Where to go: Seoul, Busan and the hot-spring towns

Korea had about 5,650 licensed bathhouse businesses in 2025, and most are small neighborhood mogyoktang (목욕탕) that few guides mention. This guide covers the places you can plan a trip around: the large jjimjilbang (찜질방) complexes of Seoul, the hot-spring and seawater baths of Busan, and the old oncheon (온천) towns that Koreans have visited for centuries. For each, we say what the water or heat is, what was open when we checked, and how to get there.

One warning first. Several of the most famous names in English-language guides are closed. Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan has not operated since the pandemic. Siloam Sauna behind Seoul Station closed in 2020–2021. The Yuseong Hotel in Daejeon, open since 1915, closed on 31 March 2024. A 2026 guide that lists them as open is repeating old information.

Seoul: three clusters, many of them underground

Seoul had 663 licensed bathhouse businesses in April 2026, and the average adult fee at an ordinary public bath was ₩11,000 in July 2026. A 24-hour jjimjilbang cost ₩11,000–16,000 in 2025–2026, with the night ticket ₩1,000–3,000 above the day ticket.

Dongdaemun and Dongmyo. Sparex is popular with foreign visitors. Sparex Dongdaemun is on basement level 3 of the Goodmorning City building, opposite DDP. Take exit 14 of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park station, then the elevator down. It is open 24 hours (day ticket 05:00–20:00 ₩14,000, night ticket ₩16,000, 2026) and has a 24-hour food court and luggage storage. Sparex Dongmyo opened in July 2024 right in front of exit 6 of Dongmyo-ap station. A day ticket was ₩14,000 in February 2026; the night ticket was ₩15,000 in February 2025.

Myeongdong and Euljiro. Two women-only hanjeungmak (한증막) are here. Golden Sauna Myeongdong (황금사우나 명동) is a 24-hour kiln sauna in a basement a few minutes from Myeongdong station, with a mugwort steam room, three tubs, two sleep rooms and private scrub booths. Admission was ₩20,000 in February 2026. Hana Mud Hanjeungmak (하나머드 한증막), one minute from exit 10 of Euljiro 3-ga station, sells scrub-and-mud courses of 90 to 220 minutes, from ₩80,000 (₩72,000 online, October 2026), 09:00–22:00. It is a course-based spa, not a place to simply soak; the seshin guide explains scrub courses.

Hongdae, Sinchon and Seodaemun. Hongdae 24-hour Bulgama Sauna (홍대 24시 불가마 사우나) is on basement level 2, about five minutes from exit 4 of Hongik University station. It is the west side's 24-hour option, with a bulgama (불가마) fire kiln, an ice room and a women-only sleeping area; a day ticket was ₩11,000 in February 2026. Supsok Hanbang Land (숲속한방랜드) in Seodaemun burns oak charcoal in outdoor kilns, and you can roast rice cakes and sweet potatoes there. It closes at night (06:30–22:00; bath ₩10,000, charcoal kilns ₩16,000, February 2025) and is reached from exit 4 of Dongnimmun station.

South of the river. Club K Seoul (클럽케이서울) at Seolleung is a 24-hour jjimjilbang (₩17,000 weekdays, ₩19,000 weekends, February 2025; not confirmed since). Spa Lei (스파레이) in Sinsa is a women-only spa with seawater, green-tea and open-air baths. A December 2025 magazine described it as open 24 hours, but a 2026 guide could not confirm its hours. Guides from 2025–2026 quote about ₩15,000–20,000.

Near Seoul. The Starfield malls at Hanam and Goyang each have an Aquafield (Hanam, Goyang), a clothed jjimjil spa with a water park (₩25,000–26,000 for 6 hours, 2026). Paradise City Cimer, about ten minutes from Incheon Airport, sells a jjimjil spa pass for ₩40,000 (October 2026) and does not admit children under 7.

Busan: hot springs and seawater by the beach

The Korea Times has described Busan as a center of Korean bathhouse culture. It had nearly 1,500 bathhouses at its 1996 peak, and about 700 registered and an estimated 500 operating in February 2025. It also has natural hot springs on the subway network and baths that use seawater.

Centum City. Spa Land Centum City is inside the Shinsegae department store, three minutes from exit 12 of Centum City station (Line 2). In 2025, 46.9% of its visitors were foreign. Two natural springs from 1,000 m, one sodium bicarbonate and one sodium chloride, feed 18 baths, and there are 13 themed jjimjil rooms. It is open 09:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00). Adults paid ₩25,000 in 2026, and each visit is limited to 4 hours. Children under 7 are not admitted, and children aged 7–13 must come with an adult of the same sex.

