I called a taxi from Yurakkusu and headed to Yuya Suizen Luxury Sauna & Spa. The conversation with the driver flowed naturally the whole way.
Driver: "Did you enjoy Yurakkusu?"
Me: "Absolutely. It was incredible — the perfect sauna to close out 2025."
Driver: "I thought you'd say that. Actually, I'm a regular there myself. It's open 24 hours, so I always drop by after my shift. Whenever I drive a customer heading to Yurakkusu, I always think to myself, 'I wish I could join them' — ha!"
Me: "If I lived in Kumamoto, I'd definitely go every single day."
Driver: "Ha! You're a serious sauna fan. By the way, the hotel you're heading to now is something else too. It has a completely different concept from Yurakkusu — all about luxury. The price is high, so it's never too crowded. Once you get in, you'll understand what makes it special. If you're staying the night, you can go in both the evening and morning. Enjoy it to the fullest. Have a wonderful trip."
Me: "Thank you so much!"
With that, I stepped out of the taxi at my destination. I was now standing in front of Matsuya Bekkan, a long-established ryokan in Kumamoto that houses Yuya Suizen Luxury Sauna & Spa. After checking in and dropping my bags in the Japanese-modern style room, I decided to take a stroll around the area. Suizenji Park was just a short walk from the hotel, so I enjoyed the beautiful garden at a leisurely pace. From there, I wandered through the lively streets near Kumamoto Castle before heading back to the hotel — and finally, toward the sauna.
Yuya Suizen Luxury Sauna & Spa was on the second floor of the hotel. Stepping off the elevator, I was greeted by elegant Japanese-style art objects, and beyond them, a space radiating quiet luxury. There was a lounge offering complimentary Kumamoto tea, natural Aso water, and coffee, with a co-working space right next door. If I could, I'd love to stay here for a week and work from this place.
Walking deeper through the lounge, I spotted the entrance to the men's bathing area. Passing through the noren curtain, I found a row of immaculately clean lockers. I quickly sorted my things and walked down the corridor toward the baths — a passage that felt like walking the hallway of a fine traditional restaurant. Inside the main bath area, the layout revealed an open-air relaxation space on the right, a radium hot spring and cold plunge bath in the center, and the sauna tucked away to the left at the back.
The moment I saw the sauna, I was speechless. Built entirely from hinoki cypress, it was simply beautiful. Slender pieces of wood were laid in dense rows to form the walls and benches, expressing the meticulous care and attention of the craftspeople who built it. At the center of the sauna room stood a rocky stove piled high with sauna stones, set up for self-service löyly using the facility's own aromatic water. And to top it all off, the entrance side of the sauna room was entirely glass — fully visible from outside and in. For a sauna this beautiful, that openness felt just right. It made me want to show myself to the world, meditating inside this designed space. And the slight tension of being watched straightened my back, pushing me to make the most of every moment in there. Look at me. I was in a strangely open, liberated mood.
That said, as much as I wanted to put on a show, I quickly realized I was the only one in the entire bathing area at that hour. An unexpected private session. Was I really allowed to have this entire luxury sauna all to myself? Could such indulgence be permitted? Of course it could. Enjoy it to your heart's content. Come on in. The sauna seemed to be calling my name.
I was drawn in as if by gravity. Inside, the scent of hinoki and aromatic water mingled in the air, and a sharp, clean heat enveloped me. The temperature was around 100°C — set on the higher end. I settled onto the hinoki bench, letting the heat wash over me while my eyes traced the beautiful construction of the room — each piece of wood arranged with perfect regularity. After a while, I poured the aromatic water over the stones for a löyly. A citrusy fragrance bloomed through the steam and filled the room. I breathed it in deeply through my nose, savoring every bit of it alone. What an extravagant moment.
After the sauna, I sank into the cold plunge bath filled with natural Aso groundwater. The temperature felt around 18°C. In that moment, I experienced a sensation I had never felt before. I was the only one there, in a space entirely my own. Floating slowly in the cold water, I felt my heart rate gradually settle. It wasn't that I was in the water — it was as though I existed as part of the water itself. Wrapped in the soft embrace of the groundwater, I felt like I was being gently restored.
After the cold plunge, I moved to the dedicated relaxation space. Here too, a number of thoughtful touches guided me toward deep rest. Four chairs were arranged in a dim, silent room, each separated by partitions that created a fully private cocoon. No need to think about who might be sitting beside you. In a space entirely your own, you could direct every bit of awareness inward and simply relax. Just as in the cold plunge bath, I felt it again — not that the space existed for me, but that I was a part of the space.
For my second sauna set, I laid a bath towel on the bench and decided to lie down for my session. With no one else around and the sauna spacious enough, I could stay stretched out even if someone did come in. I love taking a sauna lying down. It's a completely different sensation from sitting upright. First, I did a self-service löyly to generate a big cloud of steam, then waved my towel around like a one-person aufguss, filling the room with the aroma. Then I lay back on the bench and slowly closed my eyes. The body, cooled by the cold plunge, gradually unwinding in the sauna's heat. After a wave of soothing warmth, sweat began to surface across my skin. The heat wrapped my whole body evenly, warming me from head to toe at the same steady pace. I sat up and did one final löyly to push the perceived temperature even higher. When I reached my limit, I made straight for the cold plunge.
Once again, I felt the joy of that sensation — body and water becoming one — as the heat slowly left me. Then it was back to the supreme relaxation space. By the time I finished these two sets, another guest had finally come in. The fact that I had been able to have this beautiful space entirely to myself was nothing short of a miracle. With a heart full of gratitude, I lost track of time and did one more set. That brought my sauna session for the day to a close.
As I mentioned earlier, feeling truly at one with the water and the space itself may have been a first for me. It felt like I had climbed another step as a seasoned sauna-goer. Until now, I had experienced pleasure and relaxation, but I had always remained a separate, independent presence — never quite part of the space itself. The fact that I discovered this feeling on the very last sauna trip of 2025 feels like a stroke of rare and remarkable luck.
After the sauna came the highlight I'd been looking forward to: a proper meal. Since this was the last trip of the year, I decided to treat myself to horse meat cuisine at the hotel's restaurant. I took a seat alone at the counter and ordered a premium assorted basashi (raw horse sashimi) and horse meat shabu-shabu. I started with the basashi. Personally, horse meat is my favorite of all meats. It has none of the cloying heaviness of fatty cuts, and the texture — lean, clean, almost athletic — is irresistible. Sitting at the counter, quietly savoring my meal, I felt a certain satisfaction wash over me, and found myself thinking: well done, self. You made it through another year.
After dinner, I returned to my room, enjoyed some Kuro-tou Donutsu-bo (brown sugar donut sticks), a beloved Kumamoto confection, along with green tea as dessert, and settled in front of the TV. Drowsiness crept up on me before long. Time to sleep. Tomorrow I had a morning sauna planned starting at 6 a.m. A good night's rest was in order. With a smile on my face — already looking forward to another beautiful space and another sauna session in the morning — I drifted off to sleep.
