Spa in Hokkaido

Soaking in a spa whether at the end of a day or early morning is a way of life in Japan, so the tour guide said.

The group of us were eagerly anticipating a relaxing time in the spa at the end of the day, having arrived in Hakodate, Hokkaido that evening from Narita airport where we had first landed after a long flight from Kuala Lumpur.

However the guide's next words resulted in a collective gasp from the women and snickers from some of the guys.

He said that everyone goes into the spa in our birthday suits. Then he clarified that the women have their own spa on a different floor in the hotel, away from the men's which was located on another floor. We will find kimonos and outer jackets in our rooms and we have to change into these before proceeding to the spa. He went to great pains to instruct us how to put on the kimono, the left side having to overlap the right and how to tie the waist band. We have to take our bath towels and a small face towel with us and when we enter the spa, there is an area where we will have to deposit our towels and undress.

Then, in our birthday suits we will go to the area where we have to wash before entering the pool. He advised us not to soak beyond twenty minutes as the temperature of the water can be very hot and there is the possibility that we would feel faint. Then he told us to behave as if we are used to being naked before others and we should not be shy or draw attention to ourselves by keeping our heads down or try to cover up with our hands. He said that the Japanese are very open-minded and there is nothing to be abashed about. No one will stare or look at us if we dont stare or look at anyone. No one is allowed to take any pictures of the spa.

After checking in, I was uncertain about having a soak in the spa. I was feeling rather uneasy as I have never undressed before strangers, let alone walk naked from the "undressing" area to the place to shower before entering the spa. Then I thought..... what the heck! There's always a first time and besides, everyone will be of the same sex. This is what Japan is renowned for, soaking in spas and every hotel had a spa. It would be silly not to experience it. So I donned the kimono and outer jacket, and armed with the two towels, I marched resolutely to the lift. There I saw one of my tour group members. This lady was around my age so we went down to the spa floor together. On the way down she told me, " I've never been to a spa. Must be naked, so what? After all we are already so old, what's there to be shy? We are all women, all alike....we have to make use of this opportunity......silly not to go.......etc etc"

I concurred with her and then in mutual silence we made our way to the spa. I was feeling very nervous but my companion had given me some measure of confidence. We were greeted by polite Japanese girls whose soft voices reeled off sounds which we could not understand. So we just smiled and nodded. We saw the shelves and baskets where we had to place our towels and kimonos and jackets. Then, carefully averting our eyes from each other's body, we made our way to the shower cubicles.

There were stools in each cubicle which was separated by a very low tiled wall and there was a range of shampoos and body soaps, etc plus brushes and a shower. So we sat down and completed our ablutions. Then we made our way to the pools. We stepped into the pool closest to us and sat down quickly so that the water came up to our chins and effectively hid our bodies from sight. The steam from the pool and the warm temperature lulled us into companionable silence. It felt good, the warm water moving against my body. The tightness eased from my shoulders and I felt very relaxed, almost a floating sensation.

The guide was right. No one looked at us, no one paid any attention to us. There were other women in the spa and some had their children with them. Of course they were little girls and they were very natural, having a soak with their mothers. There were four to five pools in this spa and each pool was quite big. There were only the two of us in our pool and after fifteen minutes I could feel my head getting heavy and I decided to call it a night.

I felt very drowsy and after a quick wash at the shower, I put on the kimono and outer jacket and returned to my room. That night I slept very soundly, feeling nice, warm and very relaxed. It was not a bad experience after all. In fact it felt good to be naked, free of the cumbrance of clothing. The feeling was exhilirating.