The phrase "an adult hideaway", often used to describe dining spots, can just as well apply to sauna facilities. There are places that make you feel like a sauna pro the moment you arrive, where the sauna experience is superb and you can almost become intoxicated with your own presence. That place is Asaka Sauna Nagomi in Asaka, Saitama. Located just a short walk from Asaka Station, the exterior already gives off a hidden-gem vibe. Passing through the Japanese-style entrance, I completed the automatic check-in. I picked up a face towel and a bath towel at the reception and headed to the men's bathing area on the 3F. After changing in a calm locker room, I entered the main bathing area. A dark-modern space greeted me, with three sauna rooms, two cold plunge baths, a warm tub, and around 30 chairs arranged throughout. There were no human voices in that space—only the sound of water flowing, the sound of water hitting the floor, the opening and closing of sauna doors, and the sound of people rinsing under the showers. Conversation is strictly forbidden as a facility rule. You face yourself, are mindful of others, and concentrate on tending your body. That is the rule at Asaka Sauna. Asaka Sauna has the following three saunas: 1. Main sauna A six-tiered sauna that can hold about 40 people. There is an automatic löyly every 10 minutes, and the heat blast is intense. On the top bench you can feel temperatures up to 105℃. 2. Self-löyly sauna A compact sauna for about 9 people with a room temperature of 90℃ where you can enjoy self-löyly. 3. Low-temperature, high-humidity sauna A sauna room with a pleasant hinoki (Japanese cypress) aroma. The room temperature is 80℃, it fits about 9 people, and staff occasionally come by to add hinoki aromatic water. For my first set I entered the main sauna as a greeting. Because it exceeds 100℃, it is very hot. Sitting around the middle bench I started sweating immediately. There is no TV in the sauna room and conversation is prohibited, so you can only hear other guests' breathing and the sound of the löyly. This environment is perfect for meditation. I focused on my breathing and entered a zone—closing my eyes as if to leave the real world and planning to return to it when I opened them again. After a while the automatic löyly began. The heat blast in a sauna exceeding 100℃ hits you so hard it almost burns, snapping me back into reality and sending me straight to the cold plunge. The cold plunge was sublime. It is set at 15℃, the temperature said to be ideal for sauna bathing, and it is spacious enough for about 20 people. I was able to fully stretch out without worrying about others and cool my sauna-heated body. From there I headed straight to the relaxation area and surrendered my weight to a reclining chair. With the entire bathing area designed in a dark-modern style, even resting felt like being in another world, allowing me to fully enjoy the hideaway atmosphere. For my second set I entered the low-temperature, high-humidity sauna. The moment I stepped in I was soothed by the pleasant hinoki scent. It seems staff periodically sprinkle hinoki aromatic water onto the sauna floor, spreading the scent and keeping humidity high. At 80℃, the heat is gentle, allowing for a slow, satisfying sauna experience—perfect for those who find very high heat uncomfortable. It is impressive that the facility offers saunas with different temperature ranges and aromas so various people can enjoy according to their preferences. About an hour had passed since entering the main bathing area, and still there were no voices. There were roughly 20 guests, but each appeared absorbed in their own world. When I visit onsen and sauna facilities I also observe how other guests behave and what expressions they wear. At Asaka Sauna everyone seemed focused on their own inner world. The overall dark-modern atmosphere calms you; there are no TVs in the sauna rooms, the lighting is dim and suited to meditation, and the relaxation area is lined with comfortable chairs—everything is designed so that speaking feels almost wasteful because the time is so comfortably spent. I wanted to stay in the sauna forever. It is a facility where you don't want to leave, truly worthy of the name an adult hideaway.

The post-sauna dining was also excellent. The menu was focused on replenishing energy after a sauna, and some items were even developed by part-time staff who love saunas. I ordered the chicken karaage set meal from among those offerings. I savored the delicious food and thought, once again, that it had been a perfect day. In the morning I visited Spadium Japon in Higashikurume, Tokyo, and in the evening I spent time at the adult hideaway Asaka Sauna Nagomi. What I do is simple—maintain my body in saunas and eat good food—but that is time people need. Feeling refreshed from the sauna and the cold plunge makes me feel that life is great and makes me more tolerant of others. Even if you have worries, when you reflect after a sauna they often seem less significant or are forgotten; if a problem remains stubbornly present even after a sauna, then it needs to be faced seriously—this is my theory. Tomorrow is the final day and I will return to Tokushima, but until then I plan to thoroughly enjoy saunas and visit a facility that sauna enthusiasts across Japan are watching. Tomorrow morning I intend to visit Shibuya SAUNAS, a facility produced by manga artist Katsuki Tanaka, who helped spark Japan's sauna boom.