See our Itaewon map under Bars & Clubs for the easy-to-find location, 793-6227, email. From Itaewon subway take exit #3. Walk straight ahead to the first intersection, turn right and immediately enter the building to take the elevator up to 3/F. There is also a large sign for Equus visible on 3/F from the street. From Hamilton Hotel, cross the street and make a left, then follow the same directions. Ignore any signs about members only and walk straight in. Foreigners very welcome. This small cruise box makes the most of its space, even bouncing a laser beam off its one mirrored hallway. Lockers, some chairs, shower and dark rooms. Open 24 hours.

Comments from Utopians:

"I went to Equus the other night and it was SOOOOO good. I think it is under new management and it sure was a lot of fun." -- hangingout, May 10, 2008

"Well I went to Equus on Thu at 10:30pm. Paid W$10,000 for the entry fee and received a locker key and a towel at the counter. Quite loud music from a radio station for the American military. No guest except me was there at that time. I noticed the basket was filled with used towels, so there were some guests earlier I suppose. I stayed nearly one hour and only one Korean guy came in. The place is very small. The tiny shower room has only two showers with a big cylinder for the hot water. No sauna, one toilet, 8 or 9 vinyl-covered thin mattresses on the floor and divided by partitions made of thin board and curtains. A coffee machine was out of order. A long bar style table by the window had 6 stools. I hope there will be more guests on my next visit." -- h2008bj, Sep 11, 2007

"Equus is the benchmark for all of Seoul. This is the place to go! So popular, it's maybe getting too crowded for those that like more discreet meetings. You can't get any better in all of Korea than this place!" -- BeGentle100, June 5, 2007

"Equus is remarkable in what it makes out of its small space and lack of facilities. I had consistently great experiences all three times I visited. Most of the guests are nice young Korean guys and the sleeping area has some magic that makes it easy to enjoy their company all night long. Strong connections are what matters here rather than superfluous hot saunas, steam rooms, or pools." -- steven_g, Jul 18, 2006

See our Itaewon map under Bars & Clubs for the easy-to-find location. From Hamilton Hotel, cross the street and walk straight down the hill and take the first left turn. Hyundai is half a block down this lane, on the right side. The sign is in Korean only, but you can look for the sauna symbol -- a kind of bowl with three fingers of steam rising from it. Gay sauna in the popular gay nightlife area (not to be confused with the straight sauna of the same name in Chongyangni which was previously called Core). Young and international patrons.

Comments from Utopians:

"Hyundai is a little run down. The cost was W$6,000 on a Sat. From 10pm-12am it was not really busy, just a couple of guys, but as I was coming in at 10pm a lot of people where leaving. Around 12:30am a very nice mixed crowd came in - a lot of white, Filipino, Korean mostly young and good looking. The facilities are poor as none of the pools are open and they don't provide any safer sex supplies. But I had a wonderful night." -- joshnkorea, Feb 10, 2008

"This is the worst gay men's sauna I have ever encountered. In the 3 years I have been in Korea. There have been many recent incidents of theft, of which I was a victim only a few days ago. Friends have also shared stories of having their key stolen while they sleep. My advice is to hang on to your key carefully and never bring any substantial amount of money with you. Thieves have easy access to the lockers on the main floor and it is a regular occurance. The owner has no clue about disinfectants or how to clean the shower and hot tub area. On the upside - it is a very cheap place to go and there are almost always guys there." -- KokAsianBear, Jan 19, 2008

"The Hyundai Sauna is in pretty bad shape. Unless you like the easy access to the Itaewan area, I'd recommend you go to one of the other saunas listed. The Equus is very close, but it doesn't have sauna facilities. Hyundai does have a very international flavor though; many different cultures." -- BeGentle100, June 2, 2007

"Hyundai would be worth a visit if it were the only gay sauna in Seoul. But compared with this now dilapidated, run down place, there are much better choices." -- steven_g, Jul 18, 2006

To find it, get off any number of buses or subway line 1 at Jongno 2-Ga, walk to the north side of the street and look for the YMCA. At the east end of the Y by the Y Coffee Shop, walk about 20 feet down the little alley and turn right into the even narrower alley. Walk about 100 feet watching for the barber pole and the wide steps leading up to the building on the left with the sauna. Take the left door, pay just inside the door, and continue on to get your key and leave your shoes. The locker room, barber shop and wet areas are on that floor, but the real fun starts on the next two floors. After your shower and soak, take the very steep (hardly more than a ladder) up to the rest areas. If the first one is too sedate for you, go on up the even steeper steps to the larger, somewhat darker and more active rest area with large bunks on both sides. Don't expect too sleep much, day or night, and if there's not much happening when you first go in, just wait a few minutes.

