Yes, you can sleep in a jjimjilbang (찜질방). In February 2026 a Korean newspaper reported that a night in a Seoul jjimjilbang cost about ₩16,000, against roughly ₩100,000 for a hotel room, and that budget tourists were using them for exactly that. You pay once, bathe, change into the issued outfit and lie down in a shared hall on a heated floor, usually with a block pillow and a thin blanket. The lights may stay on, and people snore. The law bars bathhouses from providing bedding, so expect a mat or a towel, not a made-up bed.
Two things have changed since most English guides were written. First, several famous Seoul overnight places have closed, including Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan and Siloam Sauna at Seoul Station. The open places we could verify are mostly around Dongdaemun, Myeongdong and Hongdae. Second, only a 24-hour place allows sleeping. A neighborhood mogyoktang (목욕탕) closes at night, and big spas such as Spa Land in Busan close at 22:00.
Which places still do it
Seoul, verified operating in 2026. Prices are as reported on the dates given; check Naver Map on the day.
| Place | Getting there | Hours and price | Sleeping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparex Dongdaemun (스파렉스 동대문), Goodmorning City B3 | Dongdaemun History and Culture Park station (Lines 2, 4, 5) exit 14 | 24 hours. Day ticket 05:00–20:00 ₩14,000; night ticket 20:00–05:00 ₩16,000 (2026) | Sleeping area, luggage storage, food court |
| Sparex Dongmyo (스파렉스 동묘), opened July 2024 | Dongmyo-ap station (Lines 1, 6) exit 6; entrance on the 13th floor | 24 hours. Day ₩14,000 (Feb 2026); night ₩15,000 (Feb 2025). Physical ID required (2025) | Sleeping area; lounge with a view of Namsan Tower |
| Hongdae 24-hour Bulgama Sauna (홍대 24시 불가마 사우나) | Hongik University station (Line 2) exit 4, about 5 minutes | 24 hours. ₩11,000 day (Feb 2026); night rate not confirmed | Women-only sleeping area; men's area upstairs; private rooms for an extra fee |
| Golden Sauna Myeongdong (황금사우나 명동), women only | Myeongdong station (Line 4) exit 9, about 2 minutes | 24 hours. ₩20,000 (Feb 2026) | Two sleep rooms, one bright and one dark; marketed as a hotel alternative |
Two more 24-hour places were listed in 2025: Hwanghak-dong Golden Spa near Sindang (₩13,000 day, ₩14,000 night, April 2025) and Club K Seoul in Seolleung (₩17,000 weekdays, ₩19,000 weekends, February 2025). Spa Lei (스파레이) in Sinsa is women only. A December 2025 magazine described it as open 24 hours, but a 2026 guide could not confirm its hours, so check before you go. Lotte Boseok Sauna in Gangnam is called 24-hour in a 2026 guide; we could not confirm its hours or prices.
In Busan, 2026 guides name five places open through the night.
| Place | Where | Hours and price (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Dalmaji Hill Spa (달맞이 힐스파) | Dalmaji Hill, Haeundae | 24 hours; sauna and jjimjil hall about ₩15,000–18,000; sleeping rooms and sea views |
| Hotel Aqua Palace (호텔 아쿠아펠리스) | Gwangalli Beach | 24 hours; sauna and jjimjil hall ₩30,000, sauna only ₩12,000 |
| Taejongdae Oncheon Jjimjilbang (태종대온천찜질방), city-run | Yeongdo, about 5 minutes on foot from the Taejongdae park entrance | 24 hours, closed Tuesdays; ₩11,000–13,000, plus ₩1,000 at weekends and overnight |
| Neo Spa (네오스파) | Seomyeon (Bujeon-dong) | 24 hours; separate men's and women's lounges plus a family lounge; prices not published |
| Gangseo Haesu Oncheon (강서해수온천) | Gangseo-gu | open all day, overnight allowed; prices not published |
Not for sleeping: Spa Land Centum City (09:00–22:00, last entry 21:00, 4-hour limit) and Hurshimchung (05:30–22:00, last entry 21:30). See the directory and the regions guide.
Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan closed during the pandemic (2020–2021) and has not reopened; ticket sites mark it closed. Siloam Sauna at Seoul Station closed in 2020–2021. The Junggok-dong Siloam Sauna in Gwangjin-gu is a separate, smaller bath, not the same business. Itaewon Land was demolished at the end of 2019. In December 2022, readers reported that The Spa in Garden 5 had been closed for about two years. A 2026 article that lists any of them as open is repeating old information.
How the night runs
- Arrive and buy the right ticket. The places we checked split the day into a day ticket and a night ticket, with night starting at 20:00 or 21:00. The night ticket costs ₩1,000–3,000 more at the Seoul places above. A 2022 traveler guide advises entering after the night rate starts, so that you pay one rate, not two. Bring your passport: Sparex Dongmyo asked for physical ID in 2025. Anyone under 19 may not stay between 22:00 and 05:00 without a guardian or the guardian's written consent; this comes from the national enforcement rules.
