( CNN ) -- For first-timers in a Korean bathhouse , stripping naked and soaking for hours in tubs with strangers often comes as a jolt . The scrub corner in any jjimjilbang ( Korean bathhouse/sauna/spa/adult playground ) is the section newbies find most alarming . This is because the scrub corner traffics in a completely different kind of naked intimacy -- one in which a grumpy Korean woman in black lace underwear uses a coarse towel to scrub every corner of her guest/victim 's body . For most , it 's a punishing , yet oddly satisfying experience . It lasts about 40 minutes -- or a few minutes longer than you 'd find yourself in the ring for a championship prizefight . Good Korean scrub . The intense Korean cleansing process ( called `` seshin '' ) entails soaking the body in hot water , then rubbing it with a `` Korean Italy towel '' -- a colorful , thin loofah with a sandpaper-like texture -- to rid the body of all the gunk , dirt and layers of dead skin that accumulate naturally . Rolls of dark , gray skin fall away as the ddemiri ( scrub mistress ) works away , revealing soft , pink layers of skin underneath . It 's an extraordinarily rejuvenating -- and , again , painful -- process that locals embrace as a weekly ritual with family and friends . Men and women have separate bathing areas and get scrubbed by members of their own gender . Gaining traction . Korean scrubbing rituals have typically been embraced by few Westerners -- assorted Hollywood stars have gone in for quick sessions in LA 's Koreatown . Otherwise , the technique is largely unknown . Over the past year or so , however , according to Seoul 's Dragon Hill Spa head of public relations Hyun-Kyu Sang , the number of foreigners coming for scrubs is increasing . `` We 've been noticing tourists coming to Korea and staying two nights at a hotel , and one night here , at the spa , '' says Sang , explaining that many foreign visitors opt for package deals that included a seshin option . `` A lot of tourists come to Korea and come here first , with their luggage , and get scrubbed to start their visit , '' he says . Is the Korean-style scrub on its way to becoming the next global beauty trend ? If it is , we want to be among the first to check it out . That 's why we went to Seoul to ask the best scrub mistresses for tips on getting the most out of a scrub session . 1 . Do n't touch the shower gel . While many bring their own fancy shower gel to the bathhouse to lather up before the scrub , it turns out that bar soap , not the liquid kind , is actually the way to go . `` Use the soap provided by the bathhouses during the pre-scrub shower and soak , '' says Kim Jung Yeol , who 's been a scrub mistress at the Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan , Seoul , for more than a decade . `` If you use body shampoo , the skin gets too slippery to scrub properly , and the 'dde ' ( dead skin rolls ) does n't come off nearly as well . '' 2 . Soak for 30 minutes in medium-hot water . Impatient scrubees bolt out of soaking tubs after five or 10 minutes . Korean grandmothers stay in tubs seemingly for hours . But the optimal length for a pre-scrub soak is 30 minutes . Soaking in hotter water causes the skin to wrinkle faster ( a good thing ) , but according to a gaggle of ddemiri ( scrub mistress ) at Geumgansan Sauna in Hapjeong , customers should stay in the water temperature they 're most comfortable with , instead of attempting a hotter tub and calling it a day after a few minutes . `` Staying in the water to prune is most important , '' says one ddemiri . 3 . Be completely bare . This one may seem obvious , but scrub mistresses say many of their customers come to them without removing everything . This includes rings , earrings , glasses and other accessories . Those with long hair should bring their own hair-tie -- the ddemiri will tie their hair in a perfect bun . 4 . Seriously , relax . `` Relax ! '' is the instruction issued most often by the ddemiri . If the body is too rigid , the scrub mistress ca n't contort it into the positions necessary to get at every nook and cranny . It 's awkward and painful at first , but forcing the body to relax its muscles allows the ddemiri to get things done most effectively . `` Usually customers listen and then they end up having a lot of fun , '' says Jung . 5 . The fun should come afterward . This one surprises locals as well as foreigners . Though some think sitting in a spa 's various hot rooms before a scrub is an effective way to get the skin ready , ddemiris advise getting scrubbed before relaxing . `` If customers get scrubbed first and then go to the hot rooms , they 'll feel more refreshed , since the sweat is n't blocked by dirty pores , '' says Jung . `` Then all they have to do after is rinse off in the shower . '' 6 . Scrub weekly . Scrubs should be booked once a week . Any more often , and there 's danger of over-exfoliation . But according to Jung , weekly scrubs improve skin vibrancy and blood circulation , as well as muscle relaxation . Jjimjilbangs to hit up for the best scrub . Dragon Hill Spa , 40-713 Hangangro 3-ga Yongsan-gu , Seoul ; +82 2 797 0002 ; open 24 hours ; ₩11,000-₩13,000 ( $ 10- $ 12 ) for admission , scrub prices vary . The Spa in Garden 5 , 5/F 10 , TOOL Da-dong Garden5 , 292 Munjeong-dong Songpa-gu , Seoul ; +82 2 404 2700 ; open 24 hours ; ₩6,000-₩8,000 ( $ 5-7 ) for admission , scrub prices vary . Spa Land , Centum City , 35 Centumnam-daero , Haeundae-gu , Busan ; +82 51 745 2900 ; open daily , 6 a.m.-midnight , admission : ₩12,000 ( $ 11 ) on weekdays and ₩14,000 ( $ 12 ) on weekends ; scrub starts at ₩20,000 ( $ 18 )
Getting scrubbed at a Korean jjimjilbang is a therapeutic , if painful , process . Locals embrace scrubs as a weekly ritual . A special towel scours dead skin off the body . Imagine you 're the engine block of a '92 Hyundai Accent with 200,000 miles on it and your car has been sitting in an auto parts store for years because nobody wants to buy one.