Jimjilbang: A Real Bathing Experience

I have never experienced anything like a jimjilbang before, but my Indian girlfriend has spoken about these Korean bath spas a few times. She's in love with them because of similar spas in India that go through the same steps to cleanse, scrub, and purify your skin.

She even demonstrated a few modified steps within her women's locker room which included:

Pool. Sauna. Shower. Cleanse. Scrub. And, I mean scrub hard. Condition hair. Apply face masks. Sit in eucalyptus steam room. Then shower again.

A few products I used in the shower included:

The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter Body Scrub, $18

Moroccan Intense Hydrating Hair Mask, $33

Oil of Olay's Silk Whimsy Cleansing Body Wash for $6 to keep my skin and hair soft and moisturized.

They offer the body wash in a massaging soap bar for $6 that I use occasionally too. The bumps in the soap really do feel like a wooden massage tool.

I also swear by Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil for $6 when I get out of the shower too. Me and one of my girls even use it as tan oil at the pool. Heh heh!

It was by far one the most refreshing treats, I have ever given myself in a locker room! Thanks partly to my girlfriend for scrubbing the dear life out of my entire backside with her scrub glove.

A 찜진방 jimjilbang is even better because it offers bathing areas, saunas, and common areas for snacking, watching tv, and napping. Most of them are open 24 hours and allow you to spend the night on a cot in a open area.

How exactly does this type of bath spa work?

First: you pay an entrance fee at the front desk. Then you receive a key fob on a bracelet and clothes to wear in the common area. You walk over to your designated gender bathing area. Put your own shoes and clothing in your locker. Pull out your shower caddy filled with goodies from your bag. This may include: shampoo and conditioner, a razor, toothbrush, a loofah, scrub cloth, body scrub, face mask,  and anything else you would like to use in the shower.

Second: you get naked! And grab a wash cloth too.

At first I was taken aback by the idea of a bath spa filled with naked women. If the thought makes you feel a bit uncomfortable.

I, for one, tried to imagine myself in this spa environment and could not picture it...like at all. Which is odd considering that I go to nude beaches in Martha's Vineyard...a place where old white men follow you to the ocean water and wait for you to come out, so they can have a friendly conversation with you.

So, being naked around women should not be a big deal. Yet it is! Maybe, because it's a confined space? And not open, like a beach. I always felt like laying on your towel nude was a private time on a  nude beach, and only when you got up to venture out to the ocean. You became fair game to be stared at by old men and fellow beachgoers.

I can only imagine at these spas. There is no 'down time' in which you can take a break from being stared at by others. Even if it is not intentional.

I am infamous for staring off in space at people.

Third: you take a shower because it is custom to take a shower before you get into any of the baths. As Americans, we already know this. However, not every country does this or believes it's necessary.

I have met some smelly foreigners too. I ain't saying where they are from either. Hmm!

Fourth: after you finish your shower, you choose a bath tub to soak in. There are several baths of various temperatures. They're either all in one huge room or various rooms.

*The idea is to go from a hot tub to a cold tub to increase the circulation in your body.

In the bathing area, you can use your scrubbing products or the ones the spa provides for you. For an extra fee, a spa worker can scrub you down until there isn't dead skin left on you. They do not scrub your private parts either. *In case you were wondering. They also offer massages as well for another fee.


Fifth: when you are done scrubbing and soaking and your gender designated area. You can put on the clothing given at the front desk. Then explore one of the dry saunas that may offer various aromas as well.

Some jimjilbang even have restaurants, cafes, massage chairs, and nail salons available for extra fees that are accrued on your key fob.

Whether you spend the night is up to you. Since you would be sleeping in a open room full of strangers of the same sex. But if you go with a few friends, it could be a pretty fun experience if you keep to yourselves.

I will definitely visit a 찜진방 jimjilbang when I get there!

Smelling Good Makes Me Optimistic

This belief is partly due to the fact that this week 'should' go down in the books as an epic fail, but hasn't broken my spirits completely....surprisingly. Instead this week is so so. And I smell good!

Why so optimistic?

