Some people like to spend their vacation sightseeing, others like to party. I like neither — give me a spa and spring water and my holiday is complete. Luckily for me, I visited Korea and Japan this summer and both have bathing cultures. The latter, in particular, is famous for its onsen baths.
In Seoul I spent my time in a traditional jimjilbang — Korean bath house — in the company of local women who bathed, ate, slept, and worked on their laptops, spending the entire day at the bathhouse. These places are open 24 hours, so it’s not unusual for transiting Koreans to spend their time here instead of a hotel. I could see myself doing that.
But the real surprise was their full-body exfoliation. They use an abrasive Italy towel (pronounced ee-tah-lee), dipped in a mixture of soap and vinegar. Now I’m someone who exfoliates a few times a week, so I wasn’t prepared for the grime that peeled off my body. Was I really going to carry all of that on my skin for years? Needless to say, I’ve got myself a couple of these towels from Korea. (You can buy them on Amazon.in.) My jimjilbang of choice was Spa Lei in Sinsadong. It isn’t popular with tourists and it is inexpensive, but has modern facilities. In a dipping pool filled with steaming hot green tea, older women soaked for the antioxidant properties. The infrared room was frequented by a younger crowd.
Next stop, Japan.
When you think of onsen baths you might imagine pictures of steaming turquoise waters overlooking a bamboo grove. But most of them aren’t picturesque. In fact, the oldest ones in Japan will also be the most underwhelming. Obviously, the healing waters will still beautify you, but without the ambience. Onsens are basically pools of natural spring water with different properties — some heal the joints, others detoxify or repair your skin. So the focus is on the bath water and not the bath itself.
Beppu, which is famed for its onsen baths, has 800 in total. It’s a really strange place: steam rises from vents in the road and sidewalks, and even boundary walls. Thanks to a Japanese tourist guide, we discovered two gorgeous places. The first, Yunosato Hayama, was open to air, filled with turquoise water, surrounded by rocks and trees. It was probably the highlight of my entire holiday, not only because of the ambience, but also the waters that calmed my skin. The second was the Hyotan Onsen, which has both open air and indoor baths (including waterfalls). This too was relaxing.
In any onsen (or jimjilbang) you first need to take off every piece of clothing, wash your body and hair thoroughly before entering the bathing area. Tattooed people aren’t welcome, because inked skin is associated with the Yakuza (Japanese gangsters). Always carry two towels (one small and another large), since most establishments may not have them on rent. Also carry moisturiser as your skin can feel a bit puckered after hours in the water.
There are many onsen towns in Japan, and they offered a more authentic experience as compared to, say, Kyoto, which was full of western tourists. One such town was Arima, a half-hour train ride from Kobe (12 minutes by bullet train from Osaka). I was tired when I reached, as it was the fag end of my holiday. The Taikou-No-Yuonsen boasts several types of steam rooms, outdoor and indoor baths, cafeteria and shopping centre. And despite it being the most luxurious bath I visited, the fee is only about ₹2,000 (others will set you back between ₹500 and ₹1000). I spent three hours at the baths, with most of my time spent in Arima’s famous golden waters, which are actually terracotta in colour. Miraculously, my body pain was gone and my skin looked like I had 10 hours of sleep.
Now back in India, I’m a believer in the miracles of spring water. My dermatologist, Dr Meghna Gupta, in Delhi has always been a strong believer in thermal water sprays to balance the face. My Bosnian yoga teacher will only cleanse her skin with Avene. Now, I too am convinced that even if I can’t visit a fresh spring, I can always carry a spray in my handbag. And for now, that is good enough.
A column to remind you about all things skin deep.