Public bathhouses — long a communal hub for Koreans and a de facto welfare space for the socially vulnerable — are disappearing at a rapid pace amid spiraling energy costs linked to the Iran war.
A Sejong bathhouse owner was given a suspended prison sentence on Thursday over the death of three customers by electrocution in December 2023.
The National Human Rights Commission ruled that a bathhouse discriminated against women by charging them extra for towel rentals while including the cost in men’s admission fees.
Back in Korea's 1970s, many Korean households had no proper showers which made visiting a public bathhouse a necessary ritual. Scrubbing down with a so-called Italy towel was more than a mere visit to clean the body — it was a social event.
Prices are attached on a counter of a public bathhouse in downtown Seoul on Monday. The consumer price index for bathhouses rose 14.1 percent on year in May to log the highest increase in 14 years and five months, according to Statistics Korea...
Chung Young-ran, 63, a resident of Chupungnyeong-myeon in Yeongdong County, North Chungcheong, says she has high hopes for a public bathhouse to open in September.
Businesses across the board are recovering from the pandemic, but one type — the public bath — sustained such damage that it's proven fatal in the case of many establishments.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap
