sauna how i love the…

dear diary–
last night i finally went to a korean sauna. after 7 months of the sauna's neon lights beaming through my windows i got the nerve to get naked and go in. jenny and her friend sara are staying with me for a couple of days before they head off travelling. after they got settled in jenny wanted to go to the sauna. seeing that i've never been she insisted that i must go. there's a dry part of the sauna where its men and women and clothes must be worn and then the wet sauna where its broken down into different sexes and you're naked. i figured what the hell. at least i could experience part of it with someone else. around 10:45 we headed off to the sauna. the cost was a big whopping 7,000 won [about u.s. $7]. after paying the lady behind the counter gave me an orange towel, tan shorts, a white t-shirt, and a receipt. i was really going to do this. this was actually a big deal for me cuz i hate, and let me stress hate, being naked in front of others. i think its the shyness in me. anyway with clothes in hand i made a plan with jenny and sara to meet in the mixed part of the sauna. before entering i had to remove my shoes and place them in a locker. from there i walked to the counter and gave the man my receipt who in return gave me a key for yet another locker. now that i was wearing my highly fashionable sauna outfit i went looking for the mixed area. one would think it would be fairly easy but with all the signs in korean you really don't know where you're going to end up. walking around the locker room area i found the wet sauna part which i wasn't quite ready to do yet. besides i had to meet the girls. turning around and going back i saw some stairs going down. bingo!! i was now in the co-ed section and a few minutes later jenny and sara emerged. its so strange to see so many people there. some were simply in there sauna outfits watching tv, chatting with one another, or giving each other massages. its amazing how open the korean culture is in some aspects. in america you would never see two straight guys giving each other a massage in a sauna. the korean men are quite different and very affectionate with one other. the women too. our first stop was this igloo shaped oven. and yes when i say oven i mean oven. upon first entering i thought i had entered hell. it was so freakin hot. it took me two seconds before i was completely drenched. at one point it felt like my hair had turned to straw and was on fire. crazy hot i tell you. we stayed a few minutes and then went into a much cooler room. here we laid on burlap sacks and just zoned out. after we were done with this room we decided to see what else was around. this place is huge. it just goes to show how much saunas are a part of there lifestyle. like i said this first section we were in had the oven-hell igloo, the other florida-summer room, and a big open space for people to watch tv and lay around or talk. as we walked down the hall there was a computer station, a childrens playroom, and a gym. yes there is a gym in the sauna. surprisingly enough its stocked pretty well. as you go down another corrider there are all these leather lounge chairs that you put money into and it does something. i don't know what but next time i'll try it. in the last area there was a restaurant, a bunch of cubbies to sleep in [yes you can spend the next if you want], and a handful of other sauna rooms. we decided to hit one more room before going our separate ways. of course they picked the 76C room which felt just as hot as the hell room and had a woody smell to it. we stayed for a bit then it was time to hit the wet sauna. we decided to meet out front at 12:30 which gave us an hour. jenny was afraid i was going to hate it. as i made my way up the stairs i wasn't sure if i'd be able to do this. before entering the wet sauna i was sitting on a bench placing the key around my foot. thats when i heard "hello". i turned around and a korean man was approaching me. he sat down besided me [yes he was naked, i was still clothed] and asked if i was american. then came the am i single question. followed by the how long will i be in korea. and lets not forget the what do you think of korea. and then the bombshell question "am i religious". to which i answered no. at this point he patted me on the shoulder and told me that jesus christ loves me. and then we said our goodbyes. now it was time to shed my clothes and head through the glass doors into the wet sauna area. inside there were 4 different jacuzzis, 4 more sauna room [one had a mister and another was a salt room], two cold milky green baths, numerous showers, and a man who would scrub you down for a fee. oh, there were also these marble slabs under red lights that you could lay under. needless to say i tried everything except the scrub. he came by and asked if i wanted one but i didn't have any money so i said no. there weren't that many people in the wet sauna part. i think the most in the room at one time were five. it was like i had the place to my self. jumping from hot jacuzzui to cold bath. running into the hot saunas then getting under the cold shower. jumping back into the jacuzzi and then laying under the red lights. it was so relaxing. i could have stayed on that marble slab forever. when i looked at the clock i noticed it was time to go. i showered off and made my way back to the lockers. can i just say that they have everything on needs. shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, wash clothe, gel, combs, hairdryers, q-tips, etc. all this and no time limit for 7,000 won. never would you find that in america. i can't believe it took me this long to finally go to one. i must thank jenny for taking me. and now i feel it will become a part of my regular routine. i felt so relaxed afterwards and had the best sleep ever. even now i still feel calm and relaxed. love the sauna. gonna get the scrub next time.

be well…