Comments from Utopians:

"More of a Korean-patronized sauna, with foreigners being the exception. More of a mature Korean make-up (30++), with many mature (50-60s) frequenting it. The locker room is extremely compact, as is the shower room, and hot tubs, while the steam room is always at an extreme setting. Be careful taking the steps up to the two rest areas, they are small and steep. The first area is a landing that transitions the steps up to 2/F. People use this are for resting. On 2/F, there are a limited number of bunk beds. Bring your own supplies: there are no condoms here, and most don't bring or use them." -- BeGentle100, May 26, 2007

Find Jongno 3-Ga either by subway or bus. Everybody in Seoul can point you in the right direction. If you see Tapgol (Pagoda) park, walk east (turn left if you're coming out of the main gate of the park) cross the little side street (some years ago, it was referred to as Hustler Alley) and continue on down Chongno past the McDonalds and the TNGT Suit Gallery. On the far side of the TNGT Suit Gallery building, there is a very narrow passageway. Take that to the end. You will cross another small alleyway, but keep on going. You will see three barber poles. The entrance to Mun Hwa is near the end of the little passageway at the third barber pole. They've added the English word Sauna on the door. Active, especially on weekends. Open 24 hours a day. The guys don't wear towels, but they usually carry one to make a token pretense to modesty. Downstairs and upstairs resting areas, sauna and steam room. Crowd is mostly 20-40s. Open 24 hours.

Comments from Utopians:

"I have visited Mun Hwa sauna twice in the past year and have had great fun both times. The place is rather run down and filthy, but the variety and quality of the customers is excellent, ranging from westerners to Korea's finest of all ages. The shower is well-lit and large. It is impossible to comfortably sleep on the bare floor unless you have been drinking, so plan to go there to meet people and then head to your hotel for a good night's rest." -- ernst, Feb 6, 2007

"95% of the customers are Koreans-for-Koreans and most patrons are over 40 (if you are into younger, try Equus in Itaewon). The other 5% who like Western guys will approach IF you are their style." -- Denny, Jan 18, 2008

"Visited Mun Hwa this weekend in Jongno 3. It was a nice night, there was non-stop fun. The price is W$9,000. The check-in process is simple. Pay your money, take off your shoes and then walk over grab a key and go to your locker. The place is still frequented by a number of men between the ages of 30-50. However, a number of them have very nice bodies. Also, since the place is out of the tourist area, some will love white guys while others won't talk to you. Many still don't practice safe sex, so bring your own supplies." -- joshnkorea, Jan 12, 2008

"I went here 3 times and it is a special place, indeed. I was the only foreigner each time. At first it looks a run down old sauna, with an elderly lady at the reception and an old guy cleaning shoes or watching TV just in the entrance area. Everything is very unassuming - different from saunas in london, NYC or any hot fashionable gay places where people always stare at you, looking to see if you meet their expectations and all that... Here you just can enter and have a bath and a shower in peace. You walk around completely naked (typical for saunas in Korea). Upstairs, on the weekends, there are lots of guys - young and many of them older, but always nicely built. Soon enough somebody will approach or you approach anybody and you will be most welcome. You can have fun all night long if you want. Somehow, it's like living out a fantasy - you go to the pool or sauna, see hot guys, are turned on and would like to disappaear with them immediately in the dark - and you can do it! Great place at anytime." -- andy1988, Nov 7, 2007

"A little more help on directions: take exit 5 out of the subway (Line 5). As you exit, walk straight down the street till you come to the main road (this is same road where the main entrance to Pagoda is). Turn left and follow previous directions past McDonalds. Turn left at coner of the suit shop and just past the 3rd barber pole is the entrance. Sauna in English is still on the door. Price during lunch is W$4000. Looked like night price is W$8000. Enter, take off shoes and get a locker. I started in the shower room and then the hot bath. There are three baths, cold, hot and hotter; also a steam room and a dry room. After relaxing I went up to 2/F. There were about 25 or 30 people. I was the only foreigner, but was made to feel welcome. I laid down for a bit and a Korean man came right up to me. Was also approached as I was dressing and getting ready to leave. A great place. Once you go here, you will never go back to Equus. Facilities are great. You can also get a haircut here." -- yemen, Oct 19, 2007

