5:30 in the morning. I slowly woke up to the cheerful chirping of birds. My sleep had been a little short, but my brain was astonishingly clear. For years now, I have been living a disciplined life, waking every morning between 5:00 and 5:30. Even if I go to bed a little later than usual, my body’s system refuses to compromise on wake-up time. Once in a while, I do find myself drifting into a trivial fantasy: I wish I could sleep like dead weight until noon without worrying about anything. But once I am awake, I believe it is the duty of a sauna enthusiast to start moving at once. My destination had already been decided. Daitoyo in Umeda. I got ready immediately and left the hotel near Hanshin Koshien Station where I had stayed. This was not checkout, but a temporary outing. My plan was perfect, if I may say so myself: fully enjoy the morning sauna at Daitoyo, have breakfast, then return to the hotel and savor a blissful second nap right up until the checkout deadline. The clock had only just passed 6:00 a.m. From Koshien Station, I boarded a Hanshin Railway express train and headed to Hanshin Umeda Station. Even though it was early morning, the train was full of passengers swaying along with the ride. Feeling the pulse of the city, my heart quietly began to race. Arriving at Umeda Station, I went up to street level. I walked toward Hankyu Umeda Station, passing by the Hankyu Men's building. Continuing straight along the street where Don Quijote stands, the familiar yet somehow proud-looking Daitoyo sign suddenly came into view. I have used Daitoyo many times, and it has long been one of my favorite facilities. However, since its grand renovation was completed and it fully reopened on April 21, 2026, this was my first visit. I could hardly contain my excitement at the thought of how much it might have evolved. The moment I stepped into the entrance, I was enveloped by overwhelming cleanliness and a refined, refreshing fragrance. The instant I entered the building, there was an exquisite scent in the air that instantly made me think, this is absolutely a divine facility. I quickly completed the automated check-in and payment, then took the elevator to the locker room. With no wasted motion whatsoever, I changed into the facility clothes and headed straight to the large bath on the 4th floor. As I entered the bath area, a rich, pleasant birch fragrance drifted softly through the air. Was that life-affirming aroma coming from the newly installed Whisk Sauna? The sauna zone in the bath area had been dramatically renewed. The saunas had been revamped into three different concepts, and the relaxation area had also become significantly more substantial. Given such luxurious options, I would take my time and savor each of their unique characteristics. My first set was the löyly sauna. This sauna room, the reborn former rock sauna, was built from wood with breathtaking beauty and sculptural elegance. Inside, two sauna stoves stood proudly in lavish style. Near the entrance was a state-of-the-art stove that emits automatic löyly every 20 minutes and sends out powerful jets of hot air through pankaluver. In the center of the room stood a massive rocky stove, likely used for the spectacular aufguss events, radiating a commanding presence. When I sat on the top tier, the heat of about 90°C wrapped gently around my entire body. It was an incredibly comfortable, meticulously designed space. Soon after I entered, the automatic löyly began with a crisp whoosh. Exquisite steam filled the sauna room and pleasantly stimulated my just-awakened skin. I could feel the deep parts of my body gradually warming, with one sleeping cell after another waking up as if cheering in delight. I heard, as though from within my soul, the quiet click of a switch turning on: all right, let’s start the day again. As an aside, lately it seems that whenever I enter a sauna room with automatic löyly, the löyly starts almost immediately. Perhaps the sauna itself senses that I am a true enthusiast and welcomes me with luxurious heat. Immersed in that pleasant illusion, I sweated thoroughly for 10 minutes. I dashed out of the sauna room, rinsed off my sweat carefully in the shower, and headed to the cold plunge bath. The greatest attraction of Daitoyo is, without question, the rich variety of cold baths. There are four cold baths in total in the bathing area, but the one that appeared before me was a section where the ideal 14.5°C cold water bath and the 20°C medium-temperature cold bath stood neatly side by side. Without hesitation, I immersed my whole body in the 14.5°C cold water bath. "Ah, this is it...!" The cold water gently, yet mercilessly, tightened my heated skin. A 14.5°C cold plunge bath for the first set of the early morning delivers a powerful jolt to the bloodstream throughout the body and astonishingly clears the head. After leaving the cold bath, I sank into one of the highest-quality infinity chairs in the relaxation area. I let go of all tension in my body and deeply settled into the backrest. This is an exceptionally profound state of relaxation that arrives in the morning. Looking around, I saw many gentlemen, despite the early hour, wearing ecstatic expressions in their chairs and completely losing consciousness. My second set was in the Finnish sauna. This is a sauna room set to about 80°C, where self-löyly is possible. Compared with before the renovation, it felt somewhat calmer, yet also slightly more spacious. Inside, refreshing citrus aroma water was