Late-night flights or free time! Best-access jjimjilbang 'Hongdae 24-Hour Bulgama Sauna'
tabilog_korea
Affiliate
13 days ago
Hello! This time I’ll introduce the jjimjilbang in Hongdae I visited during my April trip to Korea【Hongdae 24-hour Bulgama Sauna】 🙌
As the name suggests it's open 24 hours, and with great access it's highly recommended for overnight flight travelers or when you want to rest during a short break at any time.
Be sure to check it out 👀
Super convenient access, just steps from Hongdae Station!
First, the location is a building along the main street about a 3-minute walk from Hongdae Station Exit 4! The jjimjilbang reception is on B2.
On the first floor there’s a 24-hour supermarket called Hongdae Mart 24-hour, which was convenient for buying souvenirs 🛒
(When I visited, Biyot, which is also very popular with Japanese people, was being sold for about 100 yen, so it was a great deal!)
I stopped by before returning home and had a suitcase, but there’s a locker on the second floor that jjimjilbang users can use free for 2 hours (paid afterward), so even people with large luggage can feel at ease 😌
Location here 📍
It's also convenient, since it's close to the Airport Railroad exit ✈️
Seoul Special City, Seodaemun-gu, Changcheon-dong 510-2
How do you use a jjimjilbang?
When you go down to basement level 2, the reception looks like this!
There may be times when no staff are at the front desk, so ring the bell to call them then 🔔
The base fee is 10,000 won for adults on weekdays and 12,000 won for adults on weekends, and jjimjil clothing (sauna uniform) is +2,000 won!
Be sure to take off your shoes before going inside.
Payment is generally made after your visit, and you’ll receive a facility robe and towels when you check in. The women’s locker room and large bath are on the left as you face the counter, and the men’s are on the right.
At the front desk you'll also get a slip with your locker number, so first put your shoes in the locker with that number, and once you enter the changing room use the same-numbered locker in the bath area with the locker key.
When you buy food or drinks inside, you pay with that locker key and settle the bill later, so always carry your locker key🔑
After changing into the facility clothing (jjimjil clothing (sauna uniform)) in the locker room, it’s finally time to experience the jjimjilbang!
The main hall is unisex, and there are saunas of various sizes and temperatures.
There are mats you can use freely, and people are doing all kinds of things, like sleeping, reading comics, or playing games…
The time I visited during the daytime was relatively quiet, but when I arrived on a late-night flight and came here straight away, it was so crowded it filled the place, so be careful ⚠️
(Hongdae is full of clubs and izakayas, so many people who miss the last train probably nap here, but most were sleeping quietly, and I actually felt that having more people around felt safer!)
I entered the Hwangto (yellow soil) Healing Sauna.
I didn't take photos inside the sauna, but it felt fairly spacious, and in the rooms around 70–80°C I saw people stretching and resting, others checking their smartphones, and a mix of different visitors!
(※The Bulgama (main) sauna is very hot, and bringing smartphones is prohibited, so please be careful ⚠️)
There’s also a Finnish room around 50°C and an ice room, so you can enjoy the sauna in your own way.
Must-try jjimjilbang menu items too 🥚
After enjoying the sauna, you can’t miss the classic Korean jjimjilbang ritual you’ve seen in K-dramas, eating sikhye and an egg 🥚
There’s a shop in the central hall where you can buy items by showing your locker key (you insert it into a slot). When I visited, a medium sikhye was 4,000 won, and four eggs were 3,000 won (you can buy two for 1,500 won)! They also sell ice cream, coffee, and tea, so it’s fine even if you don’t like sikhye 🙆♀️
Sikhye is similar to Japanese amazake, and it came in a fairly large, very cold serving that really soaked into my overheated body…! The egg was a Korean-style smoked egg, and salt was provided so I could dip small bites as I ate.
