Korean Spa Prices and Tattoo Rules: Spa Land Busan, Cimer and Aquafield
Last updated: 8 October 2026. Prices, time limits and hours were read on each operator's own Korean page on 8 October 2026: Shinsegae Centum City's Spa Land page and Aquafield's site for Spa Land (스파랜드), Paradise City's Cimer (씨메르) price page and facility page, and Aquafield's (아쿠아필드) price page. The Spa Land tattoo wording is the operator's notice on its ticket listings at NOL (Interpark) and waug. Sources are listed at the end.
Korean spa prices look simple in English guides: ₩10,000 to ₩20,000, stay as long as you like, tattoos are fine. At the three big Korean spas foreign visitors actually ask about, none of that holds. Spa Land in Busan charges ₩26,000 and gives you four hours. Paradise City Cimer beside Incheon Airport charges ₩60,000 for six hours, and ₩70,000 from 1 December. Aquafield charges ₩26,000 for six hours. Go past the limit and the meter runs at ₩5,000 or ₩10,000 an hour. None of the three is open overnight.
The tattoo question is worse, because English pages give two opposite answers. One camp says Korean jjimjilbangs (찜질방) do not care about tattoos. The other says Spa Land turns away anyone with a visible tattoo. The rules the operators actually publish say neither. This guide quotes them in Korean, translates them, and puts every price, time limit and overtime fee in one table.
Amazon Essentials Men's Long-Sleeve Quick-Dry UPF 50 Swim Tee: the kind of rash guard Cimer suggests for covering tattoos, on AmazonAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Quick Guide: Korean Spa Prices, October 2026
| Question | Answer (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Spa Land (Busan) price | ₩26,000 adult, ₩21,000 student, the same every day |
| Spa Land time limit | 4 hours, then ₩5,000 an hour; 6 hours if you spend ₩10,000 inside |
| Cimer (Incheon) price | Aqua Spa ticket ₩60,000 adult now, ₩70,000 from 1 December; Jjimjil Spa ticket ₩40,000 |
| Cimer time limit | 6 hours (Aqua Spa) or 4 hours (Jjimjil Spa), then ₩10,000 an hour |
| Aquafield (Hanam, Goyang, Anseong) price | Jjimjil Spa ₩26,000, water park ₩48,000, Multi Pass ₩58,000 |
| Aquafield time limit | 6 hours (Multi Pass 9), then ₩5,000 an hour |
| Can I sleep there? | No. Spa Land closes at 22:00, Cimer at 21:00, Aquafield's jjimjil spa at 22:00 |
| Tattoos at Spa Land? | Only full-body, both-arm, both-leg or whole front-and-back tattoos are named, and entry "may be restricted" |
| Tattoos at Cimer? | In the pool zone, cover them, for example with a rash guard |
| Tattoos at Aquafield? | No tattoo clause in its published operating policy |
| Neighbourhood bathhouse instead | Seoul average ₩11,000 for a bath (July 2026) |
| Dragon Hill Spa, Seoul | Closed since the pandemic; still recommended by English guides |
The tattoo rules, in the operators' own words
This is the question that sends most foreign visitors to Google, so it comes first. Here is what each spa publishes, word for word.
| Spa | Korean original | English translation | Where it is published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spa Land, Busan | 전신 또는 양팔, 양다리, 앞면 및 뒷면 전체에 문신(타투)이 있는 고객께서는 입장이 제한될 수 있습니다. | "Customers with tattoos (타투) over the whole body, or over both arms, both legs, or the entire front and back, may be restricted from entering." | Operator notice on the Spa Land ticket listings at NOL (Interpark) and waug; not on Shinsegae's own page |
| Cimer, Paradise City | 신체에 문신이 있는 경우 문신이 노출되지 않도록 가린 후 이용해 주시기 바랍니다. (예시. 래시가드 착용 등) | "If you have tattoos, please cover them so they are not exposed before using the facilities (for example, by wearing a rash guard)." | Paradise City's official Cimer facility page, Aqua Spa Zone notes |
| Aquafield | No tattoo clause | The operating policy covers drinking, food, photos, swimwear and mixed bathing, but not tattoos | Aquafield official site, operating policy and price pages |
Read the Spa Land sentence closely, because both English answers get it wrong. It does not ban visible tattoos. A wrist piece, a shoulder piece or one sleeve is not on the list. What the notice names is coverage: the whole body, both arms, both legs, or the entire front and back. And it does not say "will be refused". It says 제한될 수 있습니다, "may be restricted", which leaves the call to the person at the counter. So the honest answer is: small and medium tattoos are not covered by Spa Land's rule, and large-coverage tattoos put you at the counter's discretion.
