My family home is in Ehime Prefecture — a place rich in nature, surrounded by sea and mountains.
Ehime is also one of Japan's most celebrated hot spring destinations, with Dogo Onsen leading the way. Even before heading back, I started researching where to go for a sauna this trip. I decided to visit Kisuke no Yu. On the first day of my homecoming, I caught up with relatives and visited the family grave — taking a moment to feel grateful to my ancestors for the life I have now. And yet, even through all of that, my body was aching to get into a sauna. I'm a sauna addict; I can't help it. At dinner, my mother asked, "So where are you going tomorrow?" "Thinking of heading to Kisuke no Yu," I said. "I want to go too," my grandmother murmured. "Well then, let's all go!" And just like that, it turned into a trip for three: me, my mom, and my grandma.
We arrived at Kisuke no Yu at 10 in the morning. After checking in and stepping into the main bath area, I was immediately struck by how enormous it was. It felt like bathing inside a concert hall. The ceilings were high, and the baths were massive. I started with the carbonated spring to get my circulation going — the CO2 concentration was excellent, and my body warmed up quickly. Then came the moment I'd been waiting for: my first sauna set. Kisuke no Yu has two options: the Fujin Sauna, which can hold up to 40 people, and the Oni Sauna, which runs at 110°C. I started with the Fujin Sauna. Once inside, I was again caught off guard by the sheer size — big enough to hold a lecture. The upper bench sat at around 90°C, and with the automatic löyly running, the humidity was high too. I worked up a serious sweat. This is clearly the real deal — the facility that topped the 2024 Nifty Sauna Rankings nationwide. With a good sweat going, it was time to hit the cold plunge bath.
There are two cold plunge baths: one at 16°C and one at 9°C. For the first set, I chose the 16°C bath. Afterward, I recovered in the indoor rest room — a dedicated space set aside just for totonou. It was truly wonderful. The air conditioning was turned down, and natural sounds like babbling streams and birdsong filled the room as I sank into an infinity chair at a perfectly relaxing temperature. And I was only on my first set — yet my consciousness nearly drifted away entirely.
For the second set, I went with the 110°C Oni Sauna. It was brutally hot. On top of that, the automatic löyly kept sending waves of heat crashing over me one after another. My body was screaming that it had had enough. There was simply no room to think about anything else — which is exactly the point of sauna. I pushed my heart rate to its limit, then plunged into the 9°C cold bath. That's a temperature difference of 110°C. My blood vessels contracted instantly, and it was so shockingly cold that I let out an involuntary gasp. Thirty seconds was my absolute limit. Soaking slowly in a cold bath is nice, but there's something addictively satisfying about the instant freeze of a single-digit plunge. I recovered again in the indoor rest room, and before I knew it, three sets were done.
After getting changed and relaxing in the rest area, my mother and grandmother emerged looking utterly blissful. Everyone around us had that same look of contentment. Sauna and cold plunge baths really are the ultimate tools for finding peace of mind and feeling refreshed. It was only noon. Time to find somewhere delicious for lunch before heading home.
