Why did the National Human Rights Commission of Korea say the bathhouse practice was discriminatory?

The commission said charging all women extra because towels were lost more often in the women’s section treated individual behavior as a gender issue. It concluded that the policy relied on gender stereotypes and generalizations rather than an objective basis.

What did the bathhouse say in response to the complaint about towel and soap fees?

The bathhouse argued that the women’s section had a lower towel recovery rate and that higher replacement costs led it to charge nonmember women 500 won per towel. It also said other bathhouses in Gumi used the same practice.

What corrective action did the NHRCK order for the bathhouse and local government?

It ordered the bathhouse to take corrective measures and recommended that the head of the local government give administrative guidance. The commission also said the government should supervise such facilities so customers receive equal conditions of use.

Corrective measures ordered for bathhouse charging women extra fees

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Summary

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled that a bathhouse discriminated against women by charging them extra for towels and soap while giving those items free to men. It ordered corrective measures and recommended administrative guidance from the local government. The commission said the practice was based on gender stereotypes and that public bathhouses must provide equal, nondiscriminatory conditions of use.

Key Facts

A female customer filed the complaint in September last year after being charged extra for towels and soap.
The bathhouse said towels were frequently lost in the women’s section and that it charged nonmember female customers an additional fee.
The NHRCK said the bathhouse did not consider alternatives such as deposits for towel returns or fixed soap dispensers.
The commission said local governments have a responsibility to supervise public bathhouses because of their public service character.

By Hankookilbo

Published Aug 13, 2026 2:51 pm KST

Rights commission rules bathhouse practice 'discriminatory'

Entrance of a bathhouse in Incheon / Korea Times file

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has ruled that the common practice of charging women separately for towels and soap at public bathhouses while providing them free of charge to men constitutes gender discrimination.

NHRCK’s Discrimination Remedy Committee determined that a bathhouse that was providing towels and soap free of charge to men while imposing an additional fee on women amounted to discrimination. It ordered the bathhouse to take corrective measures and recommended that the head of the local government provide administrative guidance, the commission said Thursday.

The case began in September last year, when a female bathhouse customer filed a complaint with the NHRCK, arguing that it was unfair for only women to be charged for towels and soap. The bathhouse said towels were frequently lost in the women’s section and that it had therefore begun charging nonmember female customers an additional fee. It also claimed that other bathhouses operated in the same manner.

The NHRCK, however, said that even if the recovery rate for towels in the women’s section was relatively low, the problem was attributable to individual users. Making all women customers bear an additional cost based on the behavior of some users amounted to a measure based on gender stereotypes and generalizations, it concluded.

The commission also said that imposing different terms of use based on gender constituted discrimination beyond an individual’s responsibility, particularly because the bathhouse had not considered alternatives such as strengthening towel return procedures through deposits or placing soap in fixed, attached dispensers.

The NHRCK further noted that public bathhouses have a public service character and said local governments have a responsibility to supervise and manage such facilities to ensure that customers are provided with equal, nondiscriminatory conditions of use.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

Rights commission rules bathhouse practice 'discriminatory'

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