Cimer's rule is the opposite shape. It covers any tattoo, but it does not refuse you. It asks you to cover up in the Aqua Spa Zone, where everyone wears swimwear, and names the fix itself: a rash guard. Bring one and the question goes away. The clause sits in the pool-zone notes; the Jjimjil Spa Zone section of the page does not repeat it.
Aquafield publishes no tattoo rule at all. That is not the same as a promise. Korean spas share a culture in which large tattoos are still read by many older customers as a gang signal, and the Korea Herald reported in 2022 that saunas, sports centres and kids' cafés were among the least tattoo-friendly places in the country, with some hotel pools asking guests to cover tattoos with patches. Tattooing by non-doctors was legalised when the National Assembly passed the Tattooist Act (문신사법) on 25 September 2025; it was promulgated on 28 October 2025 and takes effect on 29 October 2027. That law decides who may hold the needle. It says nothing about who may walk into a spa.
Kanu Surf Women's Keri Long-Sleeve UPF 50+ Rashguard — the cover-up Cimer names Cimer's notice asks swimmers to cover tattoos and gives a rash guard as the example; a long-sleeve one covers arm and back pieces in the pool zone, where swimwear is required anyway. It packs flat, dries fast, and doubles as a swim shirt for Haeundae or Jeju beaches. The current price is on the listing. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
See the Kanu Surf long-sleeve rash guard on AmazonIn the single-sex bathing areas everyone is naked, so there is nothing to cover with. If your tattoos are large, pick a spa where most of the day is spent in swimwear (Cimer's pools, Aquafield's water park) and keep the nude bathing short.
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Every price, time limit and overtime fee in one table
| Spa Land (Busan) | Cimer (Incheon) | Aquafield (Hanam, Goyang, Anseong) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult ticket | ₩26,000, every day | Aqua Spa ₩60,000 off-peak / ₩70,000 peak; Jjimjil Spa ₩40,000 | Jjimjil Spa ₩26,000; water park ₩48,000; Multi Pass ₩58,000 |
| Child or student ticket | Student ₩21,000 (born 2008–2019) | Aqua Spa ₩50,000 / ₩60,000; Jjimjil Spa ₩30,000 (born 2014–2019) | ₩21,000 / ₩38,000 / ₩48,000 (36 months to primary school) |
| Time included | 4 hours (6 if you spend ₩10,000 inside) | Aqua Spa 6 hours; Jjimjil Spa 4 hours | 6 hours; Multi Pass 9 hours |
| Overtime | ₩5,000 an hour | ₩10,000 an hour | ₩5,000 an hour |
| Hours | 09:00–22:00, last entry 21:00 | Jjimjil Spa 10:00–21:00; pools 10:00–19:00 weekdays, 10:00–21:00 weekends; last entry 19:30 | Jjimjil Spa 10:00–22:00; indoor water park 10:00–19:00; rooftop pool 11:00–18:00 |
| Youngest allowed | Primary-school age (born 2019 or earlier), with a same-sex guardian | Born 2019 or earlier, with a guardian | Under 36 months free |
| Tattoo rule as written | Full body, both arms, both legs, whole front and back: entry "may be restricted" | Cover tattoos in the pool zone, e.g. rash guard | None published |
Two numbers surprise people. The overtime meter: a Korean spa day of bathing, sweating, eating and napping passes four hours faster than it sounds. And the closing time: the English idea of the jjimjilbang as a cheap bed comes from 24-hour neighbourhood places, and all three big spas close in the evening.
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Spa Land, Busan: ₩26,000 and a four-hour clock
Spa Land (스파랜드) is inside Shinsegae Centum City, the department store in Haeundae-gu, on the ground floor, with a second floor of lounges, a restaurant, a café, a game room and a nail shop. Shinsegae describes it as 18 hot-spring baths and 13 themed jjimjil rooms, fed by two kinds of natural hot-spring water pumped from about 1,000 metres underground, one rich in calcium chloride and one in sodium chloride. The rooms run from a Finnish sauna to a 불가마 (kiln) room and an ice room. Aquafield's own website now lists "Centum Spa Land" as one of its venues and adds an Ottogi Ramyeon Land (오뚜기 라면랜드) on the second floor, a corner for trying Ottogi's Korean instant noodles.
