SPASSO: The Sequel
Nicki wasn't kidding in her last post when she mentioned that she wanted to go back to SPASSO as soon as she could. And it didn't take her long to fulfill that desire... in fact, it took a mere eight days. And this time, I went along for the adventure.
Josh's friend, Zelig, and his wonderful parents, Doug and Darlene, were kind enough to have a playdate with Josh tonight while Nicki and I went on a date together (and separate) at the spa resort. We got to the spa just after 6:00PM, and after taking off our shoes and paying the entrance service people, we agreed to meet again at 7:30PM to call it a night.
In all honesty, I didn't have any positive pre-conceived notions about what to expect. All I could imagine was the idea of hanging out naked with a bunch of other men in a hot tub and admittedly, it didn't seem all that exciting or relaxing. I mean, at the gym locker room, I change in front of guys all the time and don't think twice about it. But at a Japanese spa, one's nakedness doesn't just occur while changing one's clothes; it involves hanging out (literally) in the buff, soaking in tubs, sitting in saunas, and relaxing. I honestly didn't know how comfortable I would be with the situation.
After Nicki and I went our own separate ways, I found my locker and started stripping down. Nicki had briefed me previously about getting two towels... the smaller one being my "walk around" towel for use in the spa, the larger one being for drying off afterwards. So once I was in my birthday suit, I grabbed the small towel, threw everything else in my locker, and headed for the spa room. I learned very quickly that I was definitely comfortable in my own skin... mostly because of what happened next.
You see, as soon as I got close to the spa door, I looked up to see someone entering the changing room from a different door. That someone happened to be a SPASSO female employee. And when she saw me, she couldn't take her eyes off of me... all of me. Honestly, she just kept looking me up and down... as though I was the first gaijin that she ever saw naked. Finally, after a few seconds that felt like an hour, she finally looked down to the floor and said, "sumimasen" (excuse me). At that point, she stayed looking down until she passed me by and I honestly thought that she could have run into a wall if she didn't look up to see where she was going. I just laughed at the situation, because at that point any qualms that I had about being there had vanished.
Once inside the spa room, I took my pre-soak shower, to rid my body of any dirt/sweat/grime that had accumulated throughout the day. Then I made my way to each and every different pool in the place. There was a communal pool with individual lounge seats for soaking, a small side hot tub with water jets spraying from all angles, and an outdoor pool. I tried them all. I also found the hot sauna and cold sauna... I had never been in a cold sauna before, so that was pretty interesting to me (and refreshing). Pretty much everywhere in the room was on the volcanic side of hot, but the cold sauna was kept at a steady zero degrees Celcius. I think that was actually my favorite spot in the entire spa, just because it was such a sharp contrast from the surrounding area.
After about an hour, I decided that I was as relaxed as I could get, so I showered off again and headed back to the locker room to put my clothes back on. I was out waiting for Nicki by 7:00PM, but didn't mind the wait because I bought some barley tea from a nearby vending machine and just relaxed.
All in all, it was a great time. I would definitely go again. Probably not in the next 8 days, but definitely sometime soon.
Josh's friend, Zelig, and his wonderful parents, Doug and Darlene, were kind enough to have a playdate with Josh tonight while Nicki and I went on a date together (and separate) at the spa resort. We got to the spa just after 6:00PM, and after taking off our shoes and paying the entrance service people, we agreed to meet again at 7:30PM to call it a night.
In all honesty, I didn't have any positive pre-conceived notions about what to expect. All I could imagine was the idea of hanging out naked with a bunch of other men in a hot tub and admittedly, it didn't seem all that exciting or relaxing. I mean, at the gym locker room, I change in front of guys all the time and don't think twice about it. But at a Japanese spa, one's nakedness doesn't just occur while changing one's clothes; it involves hanging out (literally) in the buff, soaking in tubs, sitting in saunas, and relaxing. I honestly didn't know how comfortable I would be with the situation.
