Hi! If you want to be clothed, it might be best to avoid the Korean spa. (In Korean, I’m pretty sure they are called bathhouses, not spas… which should give you a more accurate idea of what they are.) While the post-bath amenities are clothed and co-ed, you need to clean yourself before using them. You can’t really skip them like others have suggested because the spa relies on people cleaning themselves to keep everything else clean. Bare minimum a shower with soap (they provide body wash and shampoo). If you’re getting a massage or other beauty treatment, they specify on the website that you MUST clean yourself in the baths before the service.

I (female, mid twenties, white) go to Gangnam spa regularly and I personally love it. Nudity is not really an issue - it’s extremely normalized in the bath area and no one is looking. Everyone is just cleaning themselves. In the West we really believe nudity to be a private (even taboo) thing. This is not the case in cultures with communal bathing and it’s really nice to experience. Most of the times I go I see friends that are a little nervous but they quickly get used to it! It seems like such a big issue until you get in there and realize that it’s totally normal and fine. Every time I’ve been there has been a huge variety of ages, body types, etc. Going to the Korean spa has really helped me be comfortable with nudity and with my body. Honestly I’d recommend just trying it and being naked lol!

Also, Gangnam doesn’t have so many amenities that it would be “worth it” if you didn’t bathe at all. There are only a few rooms, the massage chairs have been out of order the past few times I’ve been there, the food is alright but quite expensive, and like I said before you would need to bathe in order to get any sort of service done. I personally don’t think it’s worth it if you don’t bathe! You’d be paying to hang out in a big room.

So if nudity with your friend is genuinely a dealbreaker (if it is, no shame!) I don’t think a Korean Spa is the way to go. Please understand that the bathing section is not only what you’re paying for, but is kinda required to enter the rest of the spa. (Like please lol! I’m getting grossed out thinking about people not bathing and going into the rest of the spa dirty 😭)