"Cold plunge bath with free-flowing groundwater"
"Pure, mineral-rich water so clean it can be drunk straight from the source"
Words like these flood a sauna enthusiast's brain with dopamine.
Maybe it was because I hadn't come across language this intense in a while, but when I discovered this place, I couldn't stop trembling with excitement.
For a sauna lover, the sauna itself is obviously important — but what truly defines the experience is the cold plunge bath you sink into afterward, and the quality of the water in that bath is the single most important factor in making a visit truly extraordinary.
Ito no Yudokoro, the facility I visited this time, is located in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The most remarkable thing about this place is the water. The entire facility is designed around it. A pure natural spring known as the "water of life" wells up endlessly from the earth of Itoshima, and it's used not only in the baths but also in the restaurant's cooking and as drinking water. My dopamine levels were already through the roof.
The facility also takes environmental responsibility seriously. They've introduced a wood chip boiler fueled by thinned timber and harness solar thermal energy to build an energy cycle that keeps CO₂ emissions low. Most bathing facilities rely on municipal tap water and burn fossil fuels like gas or heavy oil in their boilers, which makes this approach genuinely ahead of its time.
Savoring the water, living in harmony with nature — that is the true appeal of Ito no Yudokoro.
So then. Let's enjoy this extraordinary water.
After changing, I stepped into the main bath area and found the cold plunge bath presiding at the very center of the room. It's spacious enough for around ten people, with water cascading down from above in a continuous waterfall. Just as I arrived, a man coming out of the sauna slipped into the plunge bath and murmured to himself, "Amazing! Feels so good!" A few minutes later, I would taste that same extraordinary water for myself.
After rinsing off, I finally stepped into the sauna. Ito no Yudokoro has two saunas:
1. Löyly Sauna:
Löyly is performed regularly here, pouring water over the sauna stones to generate steam. The temperature is around 90°C and it fits about 16 people. There's a TV.
2. Meditation Sauna:
A sauna for turning inward and facing yourself in complete darkness. Staff perform löyly regularly. The temperature is around 80°C and it fits about 16 people. No TV.
First, as a warm-up, I went into the Löyly Sauna to heat my body. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Then came the moment I'd been waiting for. I washed off the sweat and lowered myself into the natural groundwater cold plunge bath. A soft, enveloping water welcomed me, and I felt a relaxation that made me want to stay forever. As time passed, the feeling of refreshment only grew.
Whenever I sink into a truly extraordinary cold plunge bath filled with mineral-rich natural water, my body always responds the same way. My skin feels like it's been submerged in mint water — that kind of crisp, cool freshness. My skin becomes smooth and my hair turns silky. That sensation is simply not possible with ordinary tap water. Tap water does cool the body, but the chlorination leaves hair damaged and skin dry. I hadn't felt this in a long time. It reminded me of what I'd experienced in the past at Spa Alps in Toyama Prefecture, Sauna Shikiji in Shizuoka Prefecture, and Ogaki Sauna in Gifu Prefecture. I genuinely didn't want to get out — that's how good it felt.
After the cold plunge, I moved to the outdoor bath for some fresh-air relaxation. There were plenty of reclining chairs, and the sweeping view of the rural countryside was soothing just to look at. After an extraordinary cold plunge comes extraordinary fresh-air relaxation. The weather was perfect, and I basked in the sunlight until I drifted off to sleep without even realizing it. And this was only my first set.
For my second set, I entered the Meditation Sauna. The moment I stepped inside, my vision was taken from me. It was a shock. Pitch black. I couldn't see even a short distance ahead. I had no idea what the layout of the room was or where anyone else might be sitting. It was the darkest sauna I'd ever been in. There was just a faint light near the entrance, enough to tell me there was space to sit right in front of me, so I sat down there first. After a while, my eyes adjusted somewhat and things began to take shape faintly. That's when I discovered the layout of the room and the fact that there was one other person already inside. The sauna is L-shaped and can hold about 16 people. Right in front of the L-shaped bench stands an iki stove. Staff come in periodically and pour aromatic water over the sauna stones — they performed löyly while I was in there too.
There's only one thing to do in the Meditation Sauna: meditate. In this much darkness, you can't see the face of the person sitting next to you. It's the perfect space to lose yourself in your own world and have a conversation with your inner self. I pressed my thumb and index finger together, took the meditation pose, and focused all my awareness on my breathing. I often meditate in saunas. But in most facilities, my concentration breaks somewhere along the way — the atmosphere and ambiance of the sauna room make a real difference to the quality of the experience. In the Meditation Sauna at Ito no Yudokoro, however, I achieved the deepest meditation I ever have in a sauna.
Afterward, I returned once more to the extraordinary cold plunge bath, then enjoyed fresh-air relaxation in the outdoor bath while soaking up the sunlight. In the end, that day I mindlessly cycled through sauna → cold plunge → fresh-air relaxation five full sets.
After the sauna, it was time for a good meal. There's a restaurant called Ito Dining inside the facility, serving handmade dishes made from locally sourced ingredients. They apparently put real thought into seasonal specialties too, with a genuine dedication to food.
The moment I walked into the restaurant, I was struck by the beauty of the view. You can dine while looking out over the same rural countryside I'd seen from the outdoor bath, with mountains stretching beyond in the distance. There are also terrace seats available, and once the weather warms up, eating out on the terrace would be absolutely wonderful.
Not just the baths — the restaurant and relaxation areas were top quality as well, and I left the facility wrapped in an almost overwhelming sense of happiness.
Now, I was heading to Saga Prefecture. Saga has several facilities that sauna enthusiasts from all over Japan have their eyes on. This time, my plan was to visit all the most notable ones. The first stop on that list was Saga no Yudokoro KOMOREBI, located in Saga City, Saga Prefecture.
