「SPA&HOTEL Suishun Matsuiyamate」 Experience Story

Another week of hard work completed. Though to be honest, even during work hours, my mind is constantly on saunas and cold baths. As the weekend approaches, I get excited wondering where to go this week. I absolutely love this feeling. Sometimes I think it would be amazing if I could go on sauna trips every day. But it's precisely because of weekdays that weekends are so enjoyable. This is undeniable. If I traveled every day, it would become routine, and I'd lose the excitement, freshness, and insights that travel brings. I'd lose gratitude too. Humans are creatures of habit, so alternating between routine and adventure through weekend sauna trips is the optimal solution. At least that's what I tell myself. Going to different places on weekends also enriches my sauna sessions at my home facility. It's perhaps similar to the foolish human psychology of only appreciating your partner after cheating on them. This week I decided to go to Kyoto. I've recently become completely obsessed with groundwater cold baths, and when I think groundwater, Kyoto comes to mind. It's said that beneath Kyoto lies groundwater reserves comparable to Lake Biwa, and there are many hot spring facilities that luxuriously use this groundwater. I could have left Saturday morning, but that would mean too much travel time. So I'll start my journey Friday night. This is how my sauna trips begin. Friday afternoon, I searched for a hotel for that night. Ideally somewhere I could stay overnight while enjoying sauna and cold baths. While looking through Kyoto's sauna facilities, the phrase "carbonated cold bath" caught my eye. Warm carbonated springs are common at various hot spring facilities. But a carbonated cold bath is extremely rare. What would that feel like? I definitely wanted to experience it. With that thought, I decided to make a reservation. That hotel was "SPA&HOTEL Suishun Matsuiyamate." I finished work at 6 PM and got in my car. After entering Awaji Island via the Naruto Strait, I drove for a while. Getting hungry, I decided to eat first and got off at Sumoto Interchange. Right after the exit, there were several restaurants. Hamburger and pork cutlet shops lined up. I thought it might be a bit heavy before sauna, but decided on tonkatsu anyway. I didn't realize this was a poor choice at the time. I ordered the roast tonkatsu set meal, but found myself eating slower than expected. My body seemed to be rejecting the oil. Still, I took my time and finished everything. My stomach felt somewhat heavy. Well, I still had nearly two hours to Kyoto, so I figured it would digest easily. I was being too optimistic. From Sumoto Interchange, I got back on the highway and drove straight to Tarumi. The exhilaration of crossing the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge at night and entering the Kobe area is incredible. As always, I let out a triumphant yell. But my stomach still felt heavy. From Tarumi, I took the Second Hanshin Expressway through Nishinomiya → Takarazuka → Suita, gradually approaching Kyoto. The roads were clear, so it looked like I could make it to Kyoto without stops. I arrived at "SPA&HOTEL Suishun Matsuiyamate" just before 9 PM. After checking in, I was ready to enjoy the sauna and carbonated cold bath, but then stomach pain struck. I was confined to the room's toilet for about 30 minutes before finally feeling better. Whether I was already unwell or the Awaji Island tonkatsu didn't agree with me, it was an unexpected setback. After resting for a while and feeling better, I went to the public bath around 10 PM. The moment I entered, I was shocked by the crowds. There seemed to be few hotel guests, but many day visitors. Groups of what appeared to be high school and college students were particularly noticeable. Online reviews had mentioned crowding, and they were right. "Damn," I thought internally. I welcome crowds. But I wish groups that use hot spring facilities as hangout spots would disappear. They take up space in groups and talk loudly. This isn't an izakaya, I wanted to say. Generally, people who come to saunas in noisy groups also lack proper sauna room and bath etiquette. Their proper place isn't the sauna—it's an izakaya. Pulling myself together, I cleansed myself and looked for a less crowded bath. "SPA&HOTEL Suishun Matsuiyamate" has an incredible variety of baths—probably Kyoto's largest. They have carbonated springs, milky baths, jet baths, flowing hot springs, mist saunas, high-temperature saunas, cold baths, and more. The flowing hot spring was relatively empty, so I slowly warmed my body there. Hot springs boost natural healing when you're feeling unwell. While intense sauna and cold bath cycles are great, today my