The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ruled that the practice of bathhouses charging female customers an additional “towel fee” constitutes gender discrimination. On September 2, the commission recommended administrative guidance to the head of the relevant local government.

At Bathhouse A, male customers are provided with two towels free of charge, while women are required to pay 1,000 won per towel in addition to the entrance fee. One customer filed a complaint with the NHRC, calling it “gender discrimination that imposes additional costs on women without any reasonable justification.”

In response, Bathhouse A explained to the commission that “the return rate for towels in the women’s bath is significantly lower, generating reordering costs, so we had no choice but to charge female customers 500 won per towel.” Other bathhouses in the same region reportedly operate in a similar manner. The local government overseeing the bathhouse said, “The Public Health Control Act does not include provisions regarding pricing, so there is no legal basis to impose sanctions.”

The NHRC concluded that the practice clearly constitutes gender discrimination. The commission pointed out that “loss or contamination of towels is due to individual users’ behavior,” and “applying unfavorable conditions to an entire gender without statistical or empirical evidence is based on gender stereotypes.” It added, “The state has a responsibility not only to prevent discrimination by public authorities but also to address discrimination occurring in the private sector. Local governments should not allow discriminatory fees simply because there is no legal basis.”

This is not the first time that the towel fee discrimination in women’s baths has drawn attention. In 2000, a public bathhouse in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, refused to provide towels to female customers who paid the same fee as men, prompting a correction request to the Presidential Commission on Women’s Affairs. The bathhouse owner argued that “women take too many towels, making it impossible to maintain supplies.”

The Women’s Commission conducted an investigation. They stocked 4,100 towels each in the men’s and women’s baths and compared losses over a two-week period. While eight towels were lost in the men’s bath, more than six times as many, 51, were lost in the women’s bath. Although the commission acknowledged the difference in loss rates, it ruled that charging only women for towels constitutes gender discrimination. The commission said, “Since towels are also lost in the men’s bath, the vague notion of higher or lower return rates cannot justify differential treatment. The behavior of a few female users should not lead to treating all women as potential thieves.”