The price. Shinsegae's page lists ₩26,000 for adults and ₩21,000 for students, with no weekday or weekend difference. The Korea Tourism Organization's listing, last edited on 12 May 2026, still shows both ₩26,000 and an older ₩25,000 side by side, which is why English pages quote both. The ₩25,000 figure is out of date, and so are the lower weekday and weekend prices still found in older reviews. If you buy a discounted weekday ticket online and use it on a weekend or public holiday, Spa Land charges ₩6,000 extra at the door.
The clock. One admission buys four hours. After that it is ₩5,000 an hour. There is one exception worth planning around: if you spend ₩10,000 or more inside (not counting the ticket), the limit becomes six hours. That is a meal at the restaurant, or a snack and a drink. Spending ₩10,000 on food to earn two extra hours costs the same as paying two hours of overtime, and you get lunch.
The hours. Shinsegae's page says 09:00 to 22:00, last entry 21:00. Some ticket listings still carry an older 08:00 to 23:00, so trust the operator. Children can enter from primary-school age, and must be with a guardian of the same sex, because the bathing areas are single-sex. The spa's own number is 1668-2850.
Suitcases. Large luggage is not allowed in the locker room; suitcase lockers by the ticket counter cost ₩3,000 for five hours, then ₩1,000 an hour. That makes Spa Land a workable stop between a Haeundae hotel checkout and a late train.
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Cimer, Paradise City: ₩60,000 now, ₩70,000 from 1 December
Cimer (씨메르) is the spa at Paradise City, the resort complex on Yeongjong Island beside Incheon International Airport. It is the most expensive of the three and the most like a resort pool: an indoor pool hall, an outdoor pool, infinity pools, a cave spa, two indoor slides, and above them a Jjimjil Spa Zone with a hinoki room, an ice room, a kiln room at 80–85°C, a salt room and recliner lounges.
Two tickets, two clocks. The Aqua Spa ticket (아쿠아스파권, 통합권) covers everything, pools and jjimjil rooms, for six hours. The Jjimjil Spa ticket (찜질스파권) covers only the jjimjil floors for four hours. Both charge ₩10,000 for every extra hour, the steepest overtime of the three, and both include the jjimjil clothes.
The prices. The Jjimjil Spa ticket is ₩40,000 for adults and ₩30,000 for children all year. The Aqua Spa ticket changes with the season:
| Cimer Aqua Spa ticket | Adult | Child (born 2014–2019) | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-peak (평수기) | ₩60,000 | ₩50,000 | Now until 30 November |
| Peak (성수기) | ₩70,000 | ₩60,000 | Summer 1 July–31 August; winter 1 December–end of February |
That means the same ticket costs ₩10,000 more from 1 December, and this is not in the English results for Cimer prices. Paradise City adds that peak periods include summer peak and winter holidays and "may differ by year", so check the page again if you are booking for a holiday week.
The arithmetic that matters. Four hours on the Jjimjil Spa ticket is ₩40,000. Stay six hours on it and you pay ₩60,000, exactly the off-peak price of the Aqua Spa ticket, which would have given you the pools as well. If you think you will stay more than four hours, buy the Aqua Spa ticket at the door. In peak season the gap is ₩10,000, and the pools are still included.
Hours and extras. Jjimjil floors 10:00 to 21:00; pools 10:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, to 21:00 on weekends and holidays; last entry 19:30. Slides need a height of 1.3 metres. Sun beds are ₩30,000 to ₩150,000 and cabanas ₩300,000 to ₩400,000; a beach towel is ₩5,000, a robe ₩10,000. Paradise City warns of waits at the door on weekends and peak days when lockers run out, so a December weekend is the worst-value visit: peak price and a queue.
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Aquafield: ₩26,000 for six hours, three branches near Seoul
Aquafield (아쿠아필드) is Shinsegae's spa brand, with three Korean branches in Hanam, Goyang and Anseong, all inside Starfield malls. Hanam is the one most visitors reach, east of Seoul, with a rooftop infinity pool and what Aquafield calls eight themed jjimjil spas.
The prices are the same at all three branches: Jjimjil Spa ₩26,000 for adults and ₩21,000 for children, water park ₩48,000 / ₩38,000, and a Multi Pass for both at ₩58,000 / ₩48,000. Adult means middle-school age and up; child means 36 months to primary school; under 36 months is free with proof of age.
