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Jjimjilbangs (Korean: 찜질방; Hanja: 찜질房; MR: tchimjilbang; Korean pronunciation: [t͈ɕimdʑilbaŋ]) are bathhouses in South Korea which gained popularity in the 1990s.[1]
They are separated by gender and typically have hot tubs, showers, Korean traditional kiln saunas, and massage tables. Jjimjil is derived from the words meaning heating. In other areas of the building or on other floors there are unisex areas, usually with a snack bar, ondol-heated floor for lounging and sleeping, wide-screen TVs, exercise rooms, ice rooms, heated salt rooms, PC bang, noraebang, and sleeping quarters with bunk beds or sleeping mats.[2] Many of the sleeping rooms have themes or elements to them. Usually jjimjilbangs will have various rooms with temperatures to suit guests' preferred relaxing temperatures.[3] Walls can be decorated with woods, minerals, crystals, stones, and metals to make the ambient mood and smell more natural. The elements used have traditional Korean medicinal purposes in the rooms.[4]
Many jjimjilbangs are open at all hours and are a popular weekend getaway for South Korean families. Some jjimjilbangs allow customers to sleep there overnight. South Korean men, particularly those who work away from their families or stayed out late drinking or working, sleep in jjimjilbangs overnight.[5] Theft, usually of smartphones, is occasionally a problem at some jimjilbangs.[6]
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