Hot springs

Korea’s hot springs (oncheon) are mostly big indoor bathhouses, not open-air pools in the hills, and the easiest to reach is in Busan: Heosimcheong in Dongnae costs ₩15,000 on weekdays and is 5 minutes from a subway station. From Seoul, Onyang Oncheon is 1 h 30 min by train. Yuseong in Daejeon has a free outdoor footbath, open 07:00–22:00 every day.

Before you go, know the two rules that decide whether a visit works for you: the baths are single-sex and used naked, and some spas turn away guests with tattoos. Prices and hours below come from the operators’ and local governments’ Korean pages, checked on 26 October 2026.

Which hot spring fits your trip

Your situation	Do this
In Busan, any season	Heosimcheong for the classic spa, or Spa Land at Centum City for a modern one
Based in Seoul, half a day free	Train to Onyang Oncheon in Asan; bathe, then see Oeam Folk Village nearby
Travelling with children under school age	A water-park spa with swimsuit pools, such as Termeden or Seorak Waterpia
You have visible tattoos	Skip Heosimcheong; ask other spas before you go, or use a free footbath
On a KTX between Seoul and Busan	Stop at Daejeon for the free Yuseong footbath, 600 m from the subway
Hiking Seoraksan	Soak afterwards at Seorak Waterpia, on the road to the park entrance

The short answer for most visitors: if Busan is on your route, give one evening to a Busan spa. Elsewhere, a footbath or a city jjimjilbang gives you the experience without a special trip.

Prices and hours at a glance

Hot spring	Type	Adult price	Hours	Getting there
Heosimcheong, Busan	Indoor spa	₩15,000 weekdays, ₩18,000 weekends/holidays	05:30–22:00, every day	Oncheonjang (Line 1) Exit 1, 5 min
Spa Land, Busan	Indoor spa	₩26,000 (4 hours)	09:00–22:00, last entry 21:00	Inside Shinsegae, linked to Centum City (Line 2)
Termeden, Icheon	Spa and pools	₩49,000 all day; ₩18,000 baths only	Opens 09:00; closing time changes by month	Bus from Icheon Station or terminal
Seorak Waterpia, Sokcho	Spa and pools	₩57,000 day; ₩42,000 Night Spa	10:00–17:00; 18:00–20:30	Seorak-dong, on the road to Seoraksan
Yuseong footbath, Daejeon	Outdoor footbath	Free	07:00–22:00, every day	Yuseong Oncheon Station Exit 7 or 8, 600 m

From Hotel Nongshim, Shinsegae, Termeden, Hanwha Resort and Yuseong-gu pages, checked 26 October 2026. Seorak Waterpia’s prices are its low-season rates (12 October–10 December 2026), and buying online takes 38% off. For a plain soak, the Busan spas and Termeden’s baths-only ticket are the best value; the water-park tickets are for a full day out.

Busan: the easiest hot springs

Heosimcheong and Dongnae Oncheon

Dongnae, in the north of Busan, has been a spa town for centuries, and its biggest bathhouse is Heosimcheong, run by Hotel Nongshim. It is open every day from 05:30 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30), and the sauna floor from 06:30 to 21:00.

• Price: ₩15,000 on weekdays and ₩18,000 at weekends and on holidays; elementary-school children ₩11,000/₩12,000; under-school-age children ₩7,000. You pay when you leave, at the 4th-floor desk; a robe for the sauna floor is ₩4,000 extra.
• Time: 4 hours for the baths, 6 hours with the sauna floor, then ₩2,000 per extra hour.
• Rules: tattooed guests and people with skin conditions are not admitted.
• Getting there: Oncheonjang Station on Line 1, Exit 1, then about 5 minutes on foot.

Outside, Dongnae-gu runs a free outdoor footbath in the same quarter, with room for about 40 people.

Spa Land Centum City

Spa Land sits on the 1st floor of Shinsegae Centum City, the department store linked directly to Centum City Station on Line 2, a few stops from Haeundae Beach. It has 18 baths using two natural spring waters pumped from 1,000 m underground, plus a floor of themed sauna rooms.

Entry is ₩26,000 for adults and ₩21,000 for students, for 4 hours; each extra hour is ₩5,000. Children are admitted from elementary-school age and must come with a parent of the same sex. Hours are 09:00–22:00, with last entry at 21:00. Large suitcases do not fit the lockers; there is paid luggage storage.

