I wake up around 5:30 every morning. After getting up, I take a 30-minute walk through a nearby park. As I walk, my mind wanders through various thoughts. That particular day, I felt an intense craving: "I need some serious stimulation." "Alright, let's head to Hakata," I decided on pure instinct. The plan crystallized instantly: explore the vibrant streets of Nakasu and Tenjin, achieve perfect totonou in a sauna, maybe visit Dazaifu the next day, then head home. With my mind made up, I sprang into action. After a quick morning shower, I jumped in my car and hit the expressway from Naruto IC, driving straight through to Okayama. The early morning roads were blissfully empty. From Okayama, I caught the shinkansen to Hakata—about two hours of gazing out the window, lost in thought and reading. Time flew by. I savored Hakata ramen for lunch and indulged in motsunabe for dinner. Pure satisfaction. But there was one essential stop I had to make in Hakata. And no, it wasn't the red-light district in Nakasu—it was Wellbe Fukuoka. The bottom line? I was absolutely stunned by that cold plunge. Five degrees Celsius. The coldest I'd ever experienced was 8°C at Centurion Hotel & Spa Vintage Kobe, but this obliterated that record. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I couldn't suppress the gasps that escaped my lips. Fortunately, other patrons—my fellow warriors—were making similar sounds, which was oddly comforting. Despite thoroughly heating my body in the sauna, I couldn't last even 30 seconds in that icy water. My body was chilled to its core—literally frozen solid. I collapsed into a rest area chair like I'd been knocked unconscious, feeling my blood slowly circulate back to life. Before I knew it, I'd completed five full sets. That cold plunge is dangerously addictive.

But that legendary cold plunge isn't the only star of the show—the saunas are equally spectacular. The men's facility features two Finnish-style saunas, and I was completely smitten with the 'Forest Sauna.' Beyond the obvious pleasure of self-löyly sessions, there's a brilliant design feature: an 18°C cold bath right inside the sauna itself. When you hit your heat threshold, you can cool down instantly without leaving the room. Then comes the genius part—'cold bath hopping.' You graduate from the 18°C internal bath to the main 5°C arctic plunge, creating a perfectly orchestrated two-stage cooldown sequence. It's an experience you simply can't replicate at other facilities.