That's it! Let's go to the bathhouse this weekend ♨

Good evening. This is MARU.

This might be sudden, but for me, winter is a triple threat of "cold, sleepy, and sluggish."
Plus, there's so much sad news flying around the world that it really takes a toll on your mental health > <

For such a gloomy weekend, I recommend a bathhouse.

It's a habit for my family to go to a nearby bathhouse once or twice a month.
Since we buy coupon books, it comes out to a little under 700 yen per visit... it's a great deal ☆
I also like going to hot spring towns (like Arima Onsen), but while hot spring resorts feel like an escape from the ordinary, I like how a local, affordable bathhouse feels like an extension of daily life.

I go to the bathhouse at 9:00 AM on my days off.
I only bring one towel.
I wash my whole body with the bathhouse's body soap, and I don't wash my hair, just tie it up and get into the tub.

The bathhouse I frequent is a natural hot spring, and the water is a vivid, copper-like brown; it's a chloride spring, so it keeps your body nice and warm.
The official website lists benefits like cuts, burns, chronic skin diseases, chronic gynecological diseases, menstrual disorders, neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, etc., and...
I do feel like my muscle pain has gotten better.

An open-air bath in the middle of winter is the best ♨

I soak up to my neck, and once I'm warm, I switch to half-body bathing.
The winter air is clear, and taking a deep breath makes me feel like I've come back to life.
The sky is blue and the clouds drift by slowly.
I repeat the process of soaking up to my shoulders whenever I get cold from the outside air, and 30 minutes go by in a flash.

The morning sleepiness flies away, leaving me in a state of perfect alertness.
Ah~ the day has begun... *inhale* *exhale* (deep breath)!

Sometimes I notice a local grandma I don't know nearby, but she's so relaxed that she has no "presence," and while we don't talk, we just sit there together, zoning out.

After my bath, I read manga in the lounge 📖

The parking lot is free for 5 hours, so you can stay for quite a while ☆
The lounge area with manga is fully equipped with tatami mats and reclining chairs; some people lie on the floor, and some are actually snoring away. Kids play with blocks, and guys who look like bikers are laughing while talking about their next destination 🏍

A peaceful space 🌸

It's not crowded enough to be stressful, and it's not that noisy either. ← Though the old guy's snoring might be loud lol. Most of the time, I'm melting into a massage chair lol

I'm in super relaxed clothes, like a skirt with an elastic waistband and sweatpants. I surrender myself to the "cushion that ruins people (MUJI)" (a bathhouse amenity), stretch my legs out on the tatami, and lounge around. I start reading in the most comfortable style ever.

I've read Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, and Chainsaw Man up to the latest volumes here!
Wait? Makima is that kind of existence, and only those people from the Hashira survive~... 💦 and so on... the plot developments are intense, and I get completely swallowed up by the world.
About 3 hours just melt away easily 🌸

If you get tired, you can sleep, there's a restaurant if you get hungry, an esthetic salon if you want to be pampered, and even a barber if you want to get cleaned up; you could spend the whole day here if you wanted to ☆

So, the bathhouse is cheap, cozy, and a paradise! It's the ultimate healing space 🛁 Everyone, please try spending a weekend there~

By the way, I also want to try bedrock bathing and enzyme baths for the first time, but I haven't been yet. If anyone likes them, please let me know what they're like~

Thank you for reading until the end. I'd be happy if you could also click the "Like" button if you enjoyed it 🐾