I love open, airy spaces. The higher the ceiling, the better — the deeper the room, the better. The same goes for hot spring facilities: an open space multiplies the sense of comfort several times over.
Sora Niwa Onsen OSAKA BAY TOWER was exactly the kind of hot spring facility that embodied that openness. Inside the Osaka Bay Tower in Minato Ward, Osaka, a hot spring and garden have been created so that guests can take in a panoramic view of a courtyard from a large, high-ceilinged communal bath. The courtyard has guests in yukata strolling around, and I did briefly wonder whether people outside could see into the bath — but that concern was well taken care of. On top of that, the quality of the onsen and sauna is excellent: a free-flowing natural hot spring drawn from 1,000 meters underground, carbonated baths, an automated löyly sauna, and a cold plunge bath are all part of the package.
I arrived in the morning, eager to soak up everything this wonderful facility had to offer.
First, I headed for the free-flowing natural spring bath. For a devoted natural-flow enthusiast like me, it was the ideal environment — water drawn straight from the earth flowing continuously into the tub. Because it isn't recirculated, you can feel the earth's bounty directly. After relaxing in the natural hot spring for a while, I moved to an indoor bath with a view of the courtyard. The main bath area at Sora Niwa Onsen OSAKA BAY TOWER is laid out in a long, narrow configuration, and at the far end there is a tub overlooking the garden. Soaking in the natural spring while gazing at the beautiful garden — the physical pleasure of the hot spring combined with that visual sense of calm made the experience feel even better than usual.
After enjoying the onsen, I made my way to the sauna for the first set. The room holds around twenty people, with plenty of room on the benches. It's a rocky sauna with stacked sauna stones, and automated löyly runs at regular intervals. Luckily, it started almost as soon as I sat down. Water was sprayed onto the sauna stones. I assumed it would finish quickly, but it kept going for a long time. The steam filled the room and the humidity shot up rapidly. Sweat started pouring out of me. Just when the spray stopped and I thought it was over, the löyly kicked in again — a second round. I was genuinely surprised. A typical super sento's automated löyly usually delivers a small burst of water just once, enough for a brief wave of heat but often not quite satisfying. Here, however, the automated löyly runs for a long, long time and goes through two full rounds per cycle. That much steam was more than enough. My entire body was already drenched in sweat, and I could feel my limit approaching.
After getting thoroughly steamed, I slipped into the cold plunge bath. Set at an ideal 16°C, it cooled my body down perfectly, and then I moved to the outdoor relaxation area. The number of chairs seemed a little on the short side — I had a feeling that when the place gets busier, finding a seat could be a problem. But it was still morning, so there weren't many other guests, and I had no trouble finding a chair. I rested for a while, then repeated the cycle — soaking in the garden-view bath, heading back to the sauna, finishing with the cold plunge — three sets in total. My body was in perfect shape.
Leaving the main bath behind, I relaxed and thought about the rest of the day's plan. This was the last day of the trip. Normally I would head back to Tokushima after one more sauna session in the evening, but at that moment I was filled with a deep sense of satisfaction — probably because I had been able to soak in a wonderfully open space, exactly the kind I love most. I found myself thinking, I could just go home right now and be perfectly happy.
There's a psychological principle called the Peak-End Rule, which holds that the overall impression of an experience is determined by two things: the moment of peak emotional intensity and how it ends. In other words, if you want a great trip, pay attention to the ending.
Applying that idea, I concluded that the best move was to make this moment — when I felt absolutely on top of the world, my peak — also my ending. It's the kind of thing you can only do when traveling solo, but sometimes that flexibility to reshape your plans according to your mood and the experiences you've had is exactly what's needed.
I had a delicious oyakodon at a nearby restaurant and then pointed the car toward home in Tokushima. My Osaka sauna trip was now complete. Next week, a Nagoya sauna trip awaits — a two-night, three-day plan to visit some well-known facilities.