For Christmas my friend gave me a gift box filled with a leopard snuggie, a flower pin made from a Budweiser bottle (because he knows the art school hipster within me would love it), and samples from a perfume collection called Bond No. 9 New York. He enclosed a note that said to choose the scent I liked the best...but let me tell you, my ass was so damn happy to receive a gift. I completely forgot about the note!

When I failed to tell him which scent I liked the best. He sent me a variety from the Mini Bon Bon Box from the Bond No. 9 New York website. Isn't this lovely? It was hard to open everything, because the gift wrap and eau de parfums were too perfect and pretty looking to unwrap! With my gift set came a 'Nyc Map' that lists the fragrances and provides a map of the five boroughs that pinpoint the location each au de parfum was named after in New York City. The eau de parfums in my set include: Astor Place (overdosing like whoa), Chinatown, Brooklyn, Nuits de Noho, New Harlem, Coney Island, So New York, Bond No. 9's Hamptons, and Eau de New York. Each scent has a delicious and sophisticated fragrance that looks like a an individually wrapped candy in a chocolate box too. I love them!!!

Funny thing is...I finished using the samples a month ago, but it's not me, to call him up and say, "Hey, G. I ran out of those samples you sent...can you give me some more?"

How ungrateful would I be?

Serious.

If I learned anything throughout life...sometimes your friends can make it hard for you to hate, even when you feel disappointed...like that split second, you have the desire to stick a 'Fuck You' sticker on a forehead. But for every time I want to brand foreheads with stickers, he reminds me that people like him exist. This messes me up, royally!

But hey, least I can take a shit week in strides, smile, and smell good at the same time.

A couple of nice qualities about G. He is hilarious. Smart. Kind. A good listener. Charming. Tough as shit. Patient. A talker. Loyal. A sharp businessman. Thoughtful. Extremely intuitive. And to this day, still one of my best friends.

G, can we jog down Kelly Drive in the Spring? Get coffee from Wawa then ride the train? Then walk around in Nyc for the day like we use to? Or go to the bar and drink too much saki until another pretty waitress you flirt with steals your money again? What about getting a mani or pedi together while I listen to you talk about why male nail technicians are not allowed to touch yours hands or feet? I miss you and your metrosexual self!

My theory is that for the five not so great encounters we have with people, there will be one good person who will remind you of others like them. They may appear to you in the form of a stranger, colleague, ex, family member, or friend...and the minute you are ready to throw in the towel, they will appear.

Right on time!

Thank you! For cheering me up, making me smile, and laugh at myself! You wouldn't believe how much it means to me at times.

Je t'aime! Merci encore du parfum!

Hair Loving is the Best Loving!

I promise you this blog will not turn into a health and beauty blog.

I will stay true to trash talking and shooting the shit with you folks about whatever.

Because that's how I roll!

I do want to thank you all for your feedback on Origins though. I wish that I had written a blog about skin care a while ago...I probably would have learned about Origins a lot sooner than I did! Especially, since many of you appeared to be hip to Origins much longer than moi. It makes sense now why I have so many fabulous friends with beautiful skin. Thanks for sharing!

But before I get back to my usual shenanigans, I wanted to share hair care since once of you asked about it. Hopefully 'you' won't go out on a shopping spree, like you did with the Origins line earlier today.

There are a few hair products in rotation in my bathroom:

KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo

KeraCare Hydrating Detangling Shampoo is my shampoo of choice! It never leaves my hair feeling stripped of moisture. It has a ph balance of 6.0 which is better than the average ph balance of 5.5 because it means there is less citric acid and more conditioning nutrients in your shampoo. (The worst ph balance is 0 and the best is 8). You can purchase a quart of it for $27.99 from most hair stores and salons. It will last you for three months tops.


KeraCare Humecto Creme Conditioner is the best deep conditioner and/or leave-in conditioner known to man! It smells yummy, moisturizers your hair like no other, and nourishes it with the vitamins and protein that chemically treated or damaged hair needs. You can buy from beauty supply stores for $27.99 as well. The size above is 16 oz. and there is a 8 oz. size available for $15.99. It will last you for a month to a month and a half depending upon how often you deep condition your hair.

KeraCare Foam Wrap-Set Lotion is best for wrapping wet hair in rollers or other styles that require some hair control. I think it's the healthier alternative to using hair gel or hair spray since it doesn't have alcohol and it gives your hair natural body and shine. It will run you between $11-15 depending on the beauty supply store.