Dongnae. The Dongnae hot spring (동래온천) has been used since the Silla period. Modern development began in the 1890s with a Japanese hotel, and in 1907 a Japanese merchant built a bathing house there. The main bath today is Hurshimchung (허심청) at Hotel Nongshim, a domed hall opened in October 1991 with more than 40 baths and room for 3,000 people; its water is described as rich in magnesium. Hot-spring hours are 05:30–22:00 (last entry 21:30). Adults pay ₩15,000 on weekdays and ₩18,000 at weekends, plus ₩4,000 for the jjimjil floor (2026). It is a walk from Oncheonjang station on Line 1. A 2024 travel site says Hurshimchung limits tattooed customers; we could not confirm this, so ask (see the tattoos guide).

Haeundae. The beach has its own hot spring, a very salty sodium chloride water at 40–62°C. Haeundae Oncheon Center, between the beach and Haeundae station, is open 04:00–23:59 (from 06:00 on Thursdays) and closes on Wednesdays and on Seollal and Chuseok. Its bath fee rose from ₩10,000 to ₩12,000 on 10 September 2026. Its jjimjil zone was reported mostly closed in 2026, so treat it as a hot-spring bath. Nearby, Halmae-tang (할매탕) has its own hot-spring well, 900 m deep. It reopened in October 2023 after a renovation and has a family bath on the second floor by reservation (public bath ₩13,000, family bath ₩80,000, October 2023; closed Tuesdays). On Dalmaji Hill, Dalmaji Hill Spa is a 24-hour sea-view sauna where you can sleep (see the overnight guide); its bath fee became ₩12,000 on 1 October 2026. Club D Oasis in the LCT tower has jjimjil rooms, a water park and an outdoor seawater hot spring used in swimwear (Spa Pass ₩30,000, 2026; closed Tuesdays).

Seawater and salt water. Several of Busan's haesutang (해수탕) draw seawater from deep underground. Hotel Aqua Palace on Gwangalli Beach uses seawater from 816 m, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the beach; it is open 24 hours (sauna only ₩12,000, 2026). Gwangan Haesu World, also facing Gwangalli Beach, draws seawater from below 1,127 m (05:00–24:00; sauna ₩10,000, 2026). Spa Haesurang in Songdo has a mixed rooftop open-air bath used in swimwear (₩20,000, or ₩30,000 with the rooftop bath, 2026). The city-run Taejongdae Oncheon Jjimjilbang on Yeongdo uses a strongly salty hot spring from 600 m (24 hours, closed Tuesdays; bath ₩10,000, 2026). We found no reliable history of Busan's seawater baths and will not guess at one.

Busan Station. World Spa (월드스파) in Choryang is the nearest bath to the station in our directory. It is open 05:00–24:00, closes on the last Wednesday of each month, and charges from ₩11,000 (October 2026).

The hot-spring towns

Under Korean law, water at 25°C or above qualifies as an oncheon, and about half of Korea's hot springs are 25–30°C. The towns below have hotter water, a long history and something open in 2026.

Onyang was the royal spa; Kings Taejo and Sejong both went there. In the most recent ranking we found, from 2017, it was the most visited hot spring in Korea, with 4.34 million visitors. Baths and hotels cluster around the Line 1 station, which has free foot baths on its plaza. The Onyang Tourist Hotel (온양관광호텔) announced its closure in late 2021, but 2026 press described it as operating. We could not confirm which is true, so we do not recommend it.

Suanbo water rises at 53°C without heating, and Chungju City manages the source centrally. The public bath at the Ramada hotel listed about ₩19,900 in November 2025, and a December 2024 report said its hot spring closes on Mondays. A free foot bath runs Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00–20:00, and closes in winter.

Yuseong lost its landmark when the Yuseong Hotel (유성호텔) closed on 31 March 2024 after 109 years. The free foot-bath park (07:00–22:00, open all year, about 40°C) and the hot-spring bath at Gyeryong Spatel (계룡스파텔) remain open.

Bugok had 3.0 million visitors in 2025. In February 2025 its 24 lodging and bath businesses had 1,355 private family-bath rooms between them. The Bugok Hawaii theme park (부곡하와이) closed in 2017, but the free foot bath and the Renaissance hall (르네상스관, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–18:00) are open (2026).

Deokgu is described as Korea's only naturally flowing hot spring: the 42.4°C water is not pumped or heated. The large public bath (대온천장) at the resort cost ₩11,000 for adults in September 2026 and is open 06:00–22:00. The nearby Hanwha resort at Baegam Oncheon (백암온천) closed in December 2024.

Cheoksan opened in 1973 as Gangwon's first hot spring. Cheoksan Oncheon Resort (척산온천휴양촌, 05:30–20:00) charged ₩11,000 for adults in April 2025. It rents family hot-spring rooms for three hours (₩50,000 for two people, ₩70,000 for four). A free foot-bath park run by village residents uses the same water; it is open from March to November.

How we keep the directory honest

Every place in our directory carries the month its status was confirmed and, where we give prices, the month we saw them. Each entry lists the sources we used. Tattoo policy reads "no published policy" unless a facility has put it in writing, because almost none have. Closed places appear in a separate closed list, so that you stop looking for them. Nothing is marked verified until someone from HANTANG has paid at the counter and measured the water. If you find a difference, send us the date and a photo of the price board.