「Wellbe Sakae」 - A Visit

The end of my sauna pilgrimage was finally coming into view. My final destination was Nagoya's sauna holy land: "Wellbe Sakae." Any serious sauna enthusiast in Japan has heard this name at least once. It's said to be the closest thing to authentic Finnish sauna you'll find in Japan. I boarded the shinkansen bound for Nagoya from Shizuoka Station. About an hour later, I arrived at Nagoya Station. Most tourists would be amazed by the urban sophistication around Nagoya Station and head off to Instagram-worthy tourist spots or grab some miso katsu or hitsumabushi. But I'm different. The moment I arrived at Nagoya Station, I jumped straight into a taxi and gave my destination: "Wellbe Sakae, please." The driver struck up a conversation, saying, "You look like a sauna lover, young man." So I proudly replied, "Yes, I absolutely love saunas! I'm on a sauna journey right now—I've been to Kobe Sauna, Ogaki Sauna, and Sauna Shikiji too." However, the driver just responded with a lukewarm "Oh, that's nice" with little enthusiasm. Apparently, he didn't know about these places. I thought he was a fellow sauna enthusiast, but apparently not... After about 10 minutes in the taxi, I arrived at Wellbe Sakae. The exterior and entrance looked exactly like what I'd seen in the drama "Sauna Way." I got so excited that I took photos of the building's facade. After checking in, I headed to the locker room. I stripped down at lightning speed and made my way to the main bath area. I stood before the door. Beyond this threshold lay the world of Finland. I took a deep breath to contain my excitement and opened the door. Entering the main bath area, I saw the main sauna on the right and a 12°C cold bath on the left. As I walked a bit further, something caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks. Beyond the "Forest Sauna," a Finnish forest was spread out before me. In this dimly lit space, a "forest" decorated with birch trees and vihta stretched out, with multiple reclining chairs arranged for indoor air bathing. The scent of the forest filled the air, and I felt like I might achieve "ととのう" (the perfect sauna state) before even entering a sauna. Pulling myself together, I cleansed my body and decided to experience the Forest Sauna first. Minimal light filtered in through small windows, with lighting kept to a minimum. Of course, there were no TVs or background music. It was a space where you could thoroughly face yourself. Fortunately, my timing coincided with hotel guests checking out, so I had the Forest Sauna all to myself. In this incredible space, I was completely alone. I closed my eyes and turned my consciousness inward to my body. The heat was gentle and comfortable. After a while, I began to sweat, and my heart rate started to rise. At that moment, I decided to do some self-löyly. I poured water on the sauna stones, generating steam. The humidity shot up instantly, and sweat poured out of me. It was quite hot, but comfortable. I believe a good sauna is a "mellow sauna" where you can feel pleasure even within the heat. When I reached my limit, I headed straight for the 12°C cold bath. It was incredibly cold. My body, heated by the Forest Sauna, cooled down instantly. After enjoying the cold bath, it was time to relax in the Finnish forest. I lay back in a chair in this space filled with the scents of vihta and birch, focusing my consciousness on my heartbeat and the sensations on my skin. Then came that supremely blissful moment. While enjoying the scent of the Finnish forest, I reflected on this pilgrimage journey, feeling even happier. I was completely in the zone, but this was only my first set. I wanted to enjoy the other saunas too. For my second set, I moved to the main sauna. The sauna stove was massive—probably custom-made. An aufguss session with this would deliver incredibly pleasant heat waves. Wellbe Sakae's main sauna has a place where you can lie down while sauna bathing. I moved to that spot. Once again, I had it all to myself. I lay down like in a bedrock bath and enjoyed the sauna in a relaxed state. Since I'm usually sitting, this was a fresh sensation. My whole body warmed evenly. Perhaps because the sauna's heat was so gentle, I could feel relaxed even in the heat. For my second set, I also entered the 12°C cold bath and relaxed in the Finnish forest. I hadn't noticed it in the first set, but the background sounds of birdsong were soothing. The recreated Finnish forest atmosphere, scents, and healing sounds sharpened all five senses. This might be the most pleasant sauna experience I've ever had. I was glad I came to Wellbe Sakae at the end of my journey. For my third set, I returned to the Forest Sauna. I did self-löyly and meditated in the quiet space. My heart rate kept climbing. I was about to head to the cold bath when the "Ice Sauna & Cold Bath" next to the Forest Sauna caught my attention. It's a crazy space with a room temperature of -25°C and water temperature of 0°C. It's apparently designed to recreate authentic Finnish conditions. I hesitated about whether to enter, but Wellbe Sakae is probably the only facility in Japan where you can have such an experience. I steeled myself and entered the ice sauna. The conclusion: I lasted 5 seconds before coming out. I was shocked by the extreme cold. Just putting my feet in the 0°C water felt like my whole body would freeze. So this is authentic Finland... I've always wanted to experience sauna in Finland someday, but jumping into a 0°C lake after sauna might be a bit too challenging for me. I finished my three sets. I was completely satisfied with this unprecedented sauna experience. This concluded my sauna session at Wellbe Sakae. If time had permitted, I would have loved to stay at Wellbe Sakae's capsule hotel tonight and enjoy "Wellbe Imaike" tomorrow... but I had to return home for work. In that case, I decided to at least enjoy some supreme post-sauna food before heading back. So I decided to visit "Ajidokoro Kanou," the famous birthplace of miso katsu.

The miso katsu at "Ajidokoro Kanou" was exquisite. Please pay attention to the photo on the right. What you see on top is the miso katsu. An incredibly thick pork cutlet soaked in miso sauce. Perhaps because I'd just come from the sauna, but the moment I took a bite, I couldn't help but mutter "This is too delicious." So this is the authentic taste of miso katsu... Having an ultimate sauna experience at Wellbe Sakae and eating the local specialty miso katsu—despite being just a few hours' stay, it was a complete victory. I took a taxi from Sakae to Nagoya Station and bought a shinkansen ticket to Shin-Kobe. The end of a journey is always bittersweet. I don't want to go home. When I get to Shin-Kobe, I want to start the journey all over again from Kobe Sauna. Stay at Kobe Sauna, go to Ogaki Sauna, visit Sauna Shikiji, head to Mount Fuji Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka-no-Yu, visit Suruga Spa World, and end the journey at Wellbe Sakae. I might never be able to do such a golden route sauna journey again. However, as long as I remain a sauna enthusiast, I'll have opportunities to return, and there are many other wonderful saunas throughout Japan. I don't know how long this life will last, but if I can visit various sauna facilities for as long as I live, have once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and die while reminiscing about how amazing those saunas were, that would be the ultimate happiness. On the train from Nagoya to Shin-Kobe, I was already starting to search for my next destination. I'll probably go on another sauna journey next week.