Modern times are an era in which efficiency is valued above all else. Thanks to the advancement of IT technology, we can get products without ever going to the place itself, experience things virtually through videos, and even instantly generate all kinds of things using AI. And yet, when it comes to hot springs and saunas, no matter how hard you try, you still have to bring your own body there and experience them directly. The reason I am so drawn to sauna trips is that they are an extremely life-affirming act, and because they allow me to feel vividly and intensely that I am alive. With those thoughts in mind, I arrived at Genki Onsen Banpaku Oyuba in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. In fact, just 30 minutes earlier, I had been in a sauna at Saito Natural Hot Spring Sumire no Yu. And before that, I had already done a morning sauna in Kyoto. In other words, even though it was still before noon, this was already my third bath of the day. Sauna enthusiasts might nod along and say, "That's great!" but to an ordinary person, it would surely look like madness, nothing but bizarre behavior. For me, however, that very abnormal intensity is the true delight of travel. Even before noon, the facility was bustling with a large crowd. I passed through the clean, welcoming lobby and checked in at reception. On the way to the public bath area, I made sure to carefully look over the restaurant menu as well. Imagining what to eat after bathing while entering the sauna is another part of the fun. I shed my clothes in the changing room and stepped into the large bath area. The first thing that caught my eye was the indoor bath, with its high ceiling and wonderfully open feel. In addition to the many washing stations, there were all kinds of baths lined up. The indoor sauna was also perfectly arranged, with a double setup of a far-infrared heater and a stone stove, and right beside it stood the cold plunge bath. But what truly captured my heart was the open-air area. The spacious open-air rock bath was continuously fed by natural hot spring water. To fill such a vast rock bath with hot spring water would require an exceptionally abundant supply. The overwhelming sense of freedom while soaking under the blue sky was exactly my kind of thing. In addition to this rock bath, the open-air area also offered three other types of tubs and a sauna. And that open-air sauna was the star of the day's activities, an exquisite space beyond compare. After finishing my tour of the facility, I took a quick shower and immediately sank into the natural hot spring in the open air. A warm soak in the liberating rock bath was, as expected, exceptional. Since this was already my third bath of the day, my body warmed up unusually fast. For the first session, I decided to start with the indoor far-infrared sauna. On the TV inside, a highlight reel of major league great plays was being shown, and I warmed myself up slowly while gazing at it absentmindedly. Once I had worked up a good sweat, I left the sauna room and cooled off sharply in the indoor cold plunge bath right next to it. There was no temperature display, but by feel it was around 17-18°C. The sensation was strong without being overwhelming, making it comfortable enough to stay in for a long time. From there, I moved to the open-air area, bathed in sunlight, and enjoyed a liberating outdoor air bath while looking up at the blue sky. In the reclining space, many men were already completely out of it. If I lay down in such an open space, I would surely lose consciousness too. After enjoying the outdoor air bath for a while, I finally headed to the main event for my second session: the open-air löyly sauna. This sauna was unbelievably wonderful. It had space for about 12 people, arranged in a circular layout around the sauna stove at the front center. The room temperature was probably around 85°C. What stood out most was how dark it was, almost pitch-black unless you opened the door. That atmosphere was perfect for meditation and turning inward. After a while, the automatic löyly that runs once every 12 minutes began. To my surprise, the löyly went on for a very long time. Water was being poured onto the sauna stones for nearly a full minute. What is more, the way the water was applied was exquisite. Rather than dumping a large volume all at once, it was poured little by little like a shower, creating a careful buildup in which the heat inside the sauna gradually and steadily intensified. Löyly is not simply a matter of pouring a lot of water. If you pour it all at once, the wave of heat becomes stronger and stronger, leaving you with a stressful, skin-searing sensation. But this sauna was meticulously designed so that the steam spread slowly and gradually, and it felt absolutely wonderful. By the end, the perceived temperature had risen nicely, and it was more than sufficiently perfect. I left the sauna room and once again headed to the indoor cold plunge bath. The one thing I found a little disappointing here was that there was no cold plunge bath in the open-air area. The move from the open-air sauna to the indoor cold plunge bath inevitably creates a time lag. There is a round jacuzzi tub right next to the open-air sauna exit, but if that were converted into a cold plunge bath, the flow from sauna to cold plunge bath and then to outdoor air bath would become seamless, making it an absolutely perfect setup with nothing for a sauna lover to complain about. For my second outdoor air bath, I lay down among the many other unconscious men, and before long I too, like everyone else, drifted off for a while. Regaining my composure, I went for a third session. Let this be the final session of the day. Once again I headed to the open-air löyly sauna and let myself be steamed slowly by the exquisitely long löyly. Then I entered the indoor cold plunge bath and brought my sauna activities here to a close.

Genki Onsen Banpaku Oyuba was an outstanding facility that far exceeded my expectations. In accordance with the peak-end rule, I decided to end this sauna trip with the superb experience I had here. It had been a while since I last went on a sauna trip, but travel is still the best. Experiencing new spaces that you would never encounter in everyday life and visiting towns you have never been to broadens your horizons. Whether the experience surpasses expectations or not, everything becomes part of your own personal treasure. What I like most of all is that it is a real experience using your own body. In today's highly digital world, where everything can be completed virtually, the value of feeling the heat with your own skin, tightening yourself in cold water, and regulating your breathing in the outdoor air is immeasurable. And the meal you eat after an exceptional sauna and hot spring bath is especially delicious. A sauna trip is one of the most precious acts for human beings, allowing you to feel in every fiber of your body that you are alive. With that truth deeply engraved in my heart, I set off for home.