The clock is the most generous of the three: six hours for the jjimjil spa or the water park, nine hours for the Multi Pass, then ₩5,000 an hour. That makes Aquafield's ₩26,000 the cheapest hour of the three, about ₩4,300 an hour if you use the full six, against ₩6,500 an hour at Spa Land and ₩10,000 at Cimer.
Hours. The jjimjil spa runs 10:00 to 22:00. At Hanam the indoor water park is 10:00 to 19:00 and the rooftop pool 11:00 to 18:00, with the indoor slides from 11:00. Rentals: a towel, life jacket or children's jjimjil clothes cost ₩5,000 plus a ₩1,000 deposit; sun beds start at ₩25,000 and cabanas are ₩120,000.
Rules that catch visitors. No shared body towels in the showers, so bring your own wash cloth or scrub mitt. Drunk guests are refused. No photos in locker rooms or saunas. Swimsuit material only in the water park, and children aged four and over may not enter the opposite sex's changing rooms.
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When the neighbourhood jjimjilbang is the better choice
The three spas above are the polished end of Korean bathing. They are not always the right choice, and here is when they are not.
When you want to sleep there. None of the three is open overnight. If the point is a cheap bed between a late arrival and an early train, you need a 24-hour neighbourhood jjimjilbang, usually signed 24시 (24 hours) with 찜질방 or 사우나 on the board. Those places charge one fee for the night, usually with a checkout time the next morning or midday. They are rougher, louder and less private.
When the price is the point. Seoul's average admission to an ordinary public bath was ₩11,000 in July 2026, according to the personal-service price figures reported by the Korea Economic Daily on 27 September 2026. That is less than half of Spa Land or Aquafield and under a fifth of Cimer, and the hot water is the same temperature.
When you only have an hour. A ₩26,000 four-hour ticket is wasted on a one-hour soak; the local tang (탕, bathhouse) is built for that.
When it is December and you were planning on Cimer's old price. From 1 December the Aqua Spa ticket is ₩70,000. If you only want the hot rooms, the ₩40,000 Jjimjil Spa ticket does not change with the season.
When you are in Seoul and the guidebook says Dragon Hill. Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan, the seven-storey jjimjilbang that English guides have recommended for twenty years, shut during the pandemic and has not reopened. Korean press found it still closed with no notice in August 2024, and its map listings were deleted in 2025. Several English "best jjimjilbang in Seoul" pages still put it first. Do not cross the city for it.
When you want the scrub, not the spa. The ttae-miri (때밀이) body scrub is a separate paid service at the big spas and the small ones alike. The tool itself is the same green or red mitt everywhere, and you can do it yourself.
Korean Italy Towel exfoliating mitts (이태리타올), 20-pack — the scrub mitt every Korean bath uses Aquafield gives out no shared body towels, and the scrub mitt is the one thing Koreans bring from home to every bath, from a ₩11,000 tang to Cimer. Soak for fifteen minutes first, then scrub; the coarse green mitt is the standard one. The current price is on the listing. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
See the Korean Italy towel mitts on AmazonWhich spa, for which trip
| Your trip | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Busan, a rainy afternoon or a checkout day | Spa Land | Natural hot-spring water, suitcase lockers at ₩3,000, beside Centum City station; ₩26,000 for 4 hours |
| Long layover or last day before an Incheon flight | Cimer | Next to the airport, pools plus jjimjil; budget ₩60,000 (₩70,000 from 1 December) and watch the 6-hour clock |
| A full day out from Seoul with children | Aquafield Hanam | 6 hours for ₩26,000, water park and rooftop pool on separate tickets, a Starfield mall downstairs |
| Large tattoos | Cimer's pools in a rash guard, or Aquafield's water park | Swimwear zones let you cover up; Spa Land names large-coverage tattoos |
| A bed for the night | A 24-hour neighbourhood jjimjilbang | None of the three is open overnight |
| Cheapest hot bath | The local tang | Seoul average ₩11,000 |
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FAQ
Q: How much is Spa Land in Busan? A: ₩26,000 for adults and ₩21,000 for students (born 2008–2019), the same on weekdays and weekends, as of October 2026. One ticket gives four hours; after that it is ₩5,000 an hour, unless you spend ₩10,000 or more inside, which extends the limit to six hours. It is open 09:00 to 22:00, last entry 21:00.
