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MAY 28 2021

Sauna goes from "painful" to "beautiful". A trip to relax in a designer sauna with a spectacular view

"SHONAI HOTEL SUIDEN TERRASSE" in Yamagata Prefecture is a spectacular hotel that blends into the surrounding mountain ranges and rural landscape, and seems to float in the rice fields. The view is said to look like the Uyuni Salt Flats. On April 29, 2021, the hotel opened a new "designer sauna". The design was done by world-renowned architect Shigeru Ban, who also designed the hotel, and the advisor was TTNE, which produces sauna brands and saunas. In this article, we will introduce the charm of the newly opened sauna. We experienced the beautiful nature that changes with the seasons and the sophisticated designer sauna, and experienced the ultimate relaxation time ahead of the opening.

A new sauna opens at SUIDEN TERRASSE, a spectacular view of the Uyuni Salt Flats

画像1: ウユニ塩湖のような絶景の「SUIDEN TERRASSE」にサウナが新設

"SHONAI HOTEL SUIDEN TERRASSE" is an accommodation facility that opened in September 2018 within the grounds of Tsuruoka Science Park, which has attracted attention as a model for regional revitalization. The Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture is a place nurtured by the beautiful water that flows from the Dewa Sanzan mountains to the Shonai Plain and then to the Sea of Japan, and the hotel was inspired by the rice paddies that symbolize this.

画像2: ウユニ塩湖のような絶景の「SUIDEN TERRASSE」にサウナが新設

The hotel was designed by world-renowned architect Shigeru Ban. The interior is a simple, comfortable space that makes use of the warmth of wood, and you can feel the presence of the rice fields no matter where you are.

On April 29, 2021, the hotel's spa building was reopened with a new sauna. The design was done by Mr. Saka, just like the hotel, and the sauna was supervised by TTNE, a brand specializing in sauna users.

Enjoy the beautiful scenery with your eyes and experience it with your whole body to get in the mood

Now, let's try out the sauna. Before enjoying the sauna, first warm up your body in the indoor bath in the spa building. On the left side of the spa building as you enter is the "Amairo-no-Yu" which has an indoor bath, open-air bath, and sauna, while on the right side is the "Toki-iro-no-Yu" which only has an indoor bath; these are switched daily between men and women. In addition, in the annex there is the "Gepaku-no-Yu" which has an open-air bath and sauna. On this day, the "Toki-iro-no-Yu" and "Tsuki-iro-no-Yu" are for women only.

画像1: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

As I entered the torquoise water, I noticed a skylight designed to let in light. What's more, the tiles surrounding the indoor bath sparkled in the light, which was very impressive. The natural hot spring water, pumped up from 1,200 meters underground, was at just the right temperature, and just a short soak was enough to warm my body.

Once you've made sure your body is warm, and you've put on the hotel's indoor clothing, you can finally head to Tsukishiro-no-Yu, where the sauna is located. The entrances to the Toki-iro no Yu and Tsukishiro-no-Yu are different and not connected. Therefore, if you want to go into the sauna right after getting out of the bath, you can warm up your body in the open-air bath of Tsukishiro-no-Yu.

画像2: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

The newly installed sauna is a full-fledged Finnish-style sauna equipped with a self-loyly function. Every time you pour aromatic water onto the sauna stones, you are enveloped in the pleasant steam and scent of Japanese cypress, creating an exquisite experience.

画像3: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

The large windows offer views of the open-air bath and the sky, creating a sense of openness.

画像4: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

The wooden benches, modeled after paper tubes, are an icon of Ban's architecture, and are designed so that you won't feel any pain even if you sit on them for a long time. When you're in a sauna, your senses become more heightened than usual, but on these benches I was able to sit comfortably without any discomfort.

画像5: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

Another thing that bothered me when I went into the sauna was that there was no thermometer or a 12-minute timer to guide bathing time. When I asked TTNE's "master of relaxation," Matsuo Dai, about this, he commented, "The reason we don't have thermometers, hygrometers, or clocks is because we don't want you to have to deal with numbers in the sauna. We want you to enjoy the sauna with your own mind and body, not with numbers." With the recent sauna boom, there are a lot of hacks being made on "how to get the most relaxation in the sauna," but this reminded me that saunas are ultimately a place where you can enjoy yourself freely and at your own pace.

