After spending enough time going to saunas, you start to think: I want my own private sauna. You imagine installing a barrel sauna on your home balcony, drilling a well for a cold plunge bath fed by groundwater, setting a reclining chair right next to it, and soaking morning and night. It's a blissful daydream. But here's the thing — once you actually build it, you get bored. Humans are creatures of habit who eventually tire of everything, and before long that home sauna becomes a glorified storage shed, and you end up paying to visit a sauna facility anyway.
If you want to enjoy a private sauna experience, you don't have to build one yourself. Japan has plenty of reservation-only private saunas for small groups. They cost more than a public bathhouse, but they've become popular for the quality of time and space they offer. I usually enjoy onsen and saunas in large communal baths, but I've been finding myself wanting that private experience more and more — and so I finally decided to give it a try.
sauna kolme kylä is a sauna facility located in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. I burst out laughing the moment I arrived. The parking lot sign read "Chu-Sa-Jo" — a pun blending the word for parking lot with "sauna." You could immediately sense the depth of the owner's passion. Stepping inside from the stylish exterior, I was greeted by a pleasant aroma and an open, airy space. It was spotlessly clean, and my first impression was excellent.
At the front desk, I received an orientation on the rules and was asked, "Do you have a swimsuit with you?" "No, I don't," I replied. I was then informed that swimwear is required at this facility and that I would need to rent some. For me — someone accustomed to entering a sauna completely nude — this was an unusual experience. Wearing a swimsuit in a sauna is actually fairly common at private sauna facilities.
I was guided upstairs to the locker room on the second floor to shower first. At a public bathhouse, the shower, hot bath, and sauna are all in the same space — but not here. The flow was: freshen up at the second-floor lockers → put on a swimsuit → head down to the first floor to start the sauna. I was slightly thrown off by the more refined layout compared to a typical bathhouse, but I was finally ready to begin.
sauna kolme kylä has two types of saunas. There's mökki, meaning "log cabin," and the main sauna moimoi, which features wave-shaped bench tiers.
For the first set, I chose mökki. True to its log cabin theme, the compact space seats about four people and is almost completely dark. The only light inside comes from the flames of the stove. You can gaze at the flickering fire, listen to the sound of burning wood, and turn inward for a quiet conversation with yourself. Being a private sauna, I had the entire space to myself. Not another soul. I lay down on the bench, closed my eyes, and focused on the sound of the stove and the rhythm of my heartbeat.
It was only the first set, but I already understood the magic of a private sauna. You get to enjoy the sauna entirely on your own terms. At a public bathhouse, there are usually plenty of people around — some talking loudly in the sauna room. When it's crowded, you sometimes have to wait your turn for the sauna or cold plunge bath. None of that applies here. With a fixed maximum capacity, you can always use the facility comfortably. The premium price is well worth it.
I fell into a deep meditative state during that first set, then eased into the 16°C cold plunge bath. Next came the moment I'd been waiting for: the outdoor air bath. The second-floor area above the bathing space served as the outdoor cooling zone, and I sank into a reclining chair. Once again, the brilliance of the private sauna hit me. With so few people, of course there was a chair available, and there was plenty of space to spread out. I could enjoy the cooldown in total comfort. At a public bathhouse, if someone's already in the chair, you're out of luck — and if people are chatting loudly nearby, it can pull you out of your relaxation. At a public bath, relaxation is a matter of luck. At a private sauna, it's guaranteed.
For the second set, I entered the main sauna, moimoi. This sauna features two Harvia stoves — one with auto-löyly and one for self-service löyly. The interior design is stunning, with wave-curved benches as the centerpiece. Light-colored wood is used throughout, and natural light streams in through the windows, keeping the room bright and warm. The contrast in atmosphere with the dark, cabin-themed mökki is striking. The moment I stepped inside, the bright, beautifully designed space immediately put me at ease.
I sat on the top tier of the four-level bench. The soft design belied how seriously hot it was up there. With löyly and a temperature setting of 90°C, sweat poured out of me instantly. After sweating for a while, another guest who was sharing the sauna kindly did a self-service löyly. The humidity shot up in an instant, and sweat began cascading off me like a waterfall. I pushed my body to its limit and then plunged into the cold bath.
After the second-set cold plunge, I moved to the indoor relaxation space. Unlike the outdoor air bath, this area has climate-controlled air and a dimly lit atmosphere — perfect for a quiet cooldown after the sauna. Deeply comfortable. sauna kolme kylä's design is genuinely outstanding; every single corner of the facility feels carefully considered. It felt like experiencing a sauna inside a work of art.
For the third set, I returned to mökki and lay alone in the cabin sauna, focusing every nerve on my breathing and my body's responses. The cabin's atmosphere helped carry me somewhere else entirely — by the time I stepped out, I had the distinct sensation of having visited another world. While cooling down in the cold plunge, an announcement came: "We will be holding an aufguss event — anyone interested is welcome to join." An aufguss at a private sauna? What a thoughtful touch. Given the exceptional design of the entire facility and the high quality of the saunas so far, I fully expected the aufguss to be something special too. That hunch proved exactly right.
The aufguss was held in the main sauna, moimoi. I took a seat on the second tier, which gets gentler heat. The female heat master introduced herself and explained the löyly. Then came a first in my life: a coffee löyly. Ethiopian coffee beans were placed on top of the sauna stove, and the steam passed through them, filling the room with a rich, roasted aroma. It felt like sitting in a café while taking a sauna. I never imagined I'd be sweating it out in a sauna while savoring the scent of coffee. After the coffee löyly came green tea blended with mint, followed by hojicha. Wrapped in gentle waves of heat and a wonderful succession of aromas, I sweated in absolute bliss.
In total, I completed four sets and enjoyed a truly magnificent sauna experience. I had never imagined a private sauna could be this comfortable. sauna kolme kylä in particular, as I've described, excels in its overall design — from the entrance and lounge to the lockers, sauna rooms, cold plunge bath, and outdoor relaxation space, not a single detail has been overlooked. No matter where you looked, the scene before you made you think: this is lovely. If I lived in Okayama City, I would visit sauna kolme kylä once a week and lose myself in a high-quality sauna experience in total privacy. With that thought in my mind, I got in my car and headed to my next destination.