Also, this jjimjilbang had a corner where you could make Hangang Ramen (self-serve ramen) 🍜
This one is also open 24 hours and unmanned, and you can buy your favorite ramen from a vending machine and make it yourself, so it’s great when you want a quick meal! Besides ramen, they also sell microwavable rice and toppings 🍚
After the jjimjilbang, head to the large public bath
After a short rest, I’ll take a shower in the large public bath 🚿
Soap isn’t provided, so it’s best to buy single-use items at the front desk or bring your own! If you leave a suitcase in the locker, don’t forget to bring your skincare and other toiletries!
I bought the UNOVE shampoo and treatment set I’d been eyeing at the nearby Olive Young! Unlike drugstores in Japan, Olive Young in Korea doesn’t really sell single-use sachets of shampoo or body wash like that, so it can be a bit inconvenient, right? 🤔
The public bath area is relatively spacious, with lots of shower stalls, and there are both warm and cold baths! Since many hotels and homes in Korea don’t have bathtubs, soaking in a bath to relieve fatigue is also recommended 🛀
There was also a body scrub area inside the public bath space!
Some saunas in Japan do this too, but the hair dryers cost money here, 200 won for 3 minutes. They only accept coins, so please be aware!
Wash off the sweat in the shower, change clothes, and head home ✋
When leaving, pay at the front desk first, then the shoe locker key will be released so you can go home!
Weekend daytime use of the jjimjilbang is 12,000 won for adults, and rental lounge wear costs an extra 2,000 won, but since I booked in advance through creatrip, the only thing I paid for at checkout was sikhye and an egg for 5,500 won!
With a creatrip membership and coupon, when I booked it was 1,255 yen, so it was a great deal!
Recommended spots nearby 🥯
Since it was my return day, after buying souvenirs at the mart downstairs I stopped by Hongdae to visit a Yonidong bagel shop I’d been curious about 🥯
Actually, there’s a bus stop right in front of the building with the jjimjilbang, and you can get there on a single bus, so access is excellent!
The place I visited this time is called Everything Bagel, the shop has a very cute American vibe 🇺🇸
I got it to go and ate it at home, but you can also enjoy it inside the cafe ☕️ The egg salad bagel sandwich and the cucumber and dill bagel sandwich were both really delicious ♡
There are also lots of unique bagels like kimchi cheese and rainbow, they’re super cute and delicious 🥯
Spicy bagels are hard to find in Japan, so they feel uniquely Korean and really appealing to me 🌶
Believe it or not, this place is open from 8 AM, so if you arrive on a late-night flight you can sweat it out and rest at the jjimjilbang, then stop by for breakfast in the morning!
📍Everything Bagel
130-2 Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Special City
https://naver.me/GM3eaJBm
Near Everything Bagel there's also a knitting shop called Banul! Knitting's been popular lately, right? The shop is full of yarn and kits to make knitted pieces, it's an irresistible space for knitting lovers 🧶
On the second floor there's a cafe area where you can knit right on the spot, and lots of people, either alone or with friends, were making knitted pieces while watching videos!
When you have free time, or if you're studying abroad or on a working holiday in Korea, it's nice to relax and spend time in a space where you can enjoy hobbies like this ♥
📍Harimono Gatari Yeonghui Branch
130-8 Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Special City
https://naver.me/5Vxoryx2
Yeonnam-dong also has lots of stylish cafes and shops, so if you arrive in Korea early in the morning, it’s a good idea to rest at a jjimjilbang, then store your luggage in a locker and head out right away!
Classic travel course roundup ✈️
By the way, my go-to travel plan is to take a late-night flight from Haneda to Seoul on Peach, Asiana, or Korean Air, catch the first airport railroad train into the city, shower and nap at a jjimjilbang, then head out to explore 🗓
Even if you can’t check in early at your hotel, it’s efficient and recommended because you can recover your energy and head out feeling refreshed!
Hotels in Seoul have been getting pretty expensive lately, so if you arrive late at night or need to head to the airport early on your return, this is a good option as it has direct access via the Airport Railroad from Incheon or Gimpo Airport, making it a handy alternative to a hotel!
(When I visited it happened to be during a BTS concert, so I even saw groups of foreign girls who looked like they were staying overnight 👀)
Make jjimjilbang a must-do on your Korea trip, try it out 🧖♀️
