cellulite! And you know why? Because we all have some! And it's not a big deal.
Seriously, I can not wait to take my daughter with me to the spa when she's older because there's nothing better to combat the unrealistic media images we are fed then to see some non-airbrushed, non-starved, beautiful but imperfect nude female bodies.
So, if you live around this area and you've never been, you're silly. Get over yourself and go. We are so amazingly lucky to have this place. I've done google searches trying to see how common they are and they are not!
And you can't beat the scrub. It's like a pedicure for your entire body. They scrub every single section of your body and then do it a few more times for good measure. You can actually see the dead skin piling up around you. And afterwards you feel like a snake that has shed it's skin. And really there's nothing cooler than lying on a vinyl table all slippery and soapy and having someone scrub every bit of your body for you. It's fun.
I have been going alone when ever I actually get a chance to go. Considering I've spent a at least a few years either being pregnant or gushing milk from my breasts, I don't go as often as I'd like. And I usually can't actually find any one to go with me! I know, how crazy is that? So my friend mention that she like to go and we went together yesterday and had a great time, even hit a yarn shop afterwards just to put a cherry on the top of the day! She's planning on going and spending the day on her birthday, a tradition of hers and she said, you should come with me, it'll be more fun and I said, absolutely! I'm so there. In fact I think I'll be going on my birthday because apparently you get in for free on your birthday, something I did not know!
So, look for Korean bathhouses in your town or run over to http://www.olympusspa.net/, the one in Lakewood- I've heard the newer one in Lynwood isn't nearly as cool and homey. And don't forget to get a scrub.
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