Day trips from Seoul

Onyang Oncheon in Asan claims about 2,000 years of recorded history, the longest of any Korean spring. King Sejong came to treat his eyes, and later Joseon kings built a palace here to rest. The water is about 58 °C. Regular trains from Yongsan take about 1 h 30 min to Onyangoncheon Station, and the bathhouses are around it; the Onyang Tourist Hotel’s bath, for example, opens 06:00–22:00. The market street near the station has a free footbath. Combine it with Oeam Folk Village, about 30 minutes away by bus.

Termeden in Icheon, in Gyeonggi, is a spa resort with indoor and outdoor hot-spring pools. From 1 September to 30 November 2026 an all-day pool and spa ticket costs ₩49,000 for adults and ₩40,000 for children, and the baths alone ₩18,000. It closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for cleaning until 28 October and opens every day in November. Buses 8203, 26-01 and 26-10 run from Icheon Station or Icheon bus terminal. Swimsuits are required in the pools and are sold on site, not rented, so bring your own.

Chungcheong spa towns

Central Korea has the most hot-spring towns. These suit a stop on a rail trip or a night in a spa hotel.

• Yuseong, Daejeon. Free outdoor footbaths with 41–43 °C water, open 07:00–22:00 all year, for about 170 people at once. Walk about 600 m from Exit 7 or 8 of Yuseong Oncheon Station. Daejeon is on the KTX line, so it fits a Seoul–Busan journey.
• Suanbo, Chungju. A small mountain spa town with 53 °C water and a 360 m footbath path along the stream.
• Deoksan, Yesan. Splash Resom (formerly Resom Spa Castle) combines a hot-spring spa, water park and sauna. It is easiest with a car or an overnight stay.

East coast and Jeju

Seorak Waterpia in Sokcho is a resort spa and water park near Sokcho’s older Cheoksan hot springs, on the road to Seoraksan. In low season (12 October–10 December 2026) the indoor spa, outdoor square pool and Spa Valley stay open; a day ticket is ₩57,000 and the evening Night Spa ₩42,000. It is a natural end to a day on the trails.

Deokgu Oncheon in Uljin, on the Gyeongsang coast, is unusual in Korea: according to Uljin County its 42.4 °C water rises naturally and is used without heating, cooling or filtering. It is remote, best combined with an east-coast road trip.

On Jeju, Sanbangsan Carbonated Hot Spring near Sanbangsan in the southwest has bubbly carbonated water. The indoor baths open 06:00–23:00 and the outdoor baths and pool 10:00–22:00.

How to use a Korean bathhouse

The routine is the same at a hot spring, a neighbourhood mogyoktang and a jjimjilbang:

1. Shoes off at the entrance; put them in a small locker and keep the key.
2. Pay or take a key at the desk. Some spas, such as Heosimcheong, charge on the way out.
3. Undress fully in the single-sex changing room. Swimsuits are not worn in the baths.
4. Wash thoroughly at a shower seat before you get into any pool, and tie long hair up.
5. Soak, then rinse again. Keep the small towel out of the water.
6. Put on the spa clothes (a robe or a T-shirt-and-shorts set) for mixed areas such as sauna rooms and lounges. Some spas charge extra for them: ₩4,000 at Heosimcheong, ₩5,000 at Termeden.

Bathhouses are no-smoking buildings, vapes included; see etiquette. Soap is usually provided, but bring your own shampoo if you are particular.

Jjimjilbang in the cities

In Seoul and other big cities, the everyday version is the jjimjilbang, a sauna and bathhouse complex. It adds hot and cold sauna rooms, a shared lounge, snacks and sometimes overnight sleeping areas. They are the easiest way to try Korean bathing if you are not going to Busan or a spa town.

Tips for hot springs in Korea

• Check tattoo rules first. Heosimcheong bans tattoos; for other spas, look at the official page or ask at the desk.
• Check children’s rules. Spa Land admits only elementary-school children and older; water-park spas take younger children.
• Go on a weekday. Heosimcheong charges ₩3,000 more at weekends and on holidays.
• Watch the time limit. Busan’s city spas charge for every hour beyond the 4 hours included.
• Take short soaks and drink water, especially straight after a long flight or a hike.
• Dress for the cold. Hot springs are most popular in winter, when Korea is cold and dry; see weather by month.

Where to next

For Busan hotels, food and transport, see the Busan city guide. After a soak in Sokcho, plan the hike with national parks and hiking. Pair a winter trip with islands or beaches on the coast.