By Audrey D. Brashich
Coffeehouses, the office water cooler, gyms, and chatrooms are some of the more common places people meet to catch up with friends, get informed, and relax. For centuries, however, the Japanese did all this in a bath.
HISTORY
Japanese public baths and bathing rituals date back over 700 years. With more than 20,000 thermal hot springs dotting the country and four seasons of high humidity, Japan has always used its natural steaming waters for both hygiene and wellness. In fact, the first commercial bathhouse can be traced to 1590 in Osaka. Before the introduction of in-home plumbing, there were nearly 20,000 public baths in Japan. During the Shogun and Samurai era (1185-1867 A.C.E.), warriors built baths so their wounded soldiers could recover between battles by healing themselves in mineral-infused waters. Some baths, such as the Dogo Onsen in Ryokan, Japan, have been catering to nobility since the sixth century and even have a special section reserved for the imperial family.
The baths, however, have never been limited to the elite. Sento, also known as penny baths, have always been open to the public. Historically people of Japanese descent visit them several times a year – especially around important events such as the New Year, the arrival of spring, and the harvest. Baths were also taken by families after attending funerals and by sailors to help ward off evil spirits during future voyages. In fact, until the 1970s, when many homes and apartments began to include private baths, these public facilities were the principal places to cleanse oneself.
But in Japan, public baths have always been about more than just hygiene – they’re havens for soaking away stress, meditating, and creating community. The two major Japanese religions, Buddhism and Shintoism, both believe that the act of bathing actually washes away evil in addition to any tangible dirt. Since the eighth century, the baths have been praised for such health benefits as increasing blood circulation (which delivers oxygen to internal organs more efficiently), enhancing metabolism, and protecting against rheumatism and diabetes. Of course, before telephones and email, bathhouses also served as a primary meeting place for socializing, gathering news, and exchanging gossip. Co-ed bathing areas enabled entire families to spend the evening together at the end of the day. However, by the mid-nineteenth century, increased contact with Western values and traditions caused mixed bathing to fall out of favor, making single-sex bathing areas increasingly common.
Today, the number of public baths in Japan has dwindled to around 2,000. Yet many Japanese have found a way to incorporate this cultural tradition into their contemporary lifestyles. “For many years, going to the bath was like going to temple,” explains Hirokazu Kosaka, the Visual Arts Director of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles. “It was such an important community ritual.” Its role today, according to Kosaka, is much more occasional, serving as a way to relax or to treat an illness. “Japanese people still like to take advantage of natural hot springs,” Kosaka explains. “Today, they go to see the seasons and be outdoors.” Akiko Izumi, 42, a Tokyo native, agrees. “When I was a child, I loved to go to sento even though we had a tub at home. Part of the tradition was to drink cold coffee milk, an old-fashioned Japanese drink. Today, however, most people are so busy they’d rather just bathe at home. But people still go to onsen today to help cure illnesses or to enjoy the cherry blossoms or autumn leaves. It’s fun to go with family and romantic for couples, too.”
One of the most exclusive and celebrated locations for a traditional bathing experience today is the Fujiya hotel in the northern Kanagawa prefecture, where guests have enjoyed impeccable accommodations and service since 1878. The main attraction is the Miyanoshita hot spring, renown for its healing effects against nerve and muscle pains, bruises, chronic digestive disorders, and chronic skin conditions. And since 100% natural hot spring water is available in each room, guests don’t even need to head outside to take the waters. Gora Kadan, a Relais & Chateaux hotel about sixty miles from Tokyo, also combines tranquility and opulence. “Guests enjoy the baths at least several times a day in our own springs,” says Mihoko Nakazawa, Director of Public Relations for Relais & Chateaux Japan. “The experience at Gora Kadan is nothing but ultimate relaxation.”
