Going back to my hometown is, for me, part of a sauna journey.
Spending four days at my parents' place means I can visit at least three different saunas — ones I don't normally get to go to. The moment my homecoming dates were set, I started researching which saunas to hit. One day, while casually browsing facilities in Kochi Prefecture, I came across Tosa Mochizuki Onsen Himewakago no Yu. It boasted one of the largest open-air baths in the prefecture, a free-flowing natural hot spring, high-concentration carbonated water baths, an auto-löyly sauna, and a cold plunge bath one meter deep at 15°C — all in a brand-new building. How could I possibly not go? Fortunately, I am a man of leisure. Four days back home, no plans to meet anyone in particular. If I find a place I want to visit, I can just go. I'm quite satisfied with this level of freedom in my life.
The first day back, a Friday morning. On my way to my parents' place, I drove through the city of Kochi. It was a weekday morning, so the roads were clear. I arrived at the facility without any trouble. Looking up at the exterior, it had the dignified air of a proper inn. Heart full of anticipation, I stepped inside and checked in.
Since it was my first visit, I decided to wander around the building a bit before heading to the main bath. There was a spacious lounge where you could read manga, a restaurant with a menu that looked genuinely delicious, rooms for body care and Italy towel scrubs, and even a ladies-only stone sauna room. I was already buzzing with excitement — what a wonderfully well-equipped super sento.
Reining in my eagerness, I passed through the changing room and stepped into the main bath area. It was spacious, clean, and inviting. First I washed up, then slowly sank into the high-concentration carbonated bath. Fine, fizzy bubbles wrapped around my entire body, and I could feel the muscles that had stiffened during the long drive gently beginning to unwind.
Once I was warmed through, I finally made my way to the far-infrared high-temperature sauna. The moment I opened the door, a pleasant woody fragrance drifted out. The thermometer read around 80°C — I thought it might be a mild, steady-sweat kind of session, but as luck would have it, I'd arrived right at the half-past-the-hour mark for the auto-löyly. With a sharp hiss, a burst of hot steam rained down and the perceived temperature shot up instantly. Beads of sweat poured from every pore across my body.
"Perfect heat..."
I murmured to myself as I pushed to my limit, steaming myself thoroughly. Out of the sauna, I rinsed off the sweat, and then — the moment I'd been waiting for — the cold plunge. One meter deep, set at 15°C, filled to the brim with cold water. The instant I plunged in up to my shoulders, the icy water snapped my whole body to attention. A soft "phew" escaped my lips. Could there be any greater bliss than this? No. There could not.
Out of the cold plunge, I drifted on wobbly legs toward the outdoor bath area. There it was — a vast open-air bath that fully lived up to the name "largest in the prefecture," with nothing blocking the view in any direction. The eastern sky stretched wide open, and the brilliant summer sun poured down.
I settled deep into one of the reclining chairs set out for relaxation and closed my eyes. A comfortable breeze swept through, and all that remained was the sensation of blood pulsing steadily through my entire body. A deep tingling spread through the back of my mind, and the supreme totonou arrived — that feeling of floating weightlessly above the world.
To think I could have such a perfect experience at a new facility in my own hometown, stumbled upon almost by chance. This is why sauna travel is impossible to quit — every now and then, you have an encounter like this. The outdoor area even had a separate kama-buro (steam sauna) in an adjacent building, which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.
In the early afternoon, body fully totonou'd, I started the car again and headed for my parents' house. Outstanding facilities, a wonderful sauna experience. Another precious place to come back to every time I return home has been added to my list. The journey has only just begun.
