I wake up every morning around 5:30. Once I'm up, I take a 30-minute walk in a nearby park, letting my mind wander. That particular morning, I felt a powerful urge: I need some serious stimulation. And just like that, the decision was made on instinct: Let's go to Hakata. I'd spend time exploring Nakasu and Tenjin, get a good totonou session at a sauna, then head to Dazaifu the next day before heading home. The whole travel plan came together in an instant. Once my mind was made up, I was out the door immediately. I jumped in the shower, got in the car, and hit the expressway from Naruto IC straight to Okayama. The highways were empty at that early hour. From Okayama, I hopped on the Shinkansen to Hakata — about two hours. I zoned out watching the scenery scroll past, did a bit of reading, and before I knew it, I'd arrived. For lunch I had Hakata ramen, and in the evening I savored motsunabe. I was thoroughly satisfied. But having come all the way to Hakata, there was one place I simply had to go. And no, I don't mean the adult entertainment of Nakasu. I'm talking about Wellbe Fukuoka.
The verdict: the cold plunge absolutely floored me. Five degrees Celsius. The coldest water bath I'd ever experienced before was the 8°C plunge at Centurion Hotel & Spa Vintage Kobe, but this blew right past that. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I let out a gasp. Fortunately, the other patrons — fellow sufferers — were gasping too, which put me at ease. Even after warming up thoroughly in the sauna, I couldn't stay in for more than 30 seconds. But my body was chilled to the core. I was essentially frozen solid. I collapsed into a chair in the rest area and just lay there, feeling the blood slowly work its way back through my veins. Before I knew it, I'd done 5 sets. This cold plunge is genuinely addictive.
The cold plunge isn't the only thing that's outstanding — the saunas are exceptional too. The men's bathing area has two Finnish-style saunas. My personal favorite was the Forest Sauna. Not only can you enjoy self-serve löyly, but there's also a cold water bath inside the sauna itself (around 18°C), so when you hit your heat limit, you can cool down right there on the spot. From there, you can hop over to the 5°C plunge as a second stage of cooling — a two-step cooldown that's hard to find anywhere else.