body was asking to soak slowly in the hot spring. After about 20 minutes of half-body bathing, I felt quite relaxed. Considering my condition, I thought one set might be enough for today. I headed to the sauna room and sat on the upper bench. "SPA&HOTEL Suishun Matsuiyamate's" sauna room is a far-infrared dry sauna with some modifications—sauna stones can be heated for löyly sessions. Regular löyly sessions seem to occur, maintaining a nice balance of aroma and humidity. Very pleasant. But the customers were extremely noisy—those same groups from earlier were disrupting the peaceful atmosphere even in the sauna room. I forced my eyes closed and focused inward. After a while, I was sweating considerably, so I decided to enter the cold bath. The carbonated cold bath I'd been looking forward to. The cold bath thermometer read 13.7°C. I expected it to be fizzy as I entered. But here too, I was in for an unexpected experience. After about 10 seconds in the cold bath, sharp pain shot through my private area. A constricting pain. It became difficult to stay in, so I got out temporarily. What was that? After calming down a bit, I tried again. Still painful. Weren't other customers experiencing pain? I thought, but no one showed similar reactions. However, it was true that no one stayed in the cold bath for long. Thinking rationally, carbonated baths have vasodilating effects. Meanwhile, cold water baths cause vasoconstriction. The competing effects of cold water constriction and carbonation-induced dilation likely confused blood vessels and nerves, creating intense stimulation (pain) in sensitive areas. Strangely, despite the crowds, only the cold bath had noticeable empty spots. Everyone's probably hiding it, but they likely experience the same pain I do. With this logic, the second set would probably be equally painful, so I decided to test it. I entered the sauna room again and heated my body to the limit. Then I rinsed off the sweat and entered the cold bath. Instantly, that constricting sensation hit my private area with pain. Unable to bear it, I got out of the cold bath. I don't think "low water temperature" is the cause. I've entered single-digit temperature cold baths (under 10°C) at various facilities, but never experienced this pain. The lowest was 5°C at Wellbe Fukuoka, but no pain occurred there. Definitely, carbonation and cold baths don't mix well. Instead of staying in the cold bath, I cooled my body with a cold shower before leaving. Between the stomach upset, the crowded bathhouse, and the incomplete experience with the carbonated cold bath, it was somewhat unsatisfying, but this too is part of sauna travel. Not every facility delivers the fantasy experience you imagine. Actually going and experiencing it teaches you things and provides new insights. I returned to my room to sleep soundly. A good night's sleep should fix my stomach.

I woke up at 6 AM the next morning. After last night's sauna, I was reading when drowsiness hit and I fell asleep. Having slept soundly for about 7 hours, it was a good awakening. My stomach seemed fine too. Completely recovered. Evidence of this: my stomach was growling with hunger. Morning began with my usual routine. Hydrate, brush teeth, and go for a morning walk. While I usually walk around parks near home daily, when traveling I can enjoy exploring neighborhoods, which feels fresh and nice. I'd never been to Matsuiyamate in my life, so I took a longer walk. It seemed like a calm bedroom community. Elegant condominiums lined up with no seedy establishments. It felt like a bedroom community for major corporation salarymen commuting to Kyoto and Osaka. After my walk, I decided to take a morning bath. Being able to enjoy hot springs from morning is truly wonderful. Entering the bathhouse, the scene was completely different from last night. Few people, mostly hotel guests. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their morning bath. First I cleansed myself, then slowly soaked in the carbonated bath. While watching morning news, I relaxed for about 15 minutes. Then I soaked in the flowing hot spring, took a cold shower, and finished. Normally I'd want to enter the cold bath, but I avoided the carbonated cold bath due to the pain. Afterward, I enjoyed the breakfast buffet and leisurely drank coffee. Returning to my room to write blog articles, checkout time was approaching. I'd already decided where to go next. Moving to central Kyoto to experience morning sauna and an exquisite cold bath. When it comes to Kyoto's ultimate cold baths, it's "Hakusanyu." The Takatsuji location was closed today, so I'd visit the Rokujo branch instead. Having fully recovered and feeling great, I checked out of the hotel and drove toward "Hakusanyu Rokujo Store."