The seamless flow from an evening sauna to falling into bed, and the smooth transition from waking up to a morning sauna — these are essential elements of any sauna trip. In other words, if your accommodation has a great sauna, you're hitting two birds with one stone. Tonight's lodging, the Nara Royal Hotel, was exactly the kind of place that makes for an ideal sauna trip.
That day, I started the morning with a visit to Nijinoyu Nishiyamato, then made my way into Nara city for some sightseeing. I strolled through the old-fashioned streets of the Naramachi district, snacking at various shops along the way. But honestly, all of that was just buildup for the evening sauna. For me, the sauna is always the main event — sightseeing is strictly secondary. As dusk began to fall, I figured it was time to check in and get to that nighttime sauna.
The sauna at the Nara Royal Hotel is located in La Royal Spa, tucked away in the hotel's basement. Hotel guests can use it for free, which means sauna access in both the evening and the morning. I made my way through the dedicated entrance and into the locker room. The facility isn't brand new, but it's well-maintained and clean. Across from the lockers is a lounge area with reclining chairs — a nice spot to unwind after a session.
Once changed, I stepped into the main bath area. The layout is simple: a natural hot spring bath, a cold plunge bath, a sauna, a walking bath, and an indoor relaxation area. A sign on the cold plunge bath read "groundwater." It seemed to flow continuously — always fresh. As someone who can't get enough of groundwater, this was a welcome sight.
I warmed up in the natural hot spring and then, finally, stepped into the sauna.
The sauna room was a cut above what you'd typically expect from a hotel. A spacious room that could fit 30 or more people, with an iki stove sitting at the center and another stove installed in the corner. The temperature was 90°C with noticeably high humidity. I settled onto the wide bench and let the heat slowly work through my body. The convection in the room was excellent — I warmed up quickly. Personally, I'd consider it perfect without the TV, but there's no single right answer — plenty of people prefer having one.
After the sauna, I slipped into the cold plunge bath fed by that generous supply of groundwater. It's a round tub, big enough for about three adults. I'd say the temperature felt around 18°C, and the soft quality of the groundwater made it incredibly relaxing. After the cold plunge, I moved to the rest area to recover. The main bath area is spacious, with about ten chairs lined up for resting, and the flow of sauna → cold plunge → rest felt completely natural. Wonderful.
After resting for a while, a staff member walked into the bath area carrying a large towel and the tools for löyly. My hopes rose — could this be an aufguss event? Sure enough, it looked like an aufguss was about to begin. Since I was there, I decided to join in.
At the Nara Royal Hotel, it seems they do aufguss sessions with music — a speaker had been set up too. The staff member introduced himself: "I'll be your aufguss host today. Thank you for joining us!" and went to start the music. But nothing came on. Being underground and inside a sauna room, the signal was apparently too weak. Minutes passed with no music, and the staff member eventually stepped out. Personally, I'm perfectly happy with a quiet löyly — no music needed — so I just wanted them to get on with it. A few minutes later, the staff returned and the music finally started. But my body had already hit its limit. Before the first löyly was even poured, I and a few others had to leave the sauna. I'd fully intended to take part in the aufguss, but the waiting had simply drained me. That was a first.
After another cold plunge and rest, I went in for my third sauna set — and the aufguss was already over. In the end, I never got to feel the heat wave. Still, the lingering warmth remained in the sauna room and I could enjoy the faint scent of the aroma. Missing the live event but still catching the afterglow isn't so bad, I told myself — a little self-justification, perhaps. I heated myself up properly one more time and headed straight for the groundwater cold plunge. I was well and truly done. That would be it for tonight.
This was my first sauna trip in a while, and there's something special about doing a sauna in an unfamiliar place — it's refreshing in the best way, like a forced reboot of your life. Oddly enough, a sauna trip seems to reset my day-to-day existence. When I return home after the journey, I get this feeling that a new chapter of life is beginning. I love that feeling.
I made my way back from the bath area to my room and lay down on the bed. I could easily drift off just like this. When a hotel has a great sauna, you can carry that blissful feeling all the way to bed and slip straight into dreams. And indeed, that night, I didn't notice a thing until morning — TV still on, lights still blazing. Well, that happens sometimes. More importantly, I woke up ready to head straight to the morning sauna. Sauna → sleep → sauna. I could figure out where to go after the morning session.
