Staying overnight at a sauna facility. Is there a more luxurious way to spend time? At night I go to the sauna, eat great food, and sleep soundly. In the morning I get up and go to the sauna right away. There’s no travel hassle. When you wake up, you’re already at the sauna. To savor that luxury, tonight I’m staying at Shinshu Health Land. In the morning I was at Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel in Chino City, so captivated by the spectacular view of Lake Shirakaba that I did six sets. Still buzzing from that, I headed from Chino Station toward Shiojiri Station by JR. However, the schedule was seriously disrupted due to an accident involving a person. I arrived at Chino Station at 4:00 p.m., but the train scheduled to depart at 2:00 p.m. had not yet arrived. When I asked the station staff if I could get to Shiojiri Station, they replied, "The train that was supposed to depart at 2:00 will be here soon, so please take that one!" I wasn’t sure whether it was right to call it luck given the accident situation, but for me it was a wonderful turn of events. I bought a ticket immediately and went down to the platform, and the train slid in. I jumped on. When I stepped off at Shiojiri Station I could see the ridgeline of the Northern Alps in the distance. I could also see my destination, Shinshu Health Land. After a short walk I arrived at the entrance. It’s a large-scale facility. Locals and tourists mix together and the building hums with energy. After checking in I went to my room. It was a simple room, not as nice as a business hotel. But inside this building there are exquisite saunas, great food, and reasonably priced lodging. No complaints allowed. I rested in the room for a while and headed to the main bath as evening fell. The moment I entered the bathing area I was overwhelmed by its scale. An enormous variety of baths stood in a row. There were four saunas and two cold plunge baths. A sauna lover’s dream lineup. I cleansed myself and first warmed up in the herbal bath. The herbal scent teased my nostrils and my body temperature rose gradually. I was ready. Set 1. I chose Shinken SAUNA without hesitation. The moment I opened the door, the space matched my tastes. No TV. No thermometer. No background music. A dark, modern space lit only by indirect lighting. All unnecessary information had been stripped away. This room was designed solely for facing yourself. Self-löyly was possible and the humidity was very high. There was no temperature display so I couldn’t be precise, but it felt close to 90℃. Thanks to the humidity, sweat poured out relentlessly. And by some stroke of luck, it was private. I had the room to myself. This is the best! I shouted. With nobody around, I did it again. This is the best! Shouting made me feel even more excited. I had been yelling at Lake Shirakaba too, and here I couldn’t stop either. I poured water on the sauna stones for self-löyly to add steam and warmed my body thoroughly. Of the four saunas, I was convinced this one was the most wonderful. Then the cold plunge bath. Immediately after leaving Shinken SAUNA I sank into the "Alps Cold Spring." A single-person cold plunge bath made of Shigaraki ware was being constantly refreshed with natural underground water from the Northern Alps. 14℃. The instant I submerged, a refreshing sensation like mint water swept through my entire body. It felt unbelievably good. It was different from the Tateshina Yamabushi spring water I soaked in by Lake Shirakaba at noon; this was the power of Northern Alps water. Being a single-person bath, I didn’t have to worry about others. I was monopolizing this luxurious cold plunge bath. I moved to the outdoor area for an outdoor cool-down. I leaned back in a chair and looked up at the night sky. A crescent moon shone. The stars were clear. The night breeze stroked my skin. The daytime view of Lake Shirakaba had been amazing, but an outdoor cool-down under the Shinshu starry sky was equally sublime. The best day continued. For set 2 I entered Reiwa Strong 90. The interior used hinoki cypress sourced from Nagano Prefecture and two sauna stoves were installed. 90℃. It was spacious and open, but there was a TV. The humidity was lower than in Shinken SAUNA and it felt a bit dry. It took longer to start sweating, but I warmed my body steadily. I chose the cold plunge called Niagara. As the name suggests, water flowed down like a waterfall into this massive cold plunge bath. 18℃. It’s deep enough for submersion. I submerged my head without hesitation. Being able to submerge is truly great. The whole body cools in an instant. However, I noticed a chlorine smell. The water quality was clearly different from the Alps Cold Spring. Although it’s advertised as groundwater flow-through, this cold plunge bath was likely circulating and filtered. Still, the pleasure of being able to submerge in such a large, deep bath was considerable. I did another outdoor cool-down while looking up at the stars. The crescent had moved slightly from before. Set 3. The final set. I returned to Shinken SAUNA. It was a complete change from the private first set; the room was packed. Sitting on the upper bench, someone began self-löyly. Water hissed on the sauna stones and steam filled the room at once. Voices of "hot!" rose from various places. I laughed before I knew it. There’s a sense of unity in a full self-löyly session. Strangers are wrapped in the same steam and react the same way. It’s fascinating. I finished with the Alps Cold Spring. The natural water from the Northern Alps quietly washed away the day’s travel fatigue.

I had a Shinshu specialty set meal at one of the facility’s restaurants. Everything was superb. After the sauna, Shinshu’s bounty soaked into my body. I returned to my room fully satisfied and collapsed into the futon. Or so I thought, but the neighboring room was noisy. I had no choice but to wear earplugs and fall asleep. That’s the reality of staying overnight at a health land. It was within expectations. The next morning I woke at 7:00 a.m. Staying at a sauna facility means you can get in the sauna the moment you wake up. You can’t miss that luxury. I decided on one morning set. It’s just to switch my body on. Today is the last day of this trip, and I have plans to visit another facility, so I shouldn’t use up too much energy in the morning. I entered Shinken SAUNA and gently woke my body. The morning sauna room was quiet. The nighttime bustle felt like a lie; a calm time flowed. I added one burst of steam with self-löyly and submerged in the Alps Cold Spring. The first natural Northern Alps water of the morning awoke every cell in my body. One set was enough to get me in perfect condition. After breakfast I checked out. Now the final day begins. My main target today is "Ringo no Yuya Obu~" in Matsumoto City. A cold plunge bath with Northern Alps spring water nano-processed awaits. Apparently it’s drinkable. I have high hopes that this facility is a fitting final destination for the trip. I can’t wait.