THE RITUAL
Apart from socializing, what does one actually do at a Japanese bath? For centuries, the bathing ritual has remained virtually the same, incorporating both washing and soaking – two very different concepts for the Japanese. The washing of the body occurs first, outside the tub. Most Japanese baths have a changing and washing room, complete with baskets to store one’s belongings. First, bathers sit on a small wooden stool in front of a low faucet where they clean their skin and hair by gently massaging their bodies with a washcloth. The massaging always moves toward the heart to stimulate blood flow. Next, bathers fill a small wooden bucket to rinse their skin and hair with warm water so that their bodies are clean enough to share the public bathwater. Every body part must be clean and free of scents and soapsuds so as not to insult others or pollute the waters. Finally, bathers enter a soaking pool (which must be at least 107.6℉ in accordance with Japanese law, but is slightly lower at most Western spas) and immerse themselves up to the neck. The last step? Soaking away all anxiety and tension while taking time to reflect and meditate.
WESTERN SPAS…EASTERN TRADITIONS
Today, spas in Western countries like the U.S., Canada, and Sweden are incorporating Eastern principles of relaxation. With the explosion of day spas in Europe and North America, treatments are often scheduled back to back. The result? Clients are shuttled between treatment rooms and passed from practitioner to esthetician. Some spas, however, are recognizing this inconsistency and changing their ways. “We actually encourage guests to do nothing on their first visit,” explains Pauline Berndtsson from Hasseludden Konferens & Yasuragi, a retreat just outside Stockholm. “First timers should just wash and enjoy the baths and meditative activities. That’s enough!”
And she’s right. On my visit to Hasseludden, I was keen to try the “Do In” class (an instructor-guided session of self-applied massage techniques), a reiki therapy session, and a face massage. In the end, however, it was actually more relaxing to simply float between the baths and the tea lounge, which featured fresh fruit, cucumber water, green tea – and a breathtaking view of Stockholm’s archipelago. To encourage this serenity, Hasseludden issues each guest a simple, plain blue bathing suit and a yukata, a free-flowing midnight blue robe adorned with white Japanese characters, to wear while on the premises. “Japanese baths have become popular because they invite guests to have an uncomplicated experience,” Berndtsson attests, “They can just leave their everyday problems behind and pamper themselves.”
San Francisco’s Kabuki Spa emphasizes downtime over interaction in its communal baths and cooling plunge pools. “Everywhere you go today, there’s over-stimulation, static, and noise. People – especially our clients (who tend to be urban professionals) – are bombarded from all sides,” explains Kathy Nelsen, Kabuki’s spa director. “To combat that we encourage a certain serenity inside the spa. We invite people to consider us a refuge.” And that’s exactly why spa-goers like Teresa Niven, 30, are being drawn away from Western spas. “Japanese baths are more of a total experience than just sitting in a Jacuzzi in some internal treatment room,” explains Niven, who’s enjoyed the waters at Ten Thousand Waves, an Eastern spa in Santa Fe that features hardwood tubs surrounded by sundecks.
Another Western adaptation of the Eastern experience is how European and North American spas handle nudity. The traditional bathing costume in Japan is, well, nothing. Today, Western spas tend to offer single-sex days or time slots where clients are invited to bathe in the nude or in bathing suits, whichever makes them more comfortable. “This kind of bathing shouldn’t be thought of as just a beauty treatment; it’s about healing and relaxation,” stresses Kabuki’s Kathy Nelsen. “We want our guests to look at themselves and other women in a non-judgmental way. We want them to be comfortable in their own skin.” Women enjoying their own bodies without criticism or scorn? Sounds like we could all use a good long soak – after thoroughly washing away all perfumes and soapsuds, of course. d
Spas that offer Japanese bathing
Fujiya Hotel, Hakone,Kanagawa Pref.,Japan, 0460-2-2211, www.fujiyahotel.co.jp
Hasseludden Konferens & Yasuragi, Saltsjö-Boo, Sweden, 46-8-747-61-00m www.hasseludden.com
Kabuki Springs & Spa, San Francisco, California, (415) 922-6000, www.kabukisprings.com
Spa Ofuro, Morin-Heights, Québec, (450) 226-2442, www.spaofuro.com
Spa Shiki, Lake Ozark, Missouri, (888) 265-5500, www.spashiki.com
Ten Thousand Waves/House of the Moon, Santa Fe, New Mexico, (505) 982-9304, www.tenthousandwaves.com
For an extensive listing in English of public onsens available to day-trippers, hikers etc., visit www.OutdoorJapan.com.
July/August 2004
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