Kobe Sauna holds a special place in my heart.
I have visited many times over the years, marking precious moments of my life within these walls.
Thinking back, I first came to Kobe Sauna in my third year of high school. A friend and I had gotten tickets to the summer Koshien national high school baseball championship final, and we decided to go together. We wanted good seats, which meant staying the night before and lining up from early the next morning to dash in and claim our spots the moment the gates opened. Since we'd be staying out overnight, I needed my parents' permission, so I explained the whole situation to them. When they asked where we planned to stay, I said we'd be staying at Kobe Sauna. I was confident they'd say yes — because my father loves that place. My dad is a sauna devotee, and it was his influence that made me fall in love with saunas too. How could he possibly refuse when his own son wanted to stay at his beloved spot? Sure enough, he agreed without a moment's hesitation. When I told my friend, it turned out his parents had said yes too.
On the day itself, two visibly nervous high schoolers barely managed to check in and made their way to the locker room. It was our first time staying in a capsule hotel. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing. Was there no large bath on the same floor? Looking at the map, we figured out the baths were on an upper floor. "Looks like the baths are upstairs," we said to each other — and then walked stark naked toward the elevator. We had already committed a spectacular blunder. At Kobe Sauna, guests are required to wear paper underwear when moving between areas, because the route passes right by the front desk in plain view of the female staff. That's why paper underwear is provided in the locker room. We had completely missed it. Not giving a second thought to the look on the receptionist's face — an expression that clearly said "are you serious?" — we headed up to the baths. And so began our first-ever Kobe Sauna experience.
Afterward, I went on to university in Hyogo Prefecture, and during those years I kept coming back to Kobe Sauna again and again. The atmosphere, the smell, the sauna, the cold plunge bath, the food, the staff, the capsule rooms, the massages — the quality across every single thing is outstanding. Even after I started working and moved to the Kanto area, whenever I came back to the Kansai region I'd stay at Kobe Sauna. It's a place full of memories, and I simply love it.
I've gone on a bit long with the backstory, but on this particular day I was at Kobe Sauna from nine in the morning until evening. The night before, I had achieved a truly sublime totonou experience at New Japan Umeda — but for one specific reason, my mood had sunk considerably. I hadn't slept well because of the musty smell in my hotel room. My nose had already registered something off at check-in, and after reaching that heightened state of totonou at New Japan, my senses were even sharper than usual; the moment I stepped back into the hotel room, I couldn't help but grimace. I told myself the room was already booked and I might as well make the most of it, and reluctantly drifted off to sleep — only to wake up repeatedly through the night. Refreshing rest was simply out of the question. To pull myself out of this state and feel truly good again, I knew there was only one answer: Kobe Sauna, my place of memories. So I made my way from Osaka to Kobe.
The moment I stepped inside, I was wrapped in that familiar, wonderful smell. More than anything, I felt at ease — like coming home to my home sauna. I checked in, moved to the locker room, made sure to put on the paper underwear properly, and headed up to the large bath. Since that incident, I have never once forgotten the paper underwear when moving around the facility. After entering the bath area, I cleansed myself and soaked in the natural hot spring. Then came what I'd been waiting for: the sauna. For the first two sets, I sat in the Finnish sauna and sweated thoroughly, then cooled my body to the core in the 11.7°C cold plunge bath, followed by outdoor air bathing to let myself go completely. Personally, the Finnish sauna here holds the undisputed top spot in my personal sauna ranking. It's that comfortable, and it draws out a genuinely satisfying sweat. For the third set, I decided to try the main sauna and experience the löyly. The aromatic scent rising from the sauna stones soothed me as fierce waves of heat rolled in. I pushed my body to its limit before heading straight for the cold plunge. The third set ended the same way — sealed with the 11.7°C cold plunge — and my morning sauna session was complete.
After finishing the sauna, I stretched out in a reclining chair and realized I was quite hungry. The timing was just right — lunch service was about to begin.
The food at Kobe Sauna is genuinely delicious. That day I ordered ginger pork and fried chicken. The flavors sink deep into a body that's just come out of the sauna. The rice is so good. What a wonderful life this is. And all of it happening at a place full of memories. After the meal, I took a nap in the reclining room. What a luxurious way to spend one's time. The nap also helped restore my energy. Should I do another three sets at Kobe Sauna, or venture out to a different place? After a few minutes of deliberation, a memory of that moving experience at another facility came flooding back. In an instant, my destination was decided: Arimakaidou Onsen Suzuran no Yu.