After Nicki and I went our own separate ways, I found my locker and started stripping down. Nicki had briefed me previously about getting two towels... the smaller one being my "walk around" towel for use in the spa, the larger one being for drying off afterwards. So once I was in my birthday suit, I grabbed the small towel, threw everything else in my locker, and headed for the spa room. I learned very quickly that I was definitely comfortable in my own skin... mostly because of what happened next.
You see, as soon as I got close to the spa door, I looked up to see someone entering the changing room from a different door. That someone happened to be a SPASSO female employee. And when she saw me, she couldn't take her eyes off of me... all of me. Honestly, she just kept looking me up and down... as though I was the first gaijin that she ever saw naked. Finally, after a few seconds that felt like an hour, she finally looked down to the floor and said, "sumimasen" (excuse me). At that point, she stayed looking down until she passed me by and I honestly thought that she could have run into a wall if she didn't look up to see where she was going. I just laughed at the situation, because at that point any qualms that I had about being there had vanished.
Once inside the spa room, I took my pre-soak shower, to rid my body of any dirt/sweat/grime that had accumulated throughout the day. Then I made my way to each and every different pool in the place. There was a communal pool with individual lounge seats for soaking, a small side hot tub with water jets spraying from all angles, and an outdoor pool. I tried them all. I also found the hot sauna and cold sauna... I had never been in a cold sauna before, so that was pretty interesting to me (and refreshing). Pretty much everywhere in the room was on the volcanic side of hot, but the cold sauna was kept at a steady zero degrees Celcius. I think that was actually my favorite spot in the entire spa, just because it was such a sharp contrast from the surrounding area.
After about an hour, I decided that I was as relaxed as I could get, so I showered off again and headed back to the locker room to put my clothes back on. I was out waiting for Nicki by 7:00PM, but didn't mind the wait because I bought some barley tea from a nearby vending machine and just relaxed.
All in all, it was a great time. I would definitely go again. Probably not in the next 8 days, but definitely sometime soon.
posted by Unknown | 9:36 PM
7 Comments:
I love the contrast in your perspectives. I don't think I would EVER get Dan to do that. Relaxing alone is hard enough to get him to do.
That was a weird encounter with the female employee. I bet Nicki loved that one...
Wow, I'm so glad you guys found some romantic getaway time together....I laughed so hard though at the female employee story.
Nice to know that us ladies aren't the only ones getting stared at on the trains (although being dressed at the time does offer us some shield, LOL)!!
Kristin, I had read somewhere that something like that could happen, with a female employee entering the area to keep things tidy. It happens all the time in public restrooms here. They usually just pretend to look the other way, which is why my encounter at the spa amused me so much.
Reylynda, I think that you ladies get stared at because men find you attractive, which I do admit could probably be frustrating or annoying at times. In my situation, I think she was just shocked to see a white guy standing there. Then again, I have been working out... :)
How great for you guys. I ditto Kristen, I don't think I could EVER get Alan to go.
The look on the female employees face must have been priceless.
I wasused to going to onsen where everything is provided. The first time I went to a sento I was standing there naked and wet without a towel and no one spoke English. An old Japanese man realized what was happening and motioned me to go to the front desk to rent a towel. The front desk where all customers went as well as having a glass front open to a street was quite overwhelming.
David
I'm curious about the onsens ... do you remember where the one in Yokosuka was located? If you do, please email me at magikhandz4@yahoo.com
Nicole, yeah, her face was priceless... definitely an ice breaker for me.
David, your story almost sounds like it could be in a movie. Too funny, thanks for sharing!
magikhandz4, not sure if you're referring to an onsen in Yokosuka or if you're wondering about SPASSO, which is the place we went to. I'm don't know of any onsens in Yokosuka, but SPASSO is along the far end of Route 16 (past Yokosuka Naval Base) and very close to Kannonzaki Park. It's the only resort in the area and it's right on the water.
-Mike
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