Japan’s first Finnish-style sauna facility with private rooms opens in Tokyo

Avoid the big city crowds and carve out a moment for yourself in your own private sauna. 

On December 4, a new sauna facility called Solo Sauna Tune is set to open in Tokyo’s central Kagurazaka neighborhood. This new relaxation spot is notable for offering Japan’s first private Finnish-style sauna rooms for both sauna beginners and pros alike to enjoy. The sauna (pronounced “SA-oo-na” in its native Finnish) is an integral part of the Finnish culture and lifestyle–something that draws parallels to the Japanese love of soaking in a hot bath or onsen (hot springs).

▼ Solo Sauna Tune is located on the first floor of hotel Unplan Kagurazaka.

The new sauna rooms boast a space for changing, soaking in the steam, and cooling down in a shower. Compared to the typical dry saunas found in Japan, these rooms have a slightly lower temperature of approximately 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) but a higher humidity.

Each private room also comes equipped with a two-meter-long (6.6-foot) bench which is enough for you to go fully horizontal if you wish.

The walls and ceiling are both colored dark gray with only indirect lighting to help guests focus on nothing but escaping from the outside world for a brief moment in time.

One neat piece of trivia is that the sauna stoves are directly imported from Finland!

To create steam (löyly), simply splash water onto the heated stones just as the Finns do. Since it’s a private room you have complete control over generating the perfect amount of steam for yourself.

In addition, the water used is scented with Japanese white birch, which is reminiscent of the bundles of birch twigs (vihta) found in Finnish saunas that are used to massage the skin and promote circulation.

Whenever you need a break from the heat you can jump over to for a cold shower refresher. The water temperature is maintained between 10-15 degrees Celsius and the showerhead also has a mist function if you prefer that.

▼ Take a moment’s rest in an armchair in this little nook while letting a gentle breeze wash over you.

By the way, while private sauna rooms are the main draw at Solo Sauna Tune, there is a group sauna available for up to three people of the same sex as well. Keep this in mind for the next time you’re planning an outing with friends or coworkers.

Guests can book reservations on Solo Sauna Tune’s official website up to 14 days in advance. In celebration of the facility’s grand opening, special discounted tickets are now on sale for the period of December 4 through January 31, 2021. During this promotion, tickets for the solo sauna rooms (regularly 3,800 yen [US$36]) are 3,300 yen for 60 minutes and tickets for the group sauna room (regularly 11,400 yen) are 9,900 yen for 70 minutes. Please note that there is no entry for those under 18 with the exception of the group sauna room which elementary school-aged children and above may enter along with a parent of the same sex.

If you’re in the mood for more of a Japanese-style onsen at the moment, check out this list of some of Japan’s most popular day-trip onsen and spas instead.

Sauna information
Solo Sauna Tune / ソロサウナtune
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Tenjin-cho 23-1 (Unplan Kagurazaka 1st floor)
東京都新宿区天神町23−１ (UNPLAN Kagurazaka 1F)
Open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. (8 a.m.-11 p.m. Wednesdays)
Website

Source, images: PR Times
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