Q: Can you go to Spa Land with tattoos? A: Spa Land's notice says customers with tattoos over the whole body, both arms, both legs, or the entire front and back "may be restricted" from entering. It does not mention smaller tattoos, and it does not say refusal is automatic. A single sleeve or a small piece is not on the list.
Q: How much is Paradise City Cimer? A: The Aqua Spa ticket, which covers the pools and the jjimjil floors for six hours, is ₩60,000 for adults off-peak and ₩70,000 in peak season, which includes 1 December to the end of February. The Jjimjil Spa ticket is ₩40,000 for four hours all year. Extra time is ₩10,000 an hour on both.
Q: Does Cimer allow tattoos? A: Yes, but Paradise City asks guests with tattoos to cover them so they are not exposed in the Aqua Spa Zone, and gives a rash guard as the example.
Q: How much is Aquafield, and is there a time limit? A: At Hanam, Goyang and Anseong the jjimjil spa is ₩26,000 for adults, the water park ₩48,000 and the Multi Pass ₩58,000. The jjimjil spa and water park give six hours, the Multi Pass nine; extra time is ₩5,000 an hour.
Q: Can I stay overnight at these spas? A: No. Spa Land closes at 22:00, Cimer's jjimjil floors at 21:00 and Aquafield's jjimjil spa at 22:00. For an overnight stay you need a 24-hour neighbourhood jjimjilbang.
Sources
- Shinsegae Department Store, Centum City, Spa Land page, shinsegae.com: 성인 26,000원, 학생 21,000원 (주중/주말/공휴일), 최대 4시간·초과 시 시간당 5,000원, 사용금액 1만원 이상 시 6시간, 09:00~22:00 (입장 마감 21:00), 캐리어보관함 5시간 3,000원, 18개의 온천탕과 13개의 테마 찜질. Read 8 October 2026.
- Aquafield, Centum Spa Land page, aquafield.co.kr/spaland.html: the same prices and limits, 주중이용권 주말·공휴일 사용 시 6,000원 추가, 오뚜기 라면랜드. Read 8 October 2026.
- Spa Land ticket listing with the operator's notice (문신 조항, 4시간·5,000원), NOL (Interpark), and the same wording on waug. Read 8 October 2026.
- Korea Tourism Organization data (TourAPI) for Spa Land, last edited 12 May 2026, showing both 26,000원 and 25,000원, via ktriptips.com.
- Paradise City, Cimer 가격 및 이용안내, p-city.com/front/cimer/operation: 아쿠아스파권 평수기 대인 60,000원·소인 50,000원, 성수기 70,000원·60,000원 (하절기 7월 1일
8월 31일, 동절기 12월 1일2월 29일), 찜질스파권 40,000원·30,000원, 6시간·4시간, 추가 시간당 10,000원, 운영시간, 선베드·카바나 요금. Read 8 October 2026. - Paradise City, Cimer 시설안내, p-city.com/front/cimer/facility: Aqua Spa Zone notes including 「신체에 문신이 있는 경우 문신이 노출되지 않도록 가린 후 이용해 주시기 바랍니다. (예시. 래시가드 착용 등)」; Jjimjil Spa Zone rooms and temperatures. Read 8 October 2026.
- Aquafield 이용안내 and 운영정책, aquafield.co.kr/usage.html and aquafield.co.kr/policy.html: 찜질스파 26,000원·21,000원, 워터파크 48,000원·38,000원, 멀티패스 58,000원·48,000원, 최대 6시간 (멀티패스 9시간), 초과 시간당 5,000원, branch hours and rentals; operating policy. Read 8 October 2026.
- Korea Economic Daily (한국경제), 27 September 2026, 「정장 1벌 1만7천원…세탁료 2년 새 23% 껑충」: Seoul's average public-bath admission ₩11,000 in July 2026.
- Cast Pick via Daum, 17 August 2024, 「코로나로 문닫았던 찜질방 3대장, 지금은 어떤가 봤더니」: Dragon Hill Spa still closed since the pandemic, no notice. Map-listing deletion as recorded in our bathhouse guide.
- The Korea Herald, 25 October 2022, "Sports facilities, saunas, kids cafes among least tattoo-friendly places in S. Korea".
- Korea JoongAng Daily, 26 September 2025, "National Assembly passes historic 'Tattooist Act'": passed 25 September 2025, in force two years after promulgation. Promulgation as Act No. 21070 on 28 October 2025 and the 29 October 2027 start date: tsisalaw.com.
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