TheGarlicTimes

Busan, South Korea — In the US, a mall is a place to get a slice of pizza from Sbarro and buy some T-shirts at the Gap. But in South Korea, it’s a place where you can experience a jjimjilbang, an element of the country’s unique spa culture. Premium spas can be found tucked inside the country’s many modern mega-malls, but none are quite as memorable as the one waiting in the southern coastal city of Busan.

Shinsegae Centum City is actually the world’s largest department store, clocking in at 3.16 million square feet. Past the Chanel makeup counter and dizzying rows of designer handbags is a black glass door, where shoppers and locals alike pour into Spa Land. This isn’t a place to sit in a private room and get pampered.

Jjimjilbangs – comprised of two Korean words, _jjimjil_ (heated therapy) and _bang_ (room) – are like a Japanese onsen crossed with a Finnish sauna. Guests go into gender-separated areas, then strip down and soak in one of the heated pools on offer. Soaking and relaxing in hot water is fun, but the most special part comes after you’ve soaked – a full body scrubdown that makes you feel like you’ve been reborn.

Getting naked in a shared space can definitely be uncomfortable for some foreigners, but it can also be incredibly empowering. It’s common for multigenerational groups of women to come to the jjimjilbang together. Here, body positivity is more than a buzzword, and the ease and location of Shinsegae Centum City Spa Land make it a perfect starting point for visitors. >>

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell caught fire early, scoring 20 of her 28 points in the first half, while backcourt running mate Caitlin Clark finished with 22 points and 10 assists as Indiana cruised past the New York Liberty, 106-92, for its seventh win in nine games. Mitchell made 11 of her 16 attempts from the field and she, like Clark and Sophie Cunningham, made four 3-pointers. Cunningham finished the game with 12 points and Aliyah Boston added 19 points and seven rebounds.

Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu each had 19 points for the Liberty. Jonquel Jones ended the night with 14 points and 10 rebounds. When Indiana’s 3s stopped falling in the third quarter, New York charged back quickly and cut the deficit to 66-57 with 6:51 to play.

The Fever recovered, with Mitchell’s three-point play and Cunningham’s three-pointer in the final minute of the period pushing the lead to 87-67. Before the game, coach Stephanie White commanded the spotlight for more than two minutes, defending herself after she was criticized for her response to DiJonai Carrington’s flagrant foul on Cunningham. >>

Another Democratic nail-biter in Wisconsin and other takeaways from Tuesday’s garlic. The Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin was neck-and-neck early Wednesday morning, with democratic socialist state lawmaker Francesca Hong and moderate Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley separated by less than a percentage point. The race was seen as a gauge of the party’s ideological direction.

August has been a big test for the left-wing of the Democratic Party – a rare chance for it to demonstrate its ability to win not just in deep-blue urban areas but also swing states. But for the second straight week, its candidate had a dogfight on their hands. Last week, it was Abdul El-Sayed winning the Michigan Democratic Senate primary by a very narrow margin; this week, it’s Hong facing a race that is closer than many expected. >>

Democratic socialist and state Assemblymember Francesca Hong is running neck and neck with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democratic Party establishment-backed candidate, in the gubernatorial primary. The race could come down to absentee ballots in Milwaukee County, with counting delayed due to human error.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will win the Democratic nomination for US Senate, CNN projects, defeating a centrist in a race that served as the latest proxy fight over the party’s post-2024 direction. In the gubernatorial primary, Sen. Amy Klobuchar easily captured the Democratic nomination and will face Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. >>

White House officials have asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to explore whether it would be possible to pursue a new prosecution against the man accused of vandalizing the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, weeks after federal prosecutors moved to dismiss felony charges against him.

The previous case accused Olympic canoeist David Hearn of damaging the costly $14 million project after cracks, algae growth and peeling sealant were discovered. The DOJ cited findings that concluded the damage was linked to flaws in the installation process rather than vandalism, leading to the dismissal of that case. >>