Realizing the Power of Water at Spa Alps, Toyama Prefecture (Sauna Review)

There is a school of thought that says, "The cold water bath is the main event of a sauna."
The cold water bath is one corner of the holy trinity consisting of the sauna, cold water bath, and outdoor air bath, and it is also a major factor that distinguishes general bathing from the sauna experience, so it is not hard to understand why some people go to the sauna just to take a cold water bath. On the other hand, I have always felt that the sauna and the outdoor air bath are also important parts of the sauna experience, so I have had some doubts about the trend of treating the cold water bath as the main event to an excessive degree.

However, there is a sauna facility here that can confidently say, "The cold water bath is the main event." That is "Spa Alps" in Toyama.

"Spa Alps" is a large sauna facility located a short bus ride from Toyama Station in Toyama Prefecture.

↑ The neon sign catches the eye (Photo by the author)

The facility as a whole is, to put it nicely, retro, or to put it bluntly, old, but it is not dirty. I will skip the description of the rest area and such, and focus on the baths.

(From the "Spa Alps" website)

There are two large bathtubs and one small bathtub.
The large bathtubs are for plain hot water and cold water. The smaller one is a lukewarm vibra bath. At this point, you can tell the facility's enthusiasm and priorities. As you can see on the right side of the image, the waterfall bath is constantly pouring out, which is quite a high point.
Nylon towels, toothbrushes, and the like are well-stocked, so I purified my body, went from the plain hot water to the vibra bath, and then to the sauna.

Nylon towels and toothbrushes are well-stocked, so after cleansing my body, I went from the plain hot water to the vibra bath, and then to the sauna.

(From the "Spa Alps" website)

The sauna is an auto-löyly Rocky sauna. Water is released every 15 minutes, filling the room with a considerable amount of steam.
The lighting is moderately bright. There is a TV, and it is playing with sound.
Sauna mats are laid out where you sit, but they are thin, so it is safer to bring an extra towel to lay down or wear the sauna pants that are available for unlimited use. It is fine even without them.
The temperature is not that high, and the humidity is a little high. It has a moderate feel, neither dry nor overly humid. There is a 12-minute clock.

After sweating in the sauna for a while, I left the sauna room, poured water over myself, and headed to the cold water bath.
The cold water bath here is truly amazing.

Our large public bath prides itself on its "water."
We use 100% delicious natural water from the Northern Alps water system.
We have obtained permission for drinking. (From the website)

Those who have never experienced it might think that all water is the same. However, please imagine.

(From the Suntory website)

This.The water in the cold bath is all this.Natural mineral water. Chilled Alps natural water.
If you try drinking it, you will notice that the taste and texture are different from tap water.
You can experience this light, smooth, mineral-rich cold water with your entire body, with every inch of your skin.
You really realize, "Oh, the Alps natural water was really Alps natural water."
Moreover, it is constantly flowing, and you can even drink it.
If you tried to do this at home, you would need 90 to 100 2L plastic bottles. Even at 150 yen per bottle, it would cost 15,000 yen.
Could you imagine it?

The temperature setting is also just right, an exquisite point around 16 degrees, neither too cold nor too lukewarm. Combined with the perfection of the water quality, I could live here forever. It is a cold water bath that enters the "I want to live in this cold water bath!National Ranking" alongside Sauna Shikiji and Kosugiyu.

After cooling your body in such a natural water cold bath where you could stay forever, you can enjoy an outdoor air bath in the outdoor space.
This space is also quite good, the flow from the sauna is good, and the wind blows through moderately, so it comfortably returns your body temperature to normal. Since the air in Toyama is good and quiet, it feels like even the outdoor air bath is elevated.
(And, before entering the sauna again, I hydrate with the drinkable cold water bath. Since it is natural water, the water is delicious.)

This is the first time since I first experienced "Sauna Shikiji" that I have had such a shocking cold water bath. It was that wonderful of a cold water bath.
If it is this wonderful, it is safe to say that it is the main content of the sauna.

Water has a local character.
Usually, we don't think about it much, perhaps only mentioning it when saying things like, 'Niigata has great water and rice, so their sake is good.'
However, when you visit saunas and cold baths in various places, you are surprised by the range of differences.
That cold bath in Fushimi, Kyoto, which used free-flowing water used for sake brewing, had a mellow feel on the skin.
The cold bath at Kosugiyu in Tokyo felt gentle on the skin, light, and at a temperature you could stay in forever.
Shizuoka's Sauna Shikiji was even smoother than Kosugiyu, to the point where you could almost mistake it for having a thick texture.
When the location changes, the water changes. You can literally feel that on your skin.

You might not be able to travel as freely right now, but I strongly recommend adding saunas as one of the joys of your travels.

Supplementary Note: Overall Evaluation
The overall evaluation, including the rest areas I omitted, is about 250 out of 100 points after deductions.
The cold bath is flawless, 300 out of 100 points. The hot water is wonderful, and the outdoor air bathing space is good. The hospitality, such as unlimited use of gowns, sauna pants, and towels, is also good.
On the other hand, perhaps due to the age of the facility, there were parts of the bathroom where I felt a slight strange odor, the jet bath was broken, and the area around the chairs in the bathroom, which seemed to be a relaxation space, was a bit slimy.
Also, perhaps due to the timing of the auto-löyly, when I entered the sauna late at night, it was extremely lukewarm, so I couldn't enjoy a sauna before going to bed, and most users in the rest area were not wearing masks; there were small details that bothered me. If anyone involved reads this, I would like them to improve these points.
Even with those deductions, it is a wonderful cold bath, so I hope you will visit when you travel to Hokuriku.

↑ I also bought a sauna hat. It was the last one. (Photographed by the author)

↑ Toyama has the super-premium sake 'Kachikoma', so you should drink it (Photographed by the author)

[The End]

"Spa Alps"
Introduction page on the website Sauna Ikitai

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