Koffee & Kpop

I recently moved into a new apartment after a year without a bathroom sink, so let’s talk about Korean apartment bathrooms!

Most Korean bathrooms do not have bathtubs. Many are wet bathrooms, which means they do not have a separate shower area. One big disadvantage of a wet bathroom is that it is prone to mold. One advantage is that it is really easy to clean.

My first four Korean bathrooms (all in officetels) all had separate shower areas, usually with a glass door. It wasn’t closed, however, so the water still drained onto the bathroom floor. I quite liked this set-up as it allowed things in the bathroom to stay dry but still had the convenience of a central drain.

My last apartment was in a Korean villa, so the bathroom was set up differently. For starters, there was no bathroom sink. It did, however, have a washing machine in the bathroom (not under the kitchen counter like in most officetels). There was no separate shower area, so whenever I showered, everything in the room got wet, including the washing machine. Because of this, the washing machine had pink mold in some of the crevices.

A lot of people tend to think that with a wet bathroom, literally everything gets wet. This is not the case. Your toilet paper is kept on the wall and has a cover to protect it (mine have been metal), and your towel rod is usually far enough away to stay dry as well. Your toilet, however, will get wet. Any outlets on the walls usually have a cover to keep them dry.

I really hated this bathroom. The ten-year-old pink mold covered washing machine was gross and didn’t clean well, and the lack of bathroom sink was especially annoying. I had to brush my teeth in the kitchen sink, which was hard to access because of the outlets being on the side of the wall by the sink. I needed to have a shelf there for my microwave, oven, and kettle, so I had to lean at an angle to brush my teeth or do dishes. The window, that I had to keep open, had a pretty large spider infestation at one point.

One thing I didn’t have to worry about, however, was being accidentally sprayed in the face when I went to wash my hands in the sink (because I didn’t have one). Many Korean wet bathrooms have the shower head and sink connected with a knob to switch between them. Many people end up accidentally spraying themselves when they forget to switch the shower head back to the sink.

This is the current set-up of my new bathroom. I always turn the switch after I shower so I don’t accidentally end up having an unexpected shower. The toilet still gets very wet. There’s a bathroom sink, which I missed. The bathroom itself is very clean and was well-kept. A lot of the original hardware is still intact, like the cup and soap tray.

One odd thing, however, is what I initially mistook for a shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispenser. I’ve only ever seen them in hotel bathrooms, where they attach large bottles to the dispenser. I love this because it cuts down on individual use plastic. The contraption in my new bathroom had three separate sections, so I assumed it was a dispenser. Upon closer inspection, the round tubes detached from the base and they’re actually cups. There is also space to hang toothbrushes and a tray that comes out (but is too high for me to see inside to gauge what might be put there).

As much as I would love to have a bathtub, and request one every time I am in a hotel, I like having a wet bathroom. It’s very easy to clean. Mold is still likely to occur, even with a window or exhaust fan, but I still enjoy the convenience.