Welcome to The Moth. I'm Chloe Salmon, and on this episode, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we'll be sharing three stories from AAPI storytellers.

We'll take us everywhere from a Korean spa to a crisis hotline.

First up, we've got Helen Langley Wiss, who told this story at a story slam in Asheville, North Carolina, where the theme of the night was home.

Here's Helen, live at the moth.

I should have known something was up when my mom opted out.

I was on my first adult trip to Korea,. I was on my first adult trip to Korea, my mother's homeland,

and a friend had suggested that I had to go experience Jim Jilbang.

I said, what is Jim Jilbong?

It is a Korean spa. I said, that sounds awesome. And my mom said, what is Jim Jilbong? It is a Korean spa.

I said, that sounds awesome.

And my mom said, count me out.

All right.

Well, I get to Jim Jilbong, and the first thing they do is separate the men from the women.

There's a big sign over the women's door

that says no entry to the mail.

I should have known something was up then.

The second thing they do at Jim Jilbong

is remove all clothing.

All clothing.

This was unlike any spa I had ever been to. No robe, no slippers, nothing. Well,

they did give me a towel. It was the size of a kitchen hand towel. And I sort of did some

quick calculations and figured out that I was not going to be able to cover anything with it.

...