Between the two, I'm sure you can guess what I'm gonna talk about it (you know, if the title of the post didn't give it away...)
You: "Oh, you took a bath? Good for you."
Ha!
I didn't just take a bath. I took a bath with 30 other women.
Well...basically.
We weren't all in the same bath, but I saw more naked people in 1 hour than I ever have in my whole life combined. It was quite the experience!
Many of you back home must be wondering just what am I getting myself into over in Korea?
It's not signing myself up for an unexpected trip unknowingly...at least not in this post. I purposefully agreed to go to the Korean bathhouse, or as it is known in Korea a 찜질방. And yes, I knew I would be stripping down naked where other women can see me. I did not go into this blind.
It's not signing myself up for an unexpected trip unknowingly...at least not in this post. I purposefully agreed to go to the Korean bathhouse, or as it is known in Korea a 찜질방. And yes, I knew I would be stripping down naked where other women can see me. I did not go into this blind.
I went into this experience as one should, open-minded. A 찜질방 is a very common and popular place for Korean families to come and relax or have a weekend getaway. And while I'm not Korean, and trust me, we all knew that I wasn't, I didn't feel singled out or uncomfortable.
Being Black in America comes with a lot of extra baggage that your forced to deal with whether you want to or not. And being staring at, no matter where I go or what I do, is quite common.
Get ready to have your mind blown, but I think I got less stares in the bath than I did on the street.
Crazy, right?
Here I am, naked as the day I was born, getting less stares, where I could literally stand in the middle of the street, conservatively dressed, and be the focus of people at all times.
It boggles the mind.
That aside, I had a great time! I was at the bathhouse to celebrate a friend's birthday, which may sound weird, but I low key wish I had thought of it first. I was so relaxed after a month of teaching and adjusting to my new life here in Korea.
We also stayed the night and were never short of snackage or good conversation. I do wish, that I hadn't been as tired as I was. I was so tired that my contacts were doing the thing where you can't see anything.
By the time we checked out, my body was completely relaxed, my vision was back, my skin was ridiculously smooth, and I was ready to face the day in a way I haven't in quite some weeks!
My advice is this: if you ever find yourself the chance of going to a bathhouse, go! It might be a little nerve-wracking (what with the naked part...), but you won't regret it!
#SaveOurToya
I hope you had a great birthday Matt! Though the 찜질방 threw me for a loop as a birthday location, you chose well~! May this year bring your many experiences with even better memories!
Get ready to have your mind blown, but I think I got less stares in the bath than I did on the street.
Crazy, right?
Here I am, naked as the day I was born, getting less stares, where I could literally stand in the middle of the street, conservatively dressed, and be the focus of people at all times.
It boggles the mind.
That aside, I had a great time! I was at the bathhouse to celebrate a friend's birthday, which may sound weird, but I low key wish I had thought of it first. I was so relaxed after a month of teaching and adjusting to my new life here in Korea.
We also stayed the night and were never short of snackage or good conversation. I do wish, that I hadn't been as tired as I was. I was so tired that my contacts were doing the thing where you can't see anything.
By the time we checked out, my body was completely relaxed, my vision was back, my skin was ridiculously smooth, and I was ready to face the day in a way I haven't in quite some weeks!
My advice is this: if you ever find yourself the chance of going to a bathhouse, go! It might be a little nerve-wracking (what with the naked part...), but you won't regret it!
#SaveOurToya
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