[Sauna Life] TOTOPA - How good is the Sauna-shuran 2024 winner really!?

My first trip to Tokyo in a while. The main purpose was to make my horse racing debut at the Derby on June 1st, but I stopped by TOTOPA the day before. It's a facility I'd been curious about ever since it was selected for Sauna-shuran 2024.

Opening in 2024 and then taking first place in Sauna-shuran that same year—it all seemed too perfect, and I couldn't help but be skeptical, thinking some major influence must have been at work. Still, I felt a mysterious sense of duty that I had to go and see for myself.

As for the location, it's near the National Stadium, and I walked past the Olympic Museum (I think?) on the way.

After wandering around, I arrived!

The entrance is split by gender, with the second floor for women and the third for men. Upon checking in, I received shampoo and conditioner as part of a 'Meditation Bath' campaign.

To check in, you have to add TOTOPA as a friend on LINE. I find this to be a rather annoying tactic, as once you register, you'll keep getting notifications unless you block them. The price is 3,278 yen for 2 hours (tax included). Sauna facilities in Tokyo are expensive everywhere. It's more expensive than my monthly smartphone bill these days.

Since it was a Saturday, the bathing area was crowded. As expected, there were many young people, and I spotted a few people with tattoos. Tattoos are allowed here.
Perhaps because they are so focused on the sauna, there were only four washing stations, and the bathtub was small, so it was always crowded. I wonder if it would have been better to give up on the bathtub and increase the number of washing stations.

There are three saunas: the 'Left Room,' 'Right Room,' and 'Na Room.' If you read them together, it spells 'Sauna'.

The Left Room, which (apparently) stimulates the left brain with its cool color scheme.

I think this might be the first time I've seen a sauna room with blue lighting. It has the largest capacity of the three, but there are few seats on the top tier.
Next is the 'Na Room,' where you can bring in drinks and talk.

I felt this was the hottest of the three. You can place your drink on the provided table, but be careful as the paper cups get hot quickly.

Finally, the Right Room, which stimulates the right brain.

They call them personal benches, but as you can see from the photo, people are sitting facing each other, so it's not exactly your own private space (in fact, it feels a bit close). The temperature range is also a bit lower, which inevitably leads to longer stays, so there was a line waiting in front of the sauna room.

There are two types of cold baths, but personally, the route from the hottest 'Na Room' to the 160cm deep cold bath was the best. Note that the deep cold bath is one-way, so you cannot enter from the other side.

The relaxation space is well-equipped, and even on this crowded day, I never had trouble finding a seat. The outdoor air bath is, of course, pleasant, but it's nice that there is a lounge with a drink bar separate from the indoor air bath, and there are chairs there too. The indoor air bath area can often be quite humid...

This drink bar is Suntory-based, and I was surprised to find I could drink Dekavita C and there was even an All-Free beer server. Naturally, it's all free!

Given the location, it's inevitable that the price will be this high, but I suppose only the rich and bourgeois wealthy class can afford to be repeat customers here. The sauna, cold bath, and relaxation area were great, so it's just a shame about the cost-performance. By the way, a 300 yen discount coupon arrived via LINE the next day. Hmm, 300 yen, huh...

Thank you for reading until the end.