Charging women extra for towels at bathhouses is discrimination, rights body rules

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has ruled that the common bathhouse practice of charging only female customers for towels violates the right to equality.

According to the commission, a complainant identified as A discovered in September last year that a bathhouse in North Gyeongsang Province was providing amenities differently to male and female customers.

Male customers could use towels and soap free of charge, while female customers were required to pay 500 won per towel and 700 won for a disposable bar of soap.

A filed a complaint with the commission, arguing that imposing additional costs on customers based on their sex at the same facility was unjust.

The bathhouse owner pushed back, saying the charges were an unavoidable measure to offset business losses from the frequent disappearance of towels provided to female customers.

The owner also said that public bathhouses have no legal obligation under the Public Health Control Act to provide amenities free of charge, and that similar practices are common at other bathhouses nationwide.

An investigation by the commission's discrimination remedy committee found that 22 of the 27 bathhouses in the jurisdiction were in fact charging only female customers an average of 500 won per towel.

The commission nonetheless found the practice unjustifiable.

"Even if the return rate for towels and soap in the women's section is relatively low, that is a problem caused by a small number of users," the commission said. "Imposing additional costs on all female customers is a measure based on gender stereotypes and overgeneralization."

The commission also said the owner could consider alternative measures to prevent business losses, such as requiring a deposit when lending towels or installing fixed communal soap dispensers inside the facility.

Charging female customers a blanket additional fee regardless of individual behavior constitutes discrimination that violates the right to equality, the commission concluded.

The commission recommended that the bathhouse owner correct its operating practices, and urged the local mayor to strengthen administrative guidance for bathhouses in the area to prevent similar cases from recurring.