Jjimjilbangs in Korea: How Koreans Stay Warm in Winter (Beyond K-Dramas & Onsen)

When people talk about hot baths in Asia, they often say “onsen” – but that’s actually the Japanese word. In Korea, the real winter heroes are:

• jjimjilbangs (찜질방) – Korean bathhouse & sauna complexes

• ondol floor heating

• hot soups, stews and street food

• small everyday tricks like heat packs and layering

If you’re planning a winter trip to Korea, understanding jjimjilbang culture and how Koreans stay warm will make your experience much more comfortable (and a lot more fun).

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• What a jjimjilbang is (and how it’s different from onsen)

• What actually happens inside: baths, saunas, sleeping rooms

• How Koreans keep warm at home with ondol

• Winter foods and habits that help locals survive the cold

• Practical tips for trying a jjimjilbang as a foreigner

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1. Jjimjilbang vs. Onsen: Same Idea, Different Culture

Let’s clear up the terms first.

• Onsen = Japanese hot spring bath, usually using natural mineral water.

• Jjimjilbang = Korean public bathhouse and sauna complex, usually with:

  • gender-separated naked bath areas

  • mixed-gender “jjimjil” zones with hot rooms, salt rooms, ice rooms

  • places to sleep, snack and relax

So while both are about hot water and relaxation, jjimjilbangs feel more like a 24/7 wellness playground: you can bathe, sweat, eat, nap, watch TV and stay the whole night.

For Koreans, especially in winter, jjimjilbangs are a mix of:

• warming up

• socialising with family or friends

• “resetting” body and mind after a cold or stressful week

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2. What Is a Jjimjilbang Like Inside?

Every jjimjilbang is a bit different, but the basic structure is similar.

2.1 Entrance & Changing Area

• You pay at the front desk and get:

  • a locker key (bracelet)

  • a set of jjimjilbang clothes (T-shirt + shorts)

• Shoes go in a shoe locker; then you move to the gender-separated locker room.

From here, the space splits:

• Bath area (naked, gender-separated) – like a big spa

• Jjimjil area (mixed-gender, in clothes) – saunas, rest zones, snack bars

2.2 Bath Area (Hot Pools & Showers)

In the bath area you’ll usually find:

• rows of showers (you must wash carefully before entering any pool)

• several pools with different temperatures

• sometimes cold plunge pools, jet pools or herbal baths

• hot tubs and sometimes outdoor baths

This is where you really feel your body heating from the inside out – perfect after hours in the winter cold.

2.3 Jjimjil Area (Hot Rooms & Relax Zones)

After bathing, you put on the jjimjilbang clothes and enter the mixed area. Here you’ll typically see:

• different themed hot rooms:

  • clay room

  • charcoal room

  • salt room

  • jade or stone room
    each with slightly different temperatures and humidity

• a cool/ice room to refresh in between

• big open spaces with mats, rugs and heated floors

• TV areas, sometimes game rooms or small libraries

• snack bars and convenience-store-style corners

People lie on the floor, chat, scroll on their phones, sip drinks, eat boiled eggs… it’s like Korea’s version of a cozy living room, but bigger and much hotter.

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3. What Koreans Eat & Drink in a Jjimjilbang

Part of jjimjilbang culture is snacking while you warm up. Some classics you’ll see:

• Sikhye (식혜) – a sweet rice drink served cold, famous in jjimjilbangs

• Baked / steamed eggs – sometimes “pressure eggs” with a brown shell

• Instant ramyeon, rice dishes, or simple Korean snacks

• Bottled drinks, soft drinks, sometimes beer or makgeolli depending on the place

The contrast is funny but very Korean:

You sweat in a 70–80°C room… then drink a sweet cold rice drink and eat hot eggs on a heated floor.

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4. Etiquette: How Not to Be “That Foreigner” in a Jjimjilbang

A few simple rules will make your first jjimjilbang visit smooth:

1. Wash thoroughly before entering any pool.

2. No swimsuits in the bath area – it is completely naked, gender-separated.

3. Don’t splash, jump or talk loudly in the bath area.

4. Cover yourself with the provided clothes or towels in the mixed jjimjil area.

5. Keep phones away from places where people are undressed (bath & locker rooms).

6. Respect sleeping areas – keep your voice down when people are resting.

If you’re shy, remember:

Locals are used to this. Nobody is judging your body – everyone is just there to relax and get warm.

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5. How Koreans Stay Warm at Home: Ondol & Winter Habits

Jjimjilbangs are one side of winter. The other is how Koreans heat their homes.

5.1 Ondol: The Heated Floor

Traditional Korean heating is called ondol (온돌) – a system that heats the floor instead of the air.

• In the past, warm air from a stove would circulate under stone floors.

• Today, modern apartments use hot water pipes under the floor, but the effect is similar.

Why Koreans love ondol:

• you can sit, lie or sleep directly on the warm floor

• heat rises slowly and evenly

• your feet are always warm (huge plus in winter)

Many people still prefer floor sleeping or low furniture, especially in winter, because lying on a warm floor feels like a built-in mini jjimjilbang at home.

5.2 Winter Foods That Warm from the Inside

Food is another big piece of “how Koreans stay warm”:

• Hot soups & stews: kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae, sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew)

• Gukbap dishes – hot soup with rice inside the bowl (pork soup, beef soup, etc.)

• Street food:

  • hotteok (sweet filled pancakes)

  • tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)

  • odeng/fish cake skewers in hot broth

  • roasted sweet potatoes

On a freezing day, your whole body warms up from a bowl of spicy jjigae or a paper bag with a freshly roasted sweet potato.

5.3 Little Everyday Tricks

On top of that, Koreans use lots of small hacks:

• Hot packs (hand warmers) in coat pockets

• Wearing thermal layers under clothes

• Sitting in cafés for hours with hot drinks (café culture is huge in winter)

• Meeting friends in indoor spaces like jjimjilbangs, malls, board game cafés, PC rooms

All of this makes winters – which can be very cold and windy, especially in Seoul – more bearable.

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6. Should You Visit a Jjimjilbang in Winter as a Tourist?

Short answer: Yes, absolutely.

A jjimjilbang is:

• one of the most authentic, everyday Korean experiences you can have

• cheap compared to many Western spas

• open late (sometimes 24 hours)

• perfect for jet lag, sore legs or a bad-weather day

You’ll also:

• understand Korean winter culture much better

• experience how families, couples and friends relax together

• feel incredibly warm, clean and sleepy afterwards

If you feel nervous about the nudity part, you can:

• go with a Korean friend or someone who’s been before

• focus more on the jjimjil area (hot rooms) after a quick bath

• remind yourself: everyone is too busy warming up to care what you look like

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Final Thoughts: Winter in Korea Is Built Around Warmth

Winter in Korea isn’t just about snow and romantic K-drama scenes. It’s also:

• floors that heat your whole body from your feet up

• jjimjilbangs where you can sweat, snack and sleep for hours

• hot soups, spicy stews and street food that chase the cold away

• little rituals – hot packs, cafés, layers – that make the season cozy instead of miserable

If you’re planning a winter trip to Korea, put “visit a jjimjilbang” on your must-do list. It’s not just a spa day – it’s a window into how Koreans have turned surviving the cold into an art of comfort, warmth and community.