"A fun place anytime, especially on weekends and nights. The Korean men who go here are mostly older, but a lot of them have nice bods and are nice. I was suprised when I went there. I think the ajosshi owns the place. He was kind to my foreign friend who came with me. It was a nice experience going there. I recommend this place even if only for sauna or sleeping." -- JiHoon, Sep 26, 2007

"Mun Hwa is well worth the visit. It's easy to find and usually active no matter the time, but especially during lunch hours and later in the evening. It has lockers, showers, hot and cold tubs and a steam room, which is set at an acceptable temperature. Wonderful things tend to happen in the steam room. The upstairs resting rooms are quite active. They don't have condoms, so be sure to bring your own. Have always had a great time here." -- BeGentle100, Jan 17, 2007

"Mun Hwa has a successful formula: one upper floor with large sleeping area in a room with a few partitions of progressive darkness. You lay on the hard floor but beside many nice, willing buddies." -- steven_g, Jul 18, 2006

"Have been here several times and it is always worth checking out. The upstairs rest room is nearly always active, but if you just want to rest it's fine. Quite dark, with heaters in winter. Small towels are a token gesture to nakedness which is the norm. Many nice younger guys who like older western men, though age is unimportant. Have never come away disappointed. The shower and sauna facilities are fine, if a little small. Just remember to take off your shoes when you enter or you will be scolded by the guy at the door! Very safe venue." -- mb2086, Feb 9, 2006

OTHER AREAS

Sinseoldong Subway Station (Lines 1 & 2) in between Exit 2 and 3. You can find the entrance in the building with a neon hot spring sign. Ticket booth is on 3/F. Fairly new and good sauna. Steam is also on 3/F and rooms on 4/F. Open 24 hours, but busiest in the early afternoon or after midnight and on weekends. Mixed ages. Foreigners welcome.

Comments from Utopians:

"Adam Sauna is very run down. The showers don't work (they are missing fittings or just no shower hose), the sauna is dirty and the sleeping rooms smell bad. One of the toilets is out of order. It's still busy as it is well known." -- bigozibear, Apr 9, 2007

"Finally I've visited Adam Sauna. It was confusing the first time. I was not able to see the sign on the 3rd floor and the glass door that leads to it is labeled 'Motel'. The sign is in Korean of course. Like the usual saunas it has facilities for shower and bath. Only one place to dip in a hot bath and the steam rooms are used as drying place for bathrobes the other serves as a stock room. Also, the bath area doubles as a laundry room for the staff. Don't get intimidated by dilapidated ceiling of the bath area. The upper floor of the sleeping area has a smoking/drinking counter and close by a solitary PC station. There's a TV room with big couches. There are at least 6 rooms, some rooms are partitioned into separate cubicles the rest are just small to big rooms to sleep, talk and do other pleasing things. I went on a Wed night and was amazed that the place was still busy and half-full of people. I had a wild night. It really made me smile how casual and playful fun could be. I left the place at 9am and while eating my breakfast at an adjacent shop I saw a guy I'd seen at the sauna leaving the place, perhaps going back again to work to earn for another nite of ephemeral happiness?" -- gaysoulpinas, Feb 18, 2006

Dongdaegu. Come out Exit 5 of the Dongdaemoon (Eastgate) Stadium Station, Subway Lines 2,4,5, and go past the small street. You should see a big office building/bank on your right. Go past it to the next small street and turn right. GM is on floors 3-5 in the 2nd building on your left, just before a small public park. A Russian restaurant is on the bottom floors. The signs for GM are located on the outside top left of the building and inside the garage. Go to the back of the garage and take the stairway up. GM has three floors: 3/F has lockers, shower, and TV/video are; 4/F and 5/F have bunks and cabins respectively. Popular with bears and cubs. Open 24 hours, but busiest after midnight and on weekends.

