「Kofukuyu」 - A Visit

When I see the words "cold bath uses groundwater," I'm immediately seized by an urge to go there right now! That's because groundwater cold baths feel that incredible. At least, that's how I've felt based on all my experiences so far. On the second night of my Wakayama stay, I decided to visit "Kofukuyu," which has a flowing groundwater cold plunge. Around 4 PM, I checked into a hotel near the east exit of Wakayama Station. Having some time to spare, I wrote blog articles in my hotel room, and by the time I finished, it was 6 PM. Perfect timing for sauna. Enter the sauna, eat post-sauna food, then sleep soundly until morning. I took it for granted that I'd have a blissful time. But happiness isn't something you can create alone. I left the hotel, drove a short distance, and parked in the dedicated parking lot near the shop. To put it diplomatically, the cars parked there couldn't be described as "respectable." There was an Alphard lowered to the extreme, a Crown with tires modified to point inward, and beat-up mini cars covered in collision damage - vehicles that society generally associates with "bad neighborhoods." I felt a bit fearful thinking that the owners of these cars were inside bathing, but I decided to try enjoying the bath anyway. After a short walk, "Kofukuyu" came into view. I entered the shop, put my shoes in the shoe locker, and tried to buy a bathing ticket from the vending machine, only to see it was out of order. It seemed I'd need to pay the bandai (the person working reception at public baths) directly. I opened the door to the men's bath and paid the bathing fee and rental towel fee to the bandai. The atmosphere of the people in the changing room couldn't exactly be called safe either. I suppose you'd say they had a rough edge. That was my impression. Here too, I quickly undressed and entered the bathing area. Instantly, I wanted to go home. There were men covered in tattoos from head to toe. Multiple people. They were talking loudly, creating an atmosphere as if they dominated the space. I didn't even want to check the layout. Without making eye contact, I went to the washing area and reluctantly cleansed myself. At this point, I no longer cared about the flowing groundwater cold plunge. Fear had won, and this wasn't an atmosphere where I could relax. I tried soaking in the hot bath but still couldn't settle down. Why not go to the sauna? Then I wouldn't have to be in their line of sight. With this thought, I headed toward the sauna room. When I opened the door and peered inside, four people were packed tightly into the narrow sauna room designed for four. At times like this, even the timing works against you. I lost all motivation to enter the sauna. I'll just experience the cold plunge and leave. With this thought, I entered the cold plunge without having heated my body much. It was very lukewarm. The water temperature must have been over 20°C. No matter how much it's flowing groundwater, you can't get refreshment at this temperature. I thought about staying in a bit longer, but someone came out of the sauna room. Despite me being in there, they jumped in with tremendous force. Give me a break. I immediately got out of the cold plunge. I went straight to the changing room, dried my body, and left the public bath. My stay lasted a mere 15 minutes. To have a good sauna experience, the clientele using the facility is quite important. When I visited "Sauna Shikiji," called the holy ground of saunas, I read a book featuring that facility ["Sauna Shikiji" by Sasano Mikie]. It described the episodes leading to the current "Sauna Shikiji." The facility, originally operating under the name "Healthy Sauna Takamatsu," was renamed "Sauna Shikiji" when the current owner, who had been a regular customer, took over management. At the same time, it was written that considerable effort was put into changing the clientele. To tattooed customers and those with bad manners, they courageously said, "The fee is fine, but please don't come anymore," improving the customer base, and now many people come from all over the country. Comfortable facilities have good customers. This is probably undeniable. I felt this when I visited Ogaki Sauna in Gifu Prefecture too. I'm not discriminating against people with tattoos. It's normal culture overseas, and foreigners would probably think, "What's the problem?" However, it's a bit different in Japan. It does give a "scary" impression. A small tattoo wouldn't bother me, but when someone is covered in tattoos from head to toe, there's a very high possibility they're connected to antisocial forces. There's no way you can liberate your mind and body to relax when you're feeling fearful. I returned to the parking lot and got in my car. I couldn't end the day like this. According to the peak-end rule, if the end of the day is bad, that entire day becomes a bad day. I opened Google Maps to check if there were any favorited facilities near my current location. There was a super sento called "Fukurou-no-Yu" about 5 minutes away by car. I remembered it from a magazine featuring Kansai region super sentos that I'd read before. There, I should be able to relax and achieve totonou. And so, my next destination was decided. In my entire life, I'd never hopped between facilities between the first and second sets. But I had to do it. I couldn't end things like this. To be continued.