「Yao Grand Hotel」 - A Visit

When you're doing sauna trips every weekend, the craving starts building around Wednesday. I'm a sauna addict, so I hit the sauna daily even on weekdays. But visiting the same facility every day eventually becomes monotonous. The human brain is wired to get bored when stuck in the same environment. Weekend sauna trips provide constant new stimulation, allowing me to achieve perfect totonou both at destination saunas and my home sauna. I powered through another energetic work week, but hadn't decided on this weekend's destination yet. I pulled up Google Maps to narrow down options. There was one facility in Osaka that had been on my radar - the "Yao Grand Hotel," famous for its historic Yao natural hot springs and often called Osaka's sacred ground. Could I build a sauna trip starting from this hotel? Looking at Google Maps, I noticed Yao Grand Hotel is in Higashi-Osaka, providing easy access to Nara Prefecture. Tomorrow, I could visit "Gose Hoyu," which had been intriguing me for a while. The plan was coming together beautifully. I'd figure out the rest tomorrow. For now, let's enjoy the hot springs and delicious food at Yao Grand Hotel, then get a good night's sleep. I finished work at 4 PM and jumped in my car. The route took me across Awaji Island, through Kobe's bayshore highway, and into Osaka. Kobe and Osaka highways were heavily congested. After navigating through various traffic jams toward Higashi-Osaka, I arrived at Yao Grand Hotel at 7 PM. The building I'd seen countless times in books and magazines appeared before my eyes. A historic hotel with irresistible retro charm. After checking in, I headed to my room. I'd booked a Japanese-style room on the third floor. Stepping off the elevator felt like entering a different world from the front desk. An unidentifiable odor assaulted my nostrils. Walking down the dimly lit corridor, the atmosphere grew increasingly suspicious. Lights were turned off everywhere. It felt like a school building at night - ghosts could appear any moment. Was I the only guest staying on this floor? I tried to use the floor restroom, but it was pitch black and I couldn't even find the light switch. This is supposed to be a historic hotel, right? Growing increasingly suspicious, I finally reached my room. The key turned with an unpleasant sound, the door opened, and warm air rushed out at me. I immediately turned on the air conditioning and prepared to head to the public bath. Being a weekday evening, the large public bath was quite empty. In this spacious bathing area, there were only about 10 people including myself. Multiple large baths were arranged throughout, all fed by flowing Yao natural hot spring water. I later learned from staff that even the cold plunge pool uses cooled source water in a flowing system. I cleansed myself first, then soaked in a bath mixing source water with medicinal herbs. The temperature was around 38-40°C, incredibly relaxing. The abundant hot spring minerals penetrated my skin, warming my body from within. Famous hot springs make your body respond - blood circulation becomes active and skin grows smoother. Before hitting the sauna, I decided to acclimate in the cold plunge pool. Yao Grand Hotel's cold plunge is wide and deep. Even if crowded, there'd never be a wait for the cold bath. Plus, the water quality is exceptional. I was moved by the gentle, enveloping sensation on my skin. Right after check-in, I'd been somewhat rattled by the floor's odor and lighting situation. After cooling my body in the cold plunge, I decided to attempt the "Yao Matagi." For those unfamiliar, at Yao Grand Hotel there's a hot bath around 50°C right next to the cold plunge pool. Alternating between the cold plunge and hot bath (straddling between them) for contrast bathing is called "Yao Matagi." I casually tried the "Yao Matagi," but the hot bath was so scorching I could only dip my feet. As if showing off to me, a tough-looking guy with a wrestler's physique demonstrated the proper "Yao Matagi." We made eye contact several times, and he seemed to communicate with his eyes: "This is how you do Yao Matagi." Though my "Yao Matagi" attempt failed, I pulled myself together and entered the sauna. After wiping off water droplets, I headed into the sauna room. It was a Showa-era strong-style dry sauna at about 100°C. The seating was spacious, allowing me to sit cross-legged comfortably. I watched TV while sweating, and when I reached my limit, headed straight for the cold plunge. I relaxed completely, surrendering my whole body to the wide, deep cold plunge. A spacious cold plunge is incredibly appreciated by sauna enthusiasts. No waiting time, and you can cool your body at your own pace. With a cramped cold plunge, you have to consider the next person waiting, which is distracting. As a result, you often can't cool your body sufficiently. At Yao Grand Hotel's cold plunge, such worries are unnecessary. After thoroughly cooling my body, I sat in a nearby chair. I repeated this for three sets, ending my sauna session for the day. I was quite hungry, so I decided to grab some post-sauna food at the hotel restaurant.

After much deliberation, I ordered the chicken nanban set meal. I handed my food ticket to the unfriendly server and checked out tomorrow's planned sauna while waiting for my food. Soon, the meal arrived. The miso soup penetrated my post-sauna body perfectly. Then I tried the chicken. Delicious. Here came that blissful moment again. I mindfully devoured the chicken nanban set meal. Well, after enjoying natural hot springs, sauna, and delicious food, there was nothing left to do. Time to relax in my room and sleep. I watched TV until around 10 PM, and when drowsiness hit, I drifted into dreamland. The next day I woke up at 5:30 AM. An excellent awakening. I lazed around until about 6 AM when the sunrise seemed to appear. The outside suddenly brightened. Time to get up. I got up, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and headed out for my morning walk. Whether at home or traveling, my routine from waking to morning walk never changes. It's a habit I've maintained for years. Getting proper sunlight and walking in the morning ensures drowsiness hits at the same time daily, leading to good sleep. I learned this from books and made it a habit, and indeed my lifestyle hasn't been disrupted in years. I live mechanically, sleeping and waking at the same times daily. Some colleagues even describe me as "a robot in a good way." After my morning walk came morning sauna time. This is something you can't experience in regular life. I don't have a sauna at home, and my regular sauna isn't open this early. At Yao Grand Hotel, you can enjoy the hot springs from 5 AM. I went to the large bath and cleansed myself as usual. That morning I wasn't in the mood for sauna, so I did two sets of just hot springs and cold plunge. I enjoyed it leisurely. Even during sauna trips, there are moments when you don't crave sauna. That morning was one of those times. My body was asking to soak slowly in the hot springs. Listening to your body's voice is necessary for successful sauna trips. Success isn't about visiting many facilities. Success is maintaining your body and returning home in better condition than when you left. I'm always conscious of this. I move according to what my body demands. Sometimes, right after starting a trip, I think "That's enough for today. I want to go home." When that happens, I skip the sauna and head home. I believe developing this habit of not going against your true feelings is important for living a good life. I digressed a bit, but after enjoying the morning hot springs came breakfast time. I couldn't stop eating the Japanese set meal centered around grilled salted salmon. My condition was perfect from morning, breakfast was delicious, and I felt like I could go anywhere and do anything. That's the mental state I'd reached. I returned to my room and relaxed for a while. Lazy mornings while traveling are among my favorite times. Later, as checkout time approached, I decided to head to my next destination. Next up: the legendary public bath sauna "Gose Hoyu" in Gose City, Nara Prefecture.