Comments from Utopians:

"Great place with great guys. The price is still W$10,000 won. Very clean. Supplies condoms and lube. The new staff member was extremely attractive and he spoke English very well. I am so happy that they welcome everyone at this suana. Was very busy all night on a Wed." -- joshnkorea, Jan 23, 2008

"GM gay men's sauna, in my opinion, is the best one in Korea. There were some problems a few months ago with one of the staff and his prejudice against foreigners (and inability to wake up to serve customers), however management has replaced him with better staff. This sauna is very clean and great if you are a bear or a bear lover. It is almost always busy at night, and very busy on the weekends. You will never be disappointed if you go after 7pm, any day of the week." -- KokAsianBear, Jan 19, 2008

"GM sauna is a great place to have discreet get-togethers, especially during the afternoon/early evening. It's usually more active in the later evening, and especially crazy on weekends. The locker area and showers are kind of cramped, but the two floors above make up for it." -- BeGentle100, May 12, 2007

This in not the new City Center terminal next door, but the older terraced building. Sauna is in the extreme northwest corner of the B1 floor, just around the corner from the big music store. Pay just inside the door and then continue on in the same direction through the curtains. Give the ticket to the shoeshine man, and he will give you a key. Deposit your shoes in the little alcove that matches the key number and continue on to the lockers that line the huge dressing room. Most of the action is in the sleeping area down the stairs to your left as you enter. This sauna is not entirely gay, so be discreet. Fun place, especially early weekend mornings. There tend to be several cute young guys who come in there after a night on the town, and many are available for some fun either before or after their naps. There are cruisers also on the roof (take the elevator to 10/F), but some are street-smart hustlers, so be careful. Recently remodeled and upgraded. Now, it's so upscale that you have to wear pajamas in the rest area. Although somewhat confining, the pajamas haven't totally stifled the action. There seems to be a certain perfunctory discretion these days, so lie around and rest a while until you get some feel for what's going on around you.

Comments from Utopians:

"I recently went on a Sat night for the entire night. There were many customers, but very little action that I saw, and I was on the lookout for it most of the night. The shower/sauna area is fairly small, but quite well maintained. Earlier in the evening, I had some light mutual play in the steam room. The masseur/scrubber worked in the nude, which is unusual. He was middle aged and a bit chubby. Other than this, it seemed like a normal bathhouse. The four downstairs sleeping rooms are well equipped with sleeping pads and quilted sheets, but are quite brightly lit all night long. Most everyone was wearing the sauna uniform for sleeping. I saw no one sleeping in the nude. Early in the morning there were a couple of young guys who were playing a bit. This was the only action I saw and it didn't seem to be very well received. It would be nice to know if anyone else has been here recently and has a different story. My perception is that there is an attempt to cut down activity in the sleeping areas." -- ojo, Dec 16, 2007

Gay sauna located near Sinchon Subway Station Exit 5. As you leave the Station, walk straight to the first small street to the right, up the hill and then the next right. The sauna is on your right on G/F. Signs are in English and Korean. They have a very nice Finnish sauna as well as bathtubs, Internet terminal, four sleeping rooms, and TV/smoking room. Mixed ages. Foreigners welcome.

Comments from Utopians:

"The Natural Sauna is lovely, new and clean as described. However, I went 2 times to check it out in the afternoon. Only 8 patrons at best...2 playing Internet, 4 watching TV and 2 standing there. No action of any kind that I could see. Too far to travel for nothing going on." -- Denny, May 15, 2007

"Lovely and new, Natural Sauna is spotlessly clean and everything works. We were made to feel most welcome as foreigners." -- bigozibear, Apr 9, 2007

Comments from Utopians:

"I went to the sauna that Brian D. recommended below in Yeongdeungpo. Not all the guys there are gay so you must be careful. When I was there, there was a fight between a straight guy and a gay who touched him while sleeping. I think it's a gay sauna and I saw many gay guys doing things, but I think many straights go there also. Just be careful. Nice place for sleeping and relaxing though, just like regular jjimjilbang." -- JiHoon, Feb 4, 2006

SINCHON

See map on their website, 334-8245. Gay jjimjilbang about 200m from Exit 8 of the Shinchon Station (Line 2). Young crowd in their 20s and 30s. Foreigners welcome.

Comments from Utopians:

"Princetel is a remarkable piece of heaven. It is clean, spacious and completely packed. I went on Tue and there were 40 guys there; from hot muscle stud to bears. Whatever you fancy you will probably find here. The staff are very friendly and the place is clean. Westerners are kind of an oddity so expect a mixed reception (some prefer westerners while others prefer Asians). Still, I had a blast and the action starts around 11pm, then again around 2am and then again around 5am. Take exit 8 subway then walk until you are almost turning left to go to Hongik University. Prince will be on your left with a sign. Take the stairs up to 3/F. Price is W$10,000, which is comparable to other saunas." -- joshnkorea, Sep 12, 2007

"You will NOT be disappointed...I went there two times on Fri and Sat. Must have been over 80 people. Lots of action! The best in Seoul. Neat and clean." -- snoopy9904, Jun 14, 2007