Few places in Houston ask as much of you as a Korean spa. At Katy’s Spa World and Gangnam Spa in west Houston, you take off your shoes at the door, and soon after, everything else. Aside from the doctor’s office, I can’t think of another spot that expects you to shed it all and stand around in your birthday suit. And—not to be creepy—I think we’re all the better for it.

It’s one of the few times I get to see the full range of shapes humans come in. There’s no pretense and almost nowhere to hide, at least not without looking ridiculous. So, you may as well embrace what you’ve got and pretend everyone around you is naked. Oh, wait—they already are.

It’s also a chance to get honest about the parts of us that Hollywood, plastic surgeons, and social media filters work so hard to erase. Scroll long enough, and you’d think everyone is hairless and perfectly manicured. So many people have been pinched, prodded, and contorted into a vision humans rarely achieve naturally.

Walk into a Korean spa in Houston, where swimsuits and undergarments are prohibited in bathing areas, and you meet the rest of us—skinny, fat, short, tall, perky, droopy, with wrinkles, dimples, stretch marks, cellulite, dangling skin, rolls, and muscles, too. And there’s nothing sexualized or shameful about it.

The Korean spa is a place to let your guard down, unwind, and, if you dare, be a little pampered. Everyone is here for the same reason: to scrub up and get clean.

If you didn’t grow up going to a Korean spa, the first visit can feel strange, and you won’t quite know where to look. I remember trying to shield myself with a towel, only to drop it into the pool by accident (so much for my cover!).

I quickly learned that embracing the nudity aspect is much easier than pretending you’re not naked. Once the novelty wore off, I found myself soaking in the hot tub, chatting with other women in the buff, still doing my best not to look down. By the end, I was strolling back to the locker room with my head high, my shyness softened just like my skin. And that doesn’t even count everything else Korean spas have to offer.

These days, I treat Spa World like a relaxing amusement park for grown-ups, one where I rotate between tubs, heated rooms, napping pods, and snacks while melting the week’s stress away.

So, maybe skip the bars this weekend. At the Korean spa, there’s booze, too. The dress code is easy. There’s nothing to prove, and everyone leaves glowing.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO HOUSTON’S KOREAN SPAS

1. Take off your shoes and grab your uniform.

Check in to receive a locker key so you can store your shoes. You’ll also get a uniform in your preferred size to wear in the common co-ed areas. Please note that larger bags are no longer allowed in certain spaces.

2. Strip down to only the essentials.

It’s time to get naked. Once you enter your gender-designated locker room, disrobe and place all your belongings in your locker. Grab a towel and head to the showers. Note: phones are banned in the locker and bath areas.

3. Shower.

You must bathe and wash off any oils before entering the pool. This ensures the baths stay clean.

4. Now, choose your adventure:

– Soak. Each spa has soaking pools of different temperatures, including one for cold plunging. You can also visit the on-site steam rooms or saunas. Spa World’s baths are my favorite because they have an area with jets.

– Scrub. If you plan to get squeaky clean on your own, soak first to soften your skin, then grab your favorite exfoliating mitts or towels and get to work. Stools and buckets let you use the lower faucets more comfortably. If you’d like a professional to help, book a Korean scrub with one of the spa’s attendants, ideally in advance. Then watch as days of dirt and dead skin are wiped away.

– Get a treatment. While scrubs are all the rage, Houston’s Korean spas also offer next-level massages and facials. Spa services are for those 18 and older and are typically not offered during pregnancy.

– Explore. Put on your uniform and head to the common, co-ed lounge areas, where you’ll find heated rooms at various temperatures with different health benefits, places to watch movies, or red-light therapy stations. At Gangnam Spa, the popular O2 room offers oxygen-rich air. At Spa World, the “cocoa puffs” or ocher ball room is often crowded, with people sinking into warm clay beads that gently massage and envelop the body.

– Eat. Most Korean spas have an on-site restaurant, and sometimes a bar and a cafe. Spa World has all of the above. There’s a place to grab coffee or an ice cream cone, and a sit-down spot for bulgogi, ramen, or fried shrimp. Gangnam Spa also has an impressive kitchen serving hot soups and bento boxes, plus all sorts of drinks and Champagne for special celebrations.

– Drop the kids off. While Gangnam Spa is adults-only, Spa World lets children ages 11 to 17 join a parent or guardian. Younger kids can’t enter the spa, but children 10 and under can play at Kid’s World, an indoor playground that costs extra (socks required).

– Nap. Both locations have floor-level napping pods, which give you privacy to read or doze off at your leisure.

5. Bring the essentials.

– A credit card is typically the easiest way to pay. Both spas use a bracelet-based credit system, which you settle at the end of your visit.

– Photo ID

– Your own soap and skin products if you have sensitive skin

– A water bottle and something comfortable to wear on the way home

Pro tips:

– Look for day-pass deals on Groupon or online.

– Hydrate. Take your time and listen to your body.

Gangnam Spa Healing Paradise, open 9am–10pm Sunday through Friday, and until 11pm on Saturdays, 4055 Hwy 6 N. $48–$58; Spa World Houston, open 9am–10pm daily, 929 Westgreen Blvd, Katy. $45–$55.