Bathing with Pokémon? Healing species’ powers tapped for Pokémon Recovery public baths in Japan

Who’s in the mood to soak in a Milotic Life Dew Bath?

With all of the cool offense-oriented techniques Pokémon can learn in the anime and video games, it can be easy to forget that healing powers are important too. Luckily, Raku Spa hasn’t let that important fact slip its mind, and now the popular chain of public baths is bringing Pokémon-themed baths to its facilities.

Raku Spa is what’s known as a “super sento” in Japan. Larger and more leisure-oriented than the small, no-frills sento public baths that mainly serve just the surrounding neighborhood, super sento are closer to an onsen hot spring facility, with spacious baths, common-use relax spaces, and restaurants and snack bars for friends and family to spend the day at.

Serving as Raku Spa’s Poké-muses are eight different species who can use recovery skills within the video and card games. The Pokémon Recovery Baths, as Raku Spa is calling them, will debut on March 8, with species creating a special bath for a few days before handing off the figurative baton to the next. During the event, there will also be Pokémon panels, tapestries, and other artwork displayed throughout the facility, including in the bath area, so that you can gaze at Pokémon while you soak.

▼ March 8-10: Sprigatito’s Magical Leaf Bath
March 11-13: Chansey’s Soft-Boiled Bath

Raku Spa is keeping the exact details under wraps for right now, but ostensibly each bath will have different herbal and/or mineral additions to give it its own unique restorative properties and aroma.

▼ March 14-16: Scream Tail’s Encouraging Song Bath
March 17-20: Milotic’s Life Dew Bath

During the Pokémon Recovery Baths, guests can also purchase long towels, of the kind commonly used at Japanese bathhouses, bearing the likeness of the eight healing Pokémon, as well as Pikachu, for an additional 1,100 yen (US$7.50), with the species you receive random.

▼ March 21-23: Poltchageist’s Hospitality Bath
March 17-20: Clefairy’s Moonlight Bath

There will, of course, also be a lineup of Pokémon-themed food and drinks at Raku Spa’s in-facility cafe, including a matcha pudding parfait inspired by the tea-themed Poltchageist…

…and, as codified by Japanese character cafe operating practices, ordering these items will get you art coasters and/or placemats.

▼ March 28-30: Tsareena’s Trop Kick Bath
March 31-April 3: Snorlax’s Rest Bath

Raku Spa will also be selling special souvenir washtubs with the cast of healing Pokémon on them, and samples will be available for use in the baths too, it seems.

The Pokémon Recovery Baths even will be taking place from March 8 to April 3 at 33 participating Raku Spa locations, including Kanda and Ikebukuro in downtown Tokyo (though without the in-bath washtub samples at Ikebukuro), with a full list of of participating branches on the chain’s website here. And remember, while the Pokémon baths may not magically cure wounds like their powers do within the games, recent research does suggest a link between frequent baths and better mental and physical health.

Related: Raku Spa official website
Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Raku Spa
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