Kemi Oyl

Kemi Oyl is the main moisturizer that I use on my hair. I refuse to use other oils and greases because they leave my hair feeling heavy and oily. I use a small amount around my edges about every four days to keep them smooth and conditioned. It retails at about $4 from most beauty supply stores.

KeraCare Biosilk Silk Therapy

Biosilk Silk Therapy is a serum that I use for hair shine and a light condition. It works by bonding and strengthening your hair cuticles. It also works the same way a hair sheen does, but is lighter weight and smells delicious! You need less than a dime size every couple of days. It costs between $8-10 at most beauty supply stores.

KeraCare products are the creme de la creme of hair products for ethnic hair. I find them to be much more effective than Mizani which are really good hair products as well. KeraCare is reasonably priced too! And honestly, I'm happy that we have products like KeraCare out there designed for ethnic hair.

Try them out! If you only want to try one product at a time, go for the KeraCare Humecto Creme first!

On rainy or humid days when your hair starts to grow to outrageous proportions, and there's nothing these products can do for you...tell those who want to clown you, "my hair is big because it's a full of secrets."

Some important equations to remember:

Secrets = Skeletons

and

Skeletons = bitches who received stitches!

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Skin Care I Love

After receiving compliments on how 'fresh' and vibrant my skin looked today. I thought it appropriate to share my new skin care regimen. I am still feeling all warm and gushy inside over my compliments.

Last Fall I was introduced to a couple of amazing products by a male...of all people!

Weird, right? Considering the fact that I know a good amount of women who appear to be experts on skin care. Specifically, women like my mother who at 60 years old have the most gorgeous skin ever. Every time I touch her arm, I am shocked at how soft her skin is, like a baby's bottom.

I can only pray that with her genes and my new skin care regimen, my skin will look like hers at 60 too.

And now, there is hope!

Due to drinking 4-5 bottles of tap water a day and using Origins, my skin tone and texture has transformed in less than a month due to these:

Origins Never A Dull Moment

 Never A Dull Moment differs from most exfoliators because there are no rough crystals or grains in this face wash. It's acts more like a chemical peel that dissolves make-up, dirt, and dead skin cells using fruit extracts. The result of using this product is a smooth vibrant and an even toned skin complexion. I started off with a sample size of this product before purchasing the regular size for $25.

Origins Brighter By Nature SPF 35

The Brighter By Nature moisturizer really does work! It has a bunch of good stuff in it too, like a Japanese Basil Leaf, Cucumber, and Vitamin C. If you were wondering, Japanese Basil Leaf is used as anti-irritant to keep your skin tone even. The results of this moisturizer is a brighter more even skin tone. Origin states that 94% saw  brighter skin and 90% said it helped even out their skin tone. This is not a lie because it has been working for me. I bought this one for $42.50 and it is worth every penny!

Origins Modern Friction

Modern Fricton is my second exfoliator made with gentle grains to scrub away dead skin cells. It will not dry out or irritate your skin. The result is smooth clean skin. I use this product twice a week and Never A Dull Moment exfoliator five times a week. I started with a sample size for this product too before buying the regular size for $37.50.

Note: it is more expensive than Never A Dull Moment, so consider using a smaller amount of Modern Friction each week. Or just pass on it. Never A Dull Moment is the better exfoliator of the two anyway!



The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner

 The Body Shop's Vitamin E Hydrating Toner is a good toner that's alcohol free and infused with Vitamin E. Most toners can dry out your skin when normalizing the ph balance, this one does not. It's a steal at only $12! It takes me two months to finish one bottle with the use of cotton balls.

Origins is thebomb.com!

I recommend everyone to try it. It's not just for women either, it's for men too. Remember, it was a man who got me hip to the line.

If you are unsure of what you need since everyone's skin varies, ask a sales person in the store for help.

I have the craziest skin ever. It's oily in the Summer and dry in the Winter. Then goes through stages when it's a combination of both oily and dry.

What's great about Origins is that it works on a variety of skin types. Which means crazy skin is allowed to be crazy as hell because something in this line will work on it!

Check it out!