I first learned about JeJu Sauna from my women’s small group. One of our group members talked about how going “changed her life”. I’ve seen reviews online on Yelp and throughout the internet. I’ve heard other first hand reviews from friends. All positive words and reflections about the experience. So after spin class this past Friday, I decided to see what the hype was all about.

So the first thing that happened was I walked in and paid $25 and got a locker key on a bracelet with a number. Inside of the women’s locker room was an employee who gave me a tour of the entire spa. First, we looked at the bathing area. Which was nude and for women only. Fortunately, I was prepared based on what I’d heard and seen so the nudity was not a shock to me. Next we went out to tour the saunas. The tour ended back in the women’s area. The attendant then asked if it was my first time. I told her it was. She told me the area was all nude and mentioned that new people often had issues following that rule. And she handed me a towel to cover myself:

Yes, it was a hand towel. So quickly, I accepted that it would be best to just go nude. So I did. I showered, and tried the wet area for a while. Then got the body scrub, which I highly recommend! I didn’t know that you can workout there and go swimming. I tried the saunas. I enjoyed the charcoal room the most. The only thing I really regret is not staying longer. The spa is open 24/7 and you can spend the night. They also have free wifi. So it makes the price worth it to stay. But I was hungry, and I’ve heard negative things about the food there. So I left. I highly recommend going to JeJu and here are some tips to help you enjoy your visit:

Don’t take valuables – your stuff goes into a locker. But just like at the gym, I’d say leave your valuables at home or in the car. I brought my gym bag and purse, but I could have done without the purse. Just too much stuff to lock up in a public locker room. Also, I recommend not taking iPods or anything like that if you plan to sleep. They might walk.

Take your own soap – If you plan to go into the bath area take your own soap. I wish I’d taken my own face wash. I avoided using what they had. Looked like Safeguard though. They do have shampoo: Salon Selectives, if you want to wash your hair. I opted out of that.

Don’t go if you just got your hair done – Since you will get sweaty, I’d say skip coming with a fresh hair do. However, I saw several people with their hair wrapped with silk wraps or the hand towels they passed out. Some of the saunas make you sweat toxins out of your body and your hair won’t stay clean.

Don’t eat their food – Don’t eat the food. Period. Honestly, it didn’t look good at all. All the reviews are against it. So when I walked over to the food area I just couldn’t buy anything. You also shouldn’t sneak food in since they fine up to $100.

Be open – Don’t let the nudity bother you. I mean honestly, there were all kinds of people there. No one had the perfect body including me! Some people were slim, some were big, some in between and every single race. I even saw two kids. One little girl stared but she was the only person. I saw two children in the bathing area and they were both well behaved and respectful. Some people talk to you while they are naked, which didn’t bother me. But for the most part everyone is quiet and relaxed. A group of women brought more attention to themselves by carrying around colored towels (they brought from home) and being loud. So don’t make yourself stand out in a bad way, just go with the flow or stay in the unisex common area.

I definitely will be going back! I think it’s a great place for families. The unisex open area let’s you hang out together. I saw a few people there on dates and parents with kids. So it’s cool.

Have you heard about JeJu? Would you ever check it out?