prepared, filling the room with a wonderful fragrance. There is no TV in this sauna; instead, soft background music and videos of Finnish landscapes gently guide you into a deep meditative world. I closed my eyes slowly and listened to my inner voice. As I was quietly enjoying the stillness, the elderly man next to me politely asked in a very refined and gentlemanly tone, "May I do löyly?" When I calmly replied, "Yes, please," he skillfully poured the aroma water onto the stones. A vigorous sizzling sound rose up, and the citrus fragrance and exquisite hot steam spread gently throughout the sauna room. I took a deep breath through my nose and filled every corner of my lungs with that sacred air and citrus scent. This is exactly why I can never give up saunas. Once again, I cooled my body thoroughly in the cold water bath, then let the breeze wash over me in the infinity chair as I finished an exquisite second set. Then came the third set. Quietly opening the door to the newly installed Whisk Sauna, one of the highlights of this renovation, I stepped inside. This is a special sauna room newly created through the renovation for whisking. Some readers may be wondering what whisking actually is, so let me briefly explain. Whisking is a traditional sauna therapy that has long been practiced in Finland and the Baltic states. It uses bundles of branches and leaves, such as birch vitsas or oak, called whisk, to tap or press the body in a hot, humid sauna environment, and to bathe the entire body in aromatic steam extracted from the leaves. I myself experienced it once before at a facility called OND SAUNA in Saga Prefecture, and even now, I can still recall the wild birch fragrance, the pleasant feeling of leaves brushing against my skin, and the dramatic boost in circulation throughout my body with such intensity that I get goosebumps just thinking about it. It was deeply soothing. So it was astonishing that a sauna room where whisking could be enjoyed on a daily basis had been created here at Daitoyo. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room, and I had the entire place to myself. Self-löyly with aroma water was also available here, so I gently poured water onto the stones to create steam. Then I stretched out luxuriously on the reclining bench prepared for whisking. With my eyes closed, feeling the warm steam slowly descending from the ceiling, I let my body warm up gradually while lying down. And just like that, the perfect 3 sets came to an end. Three saunas, each with a completely different character and concept. Every one of them boasts uncompromising, high-level quality. Daitoyo is, as expected, wonderful. Once again, I had no choice but to nod deeply and acknowledge that this is one of Osaka’s finest facilities.

5:30 in the morning. I slowly woke up to the cheerful chirping of birds. My sleep had been a little short, but my brain was astonishingly clear. For years now, I have been living a disciplined life, waking every morning between 5:00 and 5:30. Even if I go to bed a little later than usual, my body’s system refuses to compromise on wake-up time. Once in a while, I do find myself drifting into a trivial fantasy: I wish I could sleep like dead weight until noon without worrying about anything. But once I am awake, I believe it is the duty of a sauna enthusiast to start moving at once. My destination had already been decided. Daitoyo in Umeda. I got ready immediately and left the hotel near Hanshin Koshien Station where I had stayed. This was not checkout, but a temporary outing. My plan was perfect, if I may say so myself: fully enjoy the morning sauna at Daitoyo, have breakfast, then return to the hotel and savor a blissful second nap right up until the checkout deadline. The clock had only just passed 6:00 a.m. From Koshien Station, I boarded a Hanshin Railway express train and headed to Hanshin Umeda Station. Even though it was early morning, the train was full of passengers swaying along with the ride. Feeling the pulse of the city, my heart quietly began to race. Arriving at Umeda Station, I went up to street level. I walked toward Hankyu Umeda Station, passing by the Hankyu Men's building. Continuing straight along the street where Don Quijote stands, the familiar yet somehow proud-looking Daitoyo sign suddenly came into view. I have used Daitoyo many times, and it has long been one of my favorite facilities. However, since its grand renovation was completed and it fully reopened on April 21, 2026, this was my first visit. I could hardly contain my excitement at the thought of how much it might have evolved. The moment I stepped into the entrance, I was enveloped by overwhelming cleanliness and a refined, refreshing fragrance. The instant I entered the building, there was an exquisite scent in the air that instantly made me think, this is absolutely a divine facility. I quickly completed the automated check-in and payment, then took the elevator to the locker room. With no wasted motion whatsoever, I changed into the facility clothes and headed straight to the large bath on the 4th floor. As I entered the bath area, a rich, pleasant birch fragrance drifted softly through the air. Was that life-affirming aroma coming from the newly installed Whisk Sauna? The sauna zone in the bath area had been dramatically renewed. The saunas had been revamped into three different concepts, and the relaxation area had also become significantly more substantial. Given such luxurious options, I would take my time and savor each of their