Friendship is a beautiful thing. Friends offer you comfort, support, share laughs, and and bring you joy. They also sometimes drag you places you never thought you would go or to do things you never imagined. There are times that these adventures open our eyes to whole new experiences that enhance our lives. I will also confess there have been times I say one and done to such adventures, but not so with my trip to the Korean Spa.

I knew what spas were, women and men walking around in robes as they were pampered in one way or another. I confess I had never experienced more than a massage myself. I walked down to the room then crawled in just my panties under the sheets to be enjoyably rubbed down and relaxed. Even that level of nudity made me somewhat uncomfortable, because lets face it, we all have some reservations about certain parts of our body. I certainly don’t fit the Barbie body model.

This is where friendship took me to a place I had never been before, a whole new level of spa, the Korean Spa. My friend Carrie convinced me that this was something not to be missed and I confess I am always up for a challenge. Even if the idea is terrifying. So I embarked on a trip to the Korean Spa or as my friend sometimes calls it, naked lady bonding time, lol.

The closest you have likely come if you have never had the experience yourself is the gym locker room and sauna. There are usually one or two women that strut their stuff in the buff. These are not always the young, or the fittest, but they are confident and not afraid to be exposed in front of strangers while the rest of us hover in a corner trying to show as little as possible. Well at the Korean Spa you have no choice but to let it all hang out, which is a hurdle only friendship got me over.

The ladies locker room at a Korean Spa has wonderful amenities. Hot and cold pools, wet and dry saunas, and lines of showers for you to scrub down in. Oh, and everywhere you look naked women. You aren’t allowed to wear bathing suits, there are no robes in the area or even many towels until you are done and really ready to dry off. I think this is in part just practical or the spa would go through more laundry then is reasonable. There is also a cultural element. This is just how the Korean people were adjusted to women coming together to bathe. Very not the norm for Americans.

At first I was very uncomfortable being so exposed, not only in front of strangers, but my friend as well. Then the longer I was there the more I realized there was nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. When everyone is naked no one is looking. There were women of ever shape and size unabashedly walking around, enjoying the spa, and completely comfortable. It was an eye opening experience and truly beautiful. I felt more confident and comfortable as I stayed and sweat in the steam rooms. I lost my reservations and self-consciousness as I went into the pools of water. I left that spa loving my body more than I ever had before and appreciating my friend more for bringing me this new adventure.

Since then I have introduced other friends to the Korean Spa experience and repeated my trips regularly. I always leave feeling comfortable, confident, and relaxed after. I thank my friend for taking me somewhere I would not have been brave enough to go alone. It was amazing to be exposed literally around other women and not judged. I am thankful to and for my friends and also the other women there that form a sisterhood. I wish that feeling of freedom continued throughout all of my experiences with my clothes on.

Check out this video about the power of friendship-