Anyone in Korea?

[blindmanin 99]

I was wondering if there was anyone around here, in South Korea?

[blindmanin 99]

I was wondering if there was anyone around here, in South Korea?

[Rex]

Apparently, not a seoul!

[Rik]

Rex

http://www.click-smilies.de/my_smileys/smileys1/hammer_2.gif

Rik

[Rex]

Hi Rik,

I hope you wiped Stu's blood off that thing, before hitting ME with it!

[asianaturist]

Hi Blindman in 99,

Nice to know there are naturists in South Korea as well. I'm not there, but I'm close: Taiwan.

I guess the situation for naturists is much the same over there: locals meeting in small groups closed off from the peeping tom world outside, and foreigners without a clue about other naturists.

Trying to find fellow naturists through this forum is the right way to go, though don't hope for too much. You could go and through a web forum for expats in South Korea, I'm sure there must be such a thing, and who knows there might be naturists who would have the space to organize naturist events.

Good luck! Oh yes, and here's http://asianaturist.blogspot.com about my naturist experiences - or lack of them - in Asia.

[blindmanin99]

Nice joke about Seoul. I like that one.
Nice to meet you asiannaturist. I guess there isn't much over there in Taiwan either, huh? There are over 40 million people over here. I'm sure there is someone out there.

[Mountain Goat]

I was in Taiwan a few years ago. One thing that could almost count as a naturist experience I had there (and is possible in Japan and probably Korea) was the public baths.

Of course, it is single gender as you would expect but one of the most divine moments I had in Taiwan was a trip to Wulai (near Taipei) which had a Japanese style bath. Five of us (me, a Japanese friend and three Taiwanese went. As is the norm, it was completely nude.

There were three dipping pools. Boiling hot, warm and very cold. Going between them was great. It was also open to the outside air with a deck with deckchairs. It was nighttime at the time and was nice just to lie back to the nightsky and chat with some friends... Afterwards, my muscles felt so relaxed and I floated out of the place after the two hours we spents soaking.

Anyway, that is just a suggestion if you haven't already had the pleasure. Anyone travelling to Asia should do it.


Mountain Goat

[blindmanin99]

Thanks for the info Mountain Goat. It sounds like something really worth trying, but I wouldn't know where to find one here, as I am only visiting for one year, involuntarily.

[Trailscout]

blindmanin99,

I dug up a little information for you:

South Korean public baths are called "moyoktang". Moyoktang are found throughout Seoul and cost about W2,352 (US$2.85) although another Web site indicates that they cost 3,357 won for adult, 2,086 won for child, still reasonable. There are usually showers to use before entering the hot tub. Many places also have a cold water tank, which is amazingly refreshing after a piping hot sauna. A special feature of the baths is the underwear-clad massage. For about W6,000?W8,000 ($7.30?$9.70 plus tip) the masseuses will scrub you down with hot water and towels, removing all traces of grime. Bathing is done in the nude, but typically bath areas are segregated by gender.

Saunas are also very popular in Korea. One of the most popular saunas these days is the elvan (maekbanseok) sauna.
The elvan sauna uses bricks made of yellow earth, hardwood charcoal and heats them to produce radiation energy. Wearing white bathrobes, you sit and sweat as the infrared rays seep into your body. It is said to cure skin diseases and enhance immunity of the human body. Also, because it makes poisonous elements in the body come out through the pores, it is very efficient in preventing adult disease. It is also good for blood
circulation and dissolution of stress.

Besides this, many bath houses have developed into health centers that have beauty parlors that offer manicures, facial and body massages. Many tourists from foreign countries
(Especially Japanese and Italian visitors) find these health centers interesting.

Another option is the yogwan-type motels:
Seoul is not such a cheap place to visit - in fact it's been hailed as the world's 10th most expensive city - so for most visitors a cheap option for accommodation might be to find out one of the many 'love hotels' that exist in the city. With house prices at an all time high, many children cannot afford to leave home at a young age like they do in the west. As such, there is a booming trade in short-stay hotels where courting couples can enjoy time together, by the night or more cheaply by the hour! Many of these love motels can be found in the budget area of Seoul, just to the north-east of the Shinch'on subway station and sell many. This sort of motel is locally known as a 'yogwan' and in Seoul's a maze of alleys you often find these incorporating a public bath house as well.

Avoid red light districts and similar sexually-oriented areas near military bases. Otherwise Korean bath houses and similar facilities are non-sexual.

Finally, here's a link to a great article about the three bath resorts in Asan, a town about 90 minutes from Seoul:

Asan area bath resorts (http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200302/07/200302070232279039900092009201.html)

[blindmanin99]

Thank you for all that information Trailscout. Wow, I'm sure a lot of us weren't aware of all that. Have you ever been to Seoul or Korea? Yes, I agree Seoul is not a cheap place to go. The thing here is building enormous apartment buildings, and they just seem to go on forever. I'll have to try and see if I can make it to one of their spas some day.

[barelybob]

I was stationed in Korea from January 1982 to Frebruary 1983. Kwang Ju was our HQ and we had detachments all over, so I got to see a lot of the country when travelling to these dets. It's really an interesting place after you get out of the city. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[smoothmike]

Hi there,
Ive just been to Seoul for a visit, the public baths there may also be called jimjillpung(im not quite sure how to spell it), they are a fantastic place to relax. Im in Japan so not far at all, if u holiday this way let me know ill be more than happy to take you around.