SaunaScape

Ganban-Yoku, or  bedrock bathing, is a style of heat bath that was imported to Japan from Thailand. It was originally introduced to Japan in 2001. There are now more than 1500 establishments in Japan alone, attracting 11.6 million visitors in 2008.

In a Ganban-Yoku, bedrock stones are embedded in the floor in a special room. These stones are the size of a single bed, and usually made from a granite or silica and heated to between 102 and 114°F (39-42°C). The room is air conditioned to keep the temperature slightly below the temperature of the stone beds, and the humidity is controlled between 50-75%.

If you go to a Ganban-Yoku, you are instructed to change out of their street clothes, shower, and then dress in a special cotton garment. You lay a towel on your stone bed, and then lie on your stomach for about 5 minutes, and then on your back for 10 minutes. After this, you are encouraged to get up, drink water, and recover for an equal period of time before repeating as necessary. Blog Tokyo, Kawaii, etc. has an informative first-person account of a first visit to a Japanese Ganban-Yoku.

People who use the Ganban-Yoku report soft skin and a feeling of relaxation. To study this further, researchers at Hamamatsu University School of Medicine conducted a study in 2008 of the personality affects on 68 women who used the Ganban-Yoku. They found a significant improvement of the moods of the women before and after their stone sauna sessions.

Stone saunas are beginning to make an appearance in North America at Japanese and Korean saunas. We’ll be adding a field to the database in the coming days for this.

Video found via Gaijin Life

Ganban-Yoku, or  bedrock bathing, is a style of heat bath that was imported to Japan from Thailand. It was originally introduced to Japan in 2001. There are now more than 1500 establishments in Japan alone, attracting 11.6 million visitors in 2008. In a Ganban-Yoku, bedrock stones are embedded in the floor in a special room. These stones are the size of a single bed, and usually made from a granite or silica and heated to between 102 and 114°F (39-42°C). The room is air conditioned to keep the temperature slightly below the temperature of the stone beds, and the humidity is controlled between 50-75%. If you go to a Ganban-Yoku, you are instructed to change out of their street clothes, shower, and then dress in a special cotton garment. You lay a towel on your stone bed, and then lie on your stomach for about 5 minutes, and then on your back for 10 minutes. After this, you are encouraged to get up, drink water, and recover for an equal period of time before repeating as necessary. Blog Tokyo, Kawaii, etc. has an informative first-person account of a first visit to a Japanese Ganban-Yoku. People who use the Ganban-Yoku report soft skin and a feeling of relaxation. To study this further, researchers at Hamamatsu University School of Medicine conducted a study in 2008 of the personality affects on 68 women who used the Ganban-Yoku. They found a significant improvement of the moods of the women before and after their stone sauna sessions. Stone saunas are beginning to make an appearance in North America at Japanese and Korean saunas. We'll be adding a field to the database in the coming days for this. Video found via Gaijin Life

This entry was posted on Monday, October 18th, 2010 at 8:54 pm and is filed under Hot & Dry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.