- Counter, shoe locker, wristband, locker room. This is the same sequence as any visit; see the first-visit guide. Everything you buy inside goes on the wristband.
- Bathe in the evening. The wet areas close for cleaning during the night. At Sparex Dongdaemun the men's bath closes 00:30–01:30 and the women's 03:00–04:00, with no scrubs 01:00–03:00. Sparex Dongmyo cleans earlier: men 00:00–02:00, women 23:00–01:00. A 2026 guide says most 24-hour places pause between about 01:00 and 04:00.
- Change into the outfit, eat, find the sleeping room. The sign says 수면실 (sumyeonsil, sleeping room). The food guide covers the snack counter.
- Morning. The baths reopen after cleaning. Settle the wristband at the desk, return the outfit and towels and collect your shoes. A lost towel or uniform costs ₩5,000–10,000, and a lost key ₩20,000 at Sparex. We found no fixed check-out time; the limit is your ticket.
What it costs
| Item | Price | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Day ticket, Seoul 24-hour jjimjilbang | ₩11,000–14,000 | Listings, 2025–2026 |
| Night ticket, Seoul | ₩14,000–16,000; ₩20,000 at Golden Sauna Myeongdong | Listings, 2025–2026 |
| Overnight premium | ₩2,000–5,000 above the day rate | Korean guide, 2026 |
| Child, Sparex Dongdaemun | ₩7,000 day, ₩8,000 night | 2026 |
Weekends: Taejongdae in Busan adds ₩1,000, and Club K Seoul listed ₩17,000 on weekdays and ₩19,000 at weekends in February 2025. We found no published weekend surcharge at Sparex. Scrubs and food are extra; see what it costs.
In the sleeping hall
The enforcement rules of the Public Health Control Act say a bathhouse may not provide bedding (침구) for overnight stays, only large towels and pillows for a short rest. So you usually get a mat space, a thin blanket or large towel and a wooden block pillow on a heated ondol floor.
Expect light and noise. Reviewers of the Hongdae sauna mention both. Golden Sauna Myeongdong has one bright sleep room and one dark one. Snoring is common; the old Siloam Sauna had a separate section for heavy snorers. Bring earplugs and an eye mask. Keep your own voice low: in a Korean sleeping hall, a normal speaking voice is considered rude. The etiquette guide covers the other sleeping-room rules.
Please keep it down. Say it quietly.
Sleep well. What you say to the friend on the next mat.
Safety, valuables and women-only rooms
Whether the sleeping hall is mixed or separated is often not stated. Where we know: Golden Sauna Myeongdong is women only throughout; the Hongdae sauna has a women-only sleeping area, with the men's area on another floor; Neo Spa in Busan has separate men's and women's lounges plus a family lounge. A 2026 travel blog says most major bathhouses have a women-only sleeping room (여성전용수면실). Ask at the counter and look for the sign 여성전용 (yeoseong jeonyong, women only).
Incidents are reported. A legal case posted in April 2025 describes a drunk man touching a woman asleep in a jjimjilbang sleeping room in the early hours. He confessed, and prosecution was suspended after a settlement. A 2022 traveler account of a 24-hour hotel sauna in Itaewon describes unwanted sexual behavior in its sleeping area and a warning sign from management. These are two reports, not a statistic. A woman traveling alone has a clear option: a women-only room or a women-only venue. The law bars anyone too drunk to use the facility, and Sparex may refuse entry for excessive drinking.
Valuables: lockers are built for clothes, and larger places have front-desk safes for a small fee. Lock what you can, and keep the wristband on your wrist while you sleep. Do not bring valuables you cannot lock.
Time limits, re-entry and luggage
Most places do not let you leave and come back; the Hongdae sauna says so directly. Sparex is the exception we found. The Dongdaemun branch sells a ₩20,000 ticket that includes luggage storage and one exit and re-entry within 24 hours, and the Dongmyo branch allows one re-entry for guests who leave luggage. Elsewhere, assume you cannot come back in.
The time limit runs from your ticket. Sparex charges extra after 24 hours. For Dalmaji Hill Spa in Busan, one 2026 guide gives a 10-hour standard ticket and another an extra fee after 12 hours. Lockers are small, so large luggage goes to the front desk where storage exists. Pack earplugs, an eye mask, flip-flops, clothes for the morning and your medications. Keep your passport in the locker or on you.
Is it for you?
It suits travelers on a budget, people arriving late or leaving early, and anyone who wants the full experience. You will not be alone. Staff at a Dongdaemun jjimjilbang estimated that foreign visitors more than doubled over the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday. In February 2026, places near Dongdaemun, Myeongdong and Hongdae had signs in Chinese, English and Japanese. In Busan, 46.9% of Spa Land's visitors in 2025 were foreign; the regions guide has more.
Book a hotel if you are a light sleeper, need a door that locks, want to come and go, carry large luggage, or travel with young children. The bath hall is nude and separated by sex. The sleeping hall is clothed, and nothing forces you into the water, but you still change in the locker room. Read kids, families and special situations before you decide. If none of this applies, go in the evening, bathe before midnight and bring earplugs.