The smooth transition from the sauna at night to bed, and from waking up to the morning sauna, is essential for a sauna trip. In other words, if your accommodation has a fantastic sauna, it's a win-win situation. Tonight's accommodation, the Nara Royal Hotel, was indeed an ideal hotel for a sauna trip. That day, I visited Niji no Yu Nishiyamato in the morning, then moved to Nara City to enjoy sightseeing. I strolled through the old-fashioned streets called Naramachi, enjoying various street foods. However, these were merely preparations for enjoying the sauna at night. For me, the sauna is the primary purpose, and sightseeing is just secondary. As the sun began to set, it was time to check into the hotel and enjoy the night sauna. The sauna at the Nara Royal Hotel is located in the La Royal Spa in the hotel's basement. Guests can enter for free and enjoy the sauna both at night and in the morning. You move to the locker room through a dedicated entrance. Although not a new facility, it is well-maintained and has a clean feel. Opposite the lockers, there is a dedicated lounge where you can relax in reclining chairs after the sauna. After changing, I entered the large bath. It has a simple layout with a natural hot spring, cold plunge bath, sauna, walking bath, and indoor air bath area. A sign by the cold plunge bath indicates "groundwater." It seems to be a continuous flow, with water constantly supplied. As a groundwater enthusiast, this was delightful for me. I warmed up in the natural hot spring and finally entered the sauna. The sauna room was of a quality that you wouldn't expect from a hotel sauna. In the spacious area that could accommodate over 30 people, an iki stove is placed in the center, and another stove is installed in the corner of the sauna room. The room temperature is 90°C with high humidity. Sitting on the wide bench, I gradually warmed up my body. Perhaps due to good heat convection, my body warmed up quickly. Personally, I think it would be perfect without a TV, but everyone has their preferences, and there's no right answer. Many people prefer having a TV. After the sauna, I entered the cold plunge bath, lavishly using groundwater. It's a circular tub that can fit about three adults. With a perceived temperature of around 18°C and the soft quality of the groundwater, it was quite relaxing. After the cold plunge bath, I relaxed in the rest area. The large bath is very spacious, with about ten chairs lined up for resting, making the flow from sauna to cold plunge bath to rest very smooth. Wonderful. While resting for a while, a staff member entered the large bath with a big towel. They also had tools for löyly. I was getting excited, wondering if an aufguss event would take place. Watching for a while, it seemed an aufguss was indeed about to start. I decided to participate since it was a rare opportunity. At the Nara Royal Hotel, it seems they perform the aufguss in time with music, and speakers were prepared. The staff in charge introduced themselves, saying, "I am in charge of today's aufguss, my name is XX. Thank you!" and turned on the music. However, the music didn't play. Since the large bath is underground and inside the sauna room, the signal seemed poor. The music didn't start, and the staff left the room. Personally, I like quiet löyly without music, so I wished they would start quickly. A few minutes later, the staff returned, and the music finally started, but my body was already at its limit. Before the staff could perform the first löyly, a few of us, including myself, left the sauna room. I intended to participate in the aufguss, but the waiting time exhausted my stamina. This was a first-time experience. By the time I went for the third sauna session after the cold plunge bath and rest, the aufguss had already ended. In the end, I couldn't experience the heat wave. However, the atmosphere lingered in the sauna room, and I could enjoy the aroma. I justified myself by thinking that even if I couldn't participate in the event in real-time, experiencing the post-event ambiance wasn't bad. I thoroughly heated my body and headed straight to the groundwater cold plunge bath. I was quite finished. I'll call it a night.

This is a sauna trip after a long time, and entering a sauna in a different place always feels good and is a refreshing change. It's like forcibly rebooting life. Strangely, a sauna trip resets the everyday life once. When I return home after the trip, I feel like a new life is starting again. I really like this feeling. Returning to the room from the large public bath, I lay down on the bed. I felt like I could fall asleep just like that. When a hotel has a good sauna, you can maintain a pleasant state as you go to bed and drift into the world of dreams. In fact, on this day, I found myself waking up in the morning. The TV and lights were left on. Well, that happens sometimes. More importantly, let's head to the morning sauna as soon as I wake up. Sauna → Sleep → Sauna. I'll decide today's destination after the morning sauna.