unique characteristics. My first set was the löyly sauna. This sauna room, the reborn former rock sauna, was built from wood with breathtaking beauty and sculptural elegance. Inside, two sauna stoves stood proudly in lavish style. Near the entrance was a state-of-the-art stove that emits automatic löyly every 20 minutes and sends out powerful jets of hot air through pankaluver. In the center of the room stood a massive rocky stove, likely used for the spectacular aufguss events, radiating a commanding presence. When I sat on the top tier, the heat of about 90°C wrapped gently around my entire body. It was an incredibly comfortable, meticulously designed space. Soon after I entered, the automatic löyly began with a crisp whoosh. Exquisite steam filled the sauna room and pleasantly stimulated my just-awakened skin. I could feel the deep parts of my body gradually warming, with one sleeping cell after another waking up as if cheering in delight. I heard, as though from within my soul, the quiet click of a switch turning on: all right, let’s start the day again. As an aside, lately it seems that whenever I enter a sauna room with automatic löyly, the löyly starts almost immediately. Perhaps the sauna itself senses that I am a true enthusiast and welcomes me with luxurious heat. Immersed in that pleasant illusion, I sweated thoroughly for 10 minutes. I dashed out of the sauna room, rinsed off my sweat carefully in the shower, and headed to the cold plunge bath. The greatest attraction of Daitoyo is, without question, the rich variety of cold baths. There are four cold baths in total in the bathing area, but the one that appeared before me was a section where the ideal 14.5°C cold water bath and the 20°C medium-temperature cold bath stood neatly side by side. Without hesitation, I immersed my whole body in the 14.5°C cold water bath. "Ah, this is it...!" The cold water gently, yet mercilessly, tightened my heated skin. A 14.5°C cold plunge bath for the first set of the early morning delivers a powerful jolt to the bloodstream throughout the body and astonishingly clears the head. After leaving the cold bath, I sank into one of the highest-quality infinity chairs in the relaxation area. I let go of all tension in my body and deeply settled into the backrest. This is an exceptionally profound state of relaxation that arrives in the morning. Looking around, I saw many gentlemen, despite the early hour, wearing ecstatic expressions in their chairs and completely losing consciousness. My second set was in the Finnish sauna. This is a sauna room set to about 80°C, where self-löyly is possible. Compared with before the renovation, it felt somewhat calmer, yet also slightly more spacious. Inside, refreshing citrus aroma water was prepared, filling the room with a wonderful fragrance. There is no TV in this sauna; instead, soft background music and videos of Finnish landscapes gently guide you into a deep meditative world. I closed my eyes slowly and listened to my inner voice. As I was quietly enjoying the stillness, the elderly man next to me politely asked in a very refined and gentlemanly tone, "May I do löyly?" When I calmly replied, "Yes, please," he skillfully poured the aroma water onto the stones. A vigorous sizzling sound rose up, and the citrus fragrance and exquisite hot steam spread gently throughout the sauna room. I took a deep breath through my nose and filled every corner of my lungs with that sacred air and citrus scent. This is exactly why I can never give up saunas. Once again, I cooled my body thoroughly in the cold water bath, then let the breeze wash over me in the infinity chair as I finished an exquisite second set. Then came the third set. Quietly opening the door to the newly installed Whisk Sauna, one of the highlights of this renovation, I stepped inside. This is a special sauna room newly created through the renovation for whisking. Some readers may be wondering what whisking actually is, so let me briefly explain. Whisking is a traditional sauna therapy that has long been practiced in Finland and the Baltic states. It uses bundles of branches and leaves, such as birch vitsas or oak, called whisk, to tap or press the body in a hot, humid sauna environment, and to bathe the entire body in aromatic steam extracted from the leaves. I myself experienced it once before at a facility called OND SAUNA in Saga Prefecture, and even now, I can still recall the wild birch fragrance, the pleasant feeling of leaves brushing against my skin, and the dramatic boost in circulation throughout my body with such intensity that I get goosebumps just thinking about it. It was deeply soothing. So it was astonishing that a sauna room where whisking could be enjoyed on a daily basis had been created here at Daitoyo. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room, and I had the entire place to myself. Self-löyly with aroma water was also available here, so I gently poured water onto the stones to create steam. Then I stretched out luxuriously on the reclining bench prepared for whisking. With my eyes closed, feeling the warm steam slowly descending from the ceiling, I let my body warm up gradually while lying down. And just like that, the perfect 3 sets came to an end. Three saunas, each with a completely different character and concept. Every one of them boasts uncompromising, high-level quality. Daitoyo is, as expected, wonderful. Once again, I had no choice but to nod deeply and acknowledge that this is one of Osaka’s finest facilities.