I'd like to note that most of the people who read this blog (hey mom!) are most likely fairly conservative and if you're like me, don't even feel comfortable walking around in a swim suit. The next thing I'd like to clarify is the way bath houses are in South Korea. Basically, there is a section for men and a section for women. You go in, put your shoes in a cubby, find your designated locker, strip down (yes completely) and head on in to the bath area. Before getting into any of the pools, you scrub yourself down in a quick shower. Then you are free to roam around and find whatever pool suits your personal needs.
I'm sure that each bath house has different options and are different sizes but I'll tell you about the one I went to. We went to a fairly popular bath house in Busan when Kelley and Birch came to visit. Yes, I stripped down naked and bathed with my mother-in-law. Not as bad as some of you might imagine ;). We went in and they give you a little waterproof key on a bracelet that you keep with you the whole time you're bathing (it's on a bracelet because naked people don't have pockets). Once you have your key you use it to open your cubby for your shoes. The first little cubby is for shoes only and further in you have a bigger locker for everything else. As soon as Kelley and I turned the corner after putting our shoes away, the first stark naked Korean woman walked past us and that's when it hit. We're really doing this!
I'll be honest with you, I DID NOT want to go to a public bath house. You can probably imagine the number of reservations I had about bathing naked in front of a bunch of strangers. I will be honest once again and let you know that after that initial shock of the first naked woman we saw walked past, it only took about 5 minutes to realize I was being completely silly to be so nervous. We're basically pretty much the same under those clothes and when every person in the room has nothing but their skin, you come to realize it's really not that big of a deal.
Ok, back to the play by play of how the bath house works. After you shower, you can choose from several different pools of varying purpose and/or temperature. There are warm pools, hot pools, extra hot pools, and cool pools. There's an area to do more detailed scrubbing and personal preening and whatnot. There are some pools that have stuff in them like the lemon tea pool. You can also go upstairs to check out the different sauna rooms. Once you are squeaky clean, completely relaxed and have bathed to your hearts content, you can put on some pajama-like clothes and go to the co-ed area and nap on the heated floors or you can just go back to the locker room to change back into your own clothes. They also had a few areas where you could sit down and do your hair and makeup. They even provide hair driers and lotions and brushes. Once you're fully beautified, you go pick up your shoes, pay for your visit, and leave. 
To answer some questions I know you all have, yes, I enjoyed myself. Yes, we were stared at for being foreigners. Yes we didn't realize we should shower first and were told to get out of the first pool and shower before we continued. Yes there were people there of every age, shape, and size. No I wasn't grossed out about being in pools with naked people. Yes the pools are very well maintained and are decorative not just like holes in the ground. Yes I felt very good and refreshed and clean when I left. Yes I would recommend the experience to anyone who has a chance to visit South Korea if nothing else but for a cultural experience you won't get another chance to have. If you have any questions or opinions or experiences on the matter you'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment! 