画像6: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

After coming out of the sauna, we headed to the long-awaited cold bath. The cold bath was located next to the open-air bath, and it felt as if we were one with the rice fields. The temperature was around 13 degrees. It was set to a lower temperature than the cold baths in regular women's saunas, but being surrounded by nature, I was able to soak in it comfortably.

Afterwards, I relaxed on a bench in the open-air bath area, warmed my body in the open-air bath, and then went for a second and third lap... This sauna is one that makes you want to go back in again and again, and I thought to myself, "I'll definitely come back again."

As an added bonus, on this day we also had the opportunity to experience the Teniro no Yu sauna, which was reserved for men only.

画像7: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

The sauna room here is impressive with its hexagonal design, one of Ban's signature motifs. The benches are made up of hexagonal columns that resemble a beehive, and some of the seats are movable, so you can move them to your preferred position.

画像8: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

Of course, the Teniro no Yu sauna is also equipped with a loyly. Mr. Ban also placed the long horizontal windows so that visitors could enjoy the mountain ranges of Shonai. Those who want to enjoy the view can sit at the lowest level. Those who want to concentrate on the sauna can sit at the top level without seeing the view. The space has been designed so that you can enjoy it according to your mood at the time.

画像9: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

The cold bath here is also hexagonal, and above it is a hexagonal skylight. In fact, this hexagonal shape matches the carved skylight that was there before the renovation.

Master Totonoe spoke about the best parts of this sauna, saying, "I want you to pay attention to the architecture and design. Just the fact that a famous architect was involved in the design of the sauna room may be a world first. It transforms saunas from 'painful' to 'beautiful.'"

画像10: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

After the cold bath, you can take a proper rest in the open-air bathing space. Sit on the bench with its distinctive slanted walls and you can see the plain wood grain of the ceiling and the light streaming in through the skylight. Beyond that, a beautiful range of mountains spreads out before you. The wonderful view, where modern architecture and beautiful nature blend together, will cleanse your soul. This will change your image of a sauna as something that requires endurance and patience into something more comfortable and enriching.

画像11: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

After the sauna, we headed to the SAKE BAR, which had a wide variety of drinks on the menu, including local beer, local sake, wine, fruit juice, and gelato.

画像12: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

Some people like to drink beer after the sauna, others like to drink "Oropo," a sauna-goer's favorite drink made with Oronamin C and Pocari Sweat, and others want to put something healthy into their body, such as a smoothie made with fruits and vegetables. The bar plans to offer a more diverse drink menu in the future, so we recommend drinking what your body most needs after the sauna, depending on your mood at the time.

画像13: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

There is also a library available exclusively to guests. The library is supervised by book director Masataka Haba and features about 1,000 books arranged under seven themes, such as "One Book, One Devotion" and "Organizing." There are also a wide variety of chairs and sofas, so why not relax in the most comfortable position for you?

画像14: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

The guest rooms have a warm design with a white base color and wooden materials. The sound of rushing water makes you feel close to nature.

After the sauna, my body was warm from the inside and I naturally felt sleepy. I went to bed before the date changed and woke up around 5:00 when the sun came up. I read the book I borrowed from the library the day before, ate when I was hungry, and spent the time freely.

I realized that the fatigue that I don't usually notice was gradually being healed.

画像15: 美しい景色を目で楽しみ、全身で体感しながら“ととのう”

"SHONAI HOTEL SUIDEN TERRASSE" is located in the middle of rice paddies that stretch out as far as the eye can see, surrounded by mountains. In this place where the warmth of wood blends in with modern, stylish design, you can spend your time surrounded by nature, without making any fixed plans, and just do as you feel like it. When the worries about the COVID-19 pandemic have passed, why not refresh yourself from your daily fatigue in the beautiful waters of Shonai?

*Some content was updated on May 16, 2022.

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The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.

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