I came back here again. I just couldn't help myself.
My first visit to Yurakkusu was just yesterday. The sauna, cold plunge bath, and natural hot spring — all worthy of being called the sacred site of the west — felt incredible. I was wrapped in such deep relaxation that I lost all sense of time. To be honest, until you actually visit a place, you can never be sure whether it's truly the best for you. Even among so-called sacred sites, some don't live up to the ideal. But Yurakkusu was different — the baths, the food, the rest areas: everything was comfortable, and it had become one of my absolute favorite places.
Since I was on a trip, I could have chosen to visit as many different facilities as possible. But sometimes it's necessary to return to a truly exceptional place and deepen the quality of the experience. Besides, places called sacred sites aren't somewhere you can just drop by whenever you like. Travel is, at its core, a once-in-a-lifetime encounter — I might never come back here again. When I thought about it that way, the conclusion was clear: I had to go one more time before heading home.
Unlike yesterday, I walked up to the front desk with the air of a regular. I told them I'd like to use the facilities on an open-ended visit, and they asked, "Have you been here before?" I kept a cool expression and said, "Yes." It was only my second visit, but I knew the layout well enough. I headed straight to the locker room, got changed, and stepped into the main bath area. Just like yesterday, the sacred cold plunge bath sat at the center, fed by a constant flow of natural water from Aso. A supreme artesian spring water cold bath, flowing and never stagnant. I was so glad to be back. Time to get in the sauna and throw myself into that cold water again.
That morning, I had already done a sauna session at my accommodation, Yuya Suizen Luxury Sauna & Spa, so I rinsed off quickly in the shower and headed straight for the main sauna. Just like yesterday — the pleasant aroma, the plush sauna mat. The heat radiating from the two sauna stoves was wonderfully comfortable. Through the glass window by the sauna entrance, I could see the cold plunge bath. It looked so inviting. I couldn't wait to get in. The craving kept building the entire time I sat in the sauna.
I heated my body to its limit, let the sweat pour out, and then fell forward into the cold bath. The Aso groundwater welcomed my body. I submerged my head completely and cooled myself from head to toe. Somehow, it felt even colder than yesterday. But what magnificent water it was — silky soft against the skin, with a mellowness almost like soaking in a hot spring. I couldn't help but let out an audible "Ahhh, incredible!"
After some outdoor rest, I went into the meditation sauna for my second set. By chance, another guest in the room performed self-service löyly every three minutes, which filled the room with a dense cloud of steam and gave me a fantastic sweat. After that, I returned to the cold plunge bath and then rested outside to reach totonou.
I thought I had no more regrets — and then I heard a staff member's voice: "We'll be holding an aufguss event starting at noon!" I absolutely had to experience it. An aufguss at the sacred site of the west — a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the perfect way to close out the visit. I entered the sauna room five minutes early and took a seat on the top bench. At noon, the staff member in charge started their greeting, and the room filled with applause. Just as the moment arrived for things to begin, one man stood up and walked out. Why, at this exact moment? No one could make sense of it — the room erupted in quiet, bewildered laughter, and even the staff looked flustered. I desperately wanted to say "Read the room!" but I held back and prepared myself for the aufguss to start.
The aufguss performance began to the rhythm of a dedicated BGM track. The staff poured fragrant aromatic ice and a large amount of water over the sauna stones, instantly filling the room with a wonderful scent. Then came the breathtaking performance. Large towels were spun at high speed and swung fiercely to create airflow, sending waves of pleasant heat washing over us. All at once, my hearing, sight, smell, and touch were being stimulated. As the roughly eight-minute performance approached its finale, I made my decision to leave the sauna room. Waiting until the very end meant the cold bath would be packed. To savor the experience fully, I couldn't just follow the crowd — slipping out early and getting into the cold bath at my own pace was the right call.
I cooled down slowly in the uncrowded cold bath. Just as I was getting out, the aufguss performance apparently ended, and the cold bath immediately became a bundle of people. I thanked the performer and left the main bath area.
Yesterday I had savored the mapo tofu set meal and chicken nanban, so today I went with the ginger-fried pork set meal. The umami of the ginger pork seeped into my body, freshly relaxed from the sauna. I'm not sure whether the rice is cooked with Aso's natural spring water, but it was remarkably delicious. Perhaps the quality of the food is part of what earns this place its title of sacred site.
By the time I finished eating, I had just one hour left before my shinkansen departure. I needed to start making my way to the station. I would have loved to stay forever, but the moment of farewell always comes. I might return someday — or I might not. I said my goodbyes and got into a taxi to the station.
On the shinkansen heading toward Shin-Osaka, a thought began to take shape. Of course, it was about which sauna to visit that evening. If I were looking for the sacred site of the Kansai region — the perfect place for the last sauna of the year — there was only one answer. There is a sauna in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, that I consider the finest in all of Japan, having visited facilities across the country. Yurakkusu is called the sacred site of the west, but that place, too, deserves the same title — and that place is Kobe Sauna & Spa. Yurakkusu followed by Kobe Sauna & Spa: isn't this the route every sauna lover in Japan dreams of doing at least once? With that image in my mind, I couldn't suppress the grin spreading across my face all the way through the shinkansen ride.
