When frequenting saunas, there are times when you feel, "I want my own private sauna." You imagine placing a barrel sauna on your home's balcony, digging a well for a cold plunge bath with groundwater, placing a chair for reclining next to it, and entering the sauna both morning and night. It's a dream-like lifestyle. However, once you build it, that's the end. Humans are creatures that get bored, and eventually, the home sauna becomes just a storage space, and you end up paying to go to a sauna facility. If you want to enjoy a sauna privately, you don't need to build one yourself. In Japan, there are many reservation-based private saunas that can be enjoyed by small groups. They cost more than public baths, but they are popular for offering a quality time and space. I often enjoy hot springs and saunas in large public baths, but I've increasingly wanted to enjoy saunas in a private space, which led me to try a private sauna. "sauna kolme kylä" is a sauna facility located in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. I couldn't help but laugh as soon as I arrived. The parking lot sign read "Chūsa-jō," a pun combining "parking lot" and "sauna." It shows the owner's love for saunas. Upon entering the stylish exterior, I was greeted by an open space with a pleasant aroma. It's overflowing with cleanliness and leaves a very good impression. At the reception, I received explanations about usage precautions and was asked, "Do you have a swimsuit?" I replied, "No, I don't." Then I was informed, "At our facility, wearing a swimsuit is mandatory, so you need to rent one." For someone like me, who is used to entering saunas naked, this was a rare experience. Wearing a swimsuit in a sauna is common in private saunas. I was directed to the locker room on the second floor to take a shower first. In public bathhouses, showers, hot springs, and saunas are in the same space, but it's different here. The flow seems to be: cleanse yourself in the locker room on the second floor → put on a swimsuit → go down to the first floor to start the sauna. I was a bit confused by the refined flow, different from public baths, but I was finally able to start the sauna. "sauna kolme kylä" has two types of saunas: "mökki," meaning "cabin," and the main sauna "moimoi," characterized by its wave-shaped bench. For the first session, I decided to enter "mökki." "Mökki" is themed around a wooden cabin, with space for about four people to sit in a narrow cabin, and it's almost pitch dark. The only light illuminating the interior is the flame of the stove. You can converse with your inner self while watching the flickering flames and listening to the sound of burning wood. Since it's a private sauna, it's reserved just for me. There's no one else in this space. I lay down on the bench, closed my eyes, and focused on the sound of the stove and my heartbeat. Even though it was just the first session, I realized the greatness of a private sauna. You can enjoy the sauna in your own space. In a public bathhouse, there are usually many people, and some talk loudly in the sauna room. If it's crowded, you might have to wait to enter the sauna or cold plunge bath. In a private sauna, you're free from these issues. The number of people is limited, so you can always use it comfortably. It's worth the high cost. I fell into a deep meditative state from the first session and then entered the 16°C cold plunge bath. It was time for the long-awaited outdoor air bath. The second floor of the bathhouse was an outdoor air bath space, so I moved there and collapsed into a reclining chair. Again, I realized the greatness of a private sauna. With fewer people, I could naturally sit on a chair, and there was plenty of space. I could enjoy the outdoor air bath in a comfortable space. In a public bath, if there are people before you, you can't sit on a chair, and there might be people chatting loudly, which can be distracting. Whether you can relax in a public bath depends on "luck," but in a private sauna, you can "definitely" relax.

For the second session, I entered the main sauna "moimoi." This sauna is equipped with two Harvia stoves, one for automatic löyly and the other for self-löyly. The design of the sauna room is also wonderful, featuring benches that curve like waves. The use of bright-colored wood is consistent, and sunlight streams in through the windows, making the interior bright. The contrast in atmosphere with "mökki," which is themed around a wooden cabin, is remarkable. The bright atmosphere and lovely design healed my heart from the moment I entered the sauna room. I sat on the top tier of the four-tiered bench. Contrary to the soft design, the upper tier is intensely hot. With löyly and a temperature setting of 90°C, sweat pours out immediately. After sweating for a while, another guest sharing the sauna did a self-löyly. The humidity rose suddenly, and sweat flowed like a waterfall. I heated my body to the limit and entered the cold plunge bath. After the cold plunge bath of the second session, I moved to the indoor air bath space. Unlike the outdoor air bath, the room temperature is controlled by air conditioning, and the atmosphere is dark. You can feel the cool-down after the sauna in a quiet space. It's very comfortable. "sauna kolme kylä" has truly amazing design, and you can feel the attention to detail in every part of the facility. It feels like enjoying a sauna bath within art. For the third session, I returned to "mökki," lay down in the solitary cabin sauna, and focused all my nerves on my breathing and bodily reactions. The cabin's atmosphere helped, and by the time I left the sauna, I felt as if I had been in another world. While cooling my body in the cold plunge bath, I was informed, "We will be holding an aufguss event, so if you're interested, please join." How kind of them to offer an aufguss even in a private sauna. Given the facility's overall design and the high quality of the saunas, I expected a wonderful experience with the aufguss as well. That premonition was spot on. The aufguss took place in the main sauna "moimoi." I sat on the second tier, which was gentle in heat. A female heat master introduced herself and explained the löyly. Here, I had a first-time experience in my life. During this day's aufguss, I experienced "coffee löyly." Ethiopian coffee beans were placed on the sauna stove, and the steam generated passed through the coffee beans, filling the sauna room with a rich aroma. It felt like having a sauna bath in a coffee shop. I never thought I could enjoy the aroma of coffee while sweating in a sauna room. After the coffee löyly, löyly was done in the order of a blend of green tea and mint → roasted green tea. Wrapped in gentle heat waves and rich aromas, I was able to sweat in the best mood. In total, I enjoyed four sets of wonderful saunas. Before using it, I never imagined that a private sauna could be this comfortable. Especially "sauna kolme kylä," as mentioned earlier, excels in the design of the entire facility, with no shortcuts taken from the entrance of the store to the lounge space, lockers, sauna rooms, cold plunge baths, and outdoor air bath spaces. From every angle, the scenery that spreads out makes you feel, "Ah, it's wonderful." If I lived in Okayama City, I would visit "sauna kolme kylä" once a week to enjoy high-quality saunas in a private space. With such thoughts, I got into the car to head to my next destination.