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Today’s New Zealand Herald presents an interesting idea: Monkeys taught us to bathe in the heat.

In an interview with the owner of Bliss Stone Spa, a new ganbanyoku establishment in Auckland, he says the Japanese idea for the ganbanyoku by watching monkeys. Photos of Japanese macaques bathing in the country’s hot springs are extremely common. What is not as widely known is that the monkeys, after leaving the baths, lie and sleep on the flat geothermally heated stones near the pools.

From the article:

“These monkeys live long and healthy lives, so the early Japanese thought lying on hot rocks will be good for people too,” said Mr Sekikawa, who brought the Japanese stone spa concept to Auckland in 2009.

If you aren’t familiar with it, ganbanyoku is a heated slab of stone placed in a humid room. You lie on the stone and the heat causes you to perspire profusely in a few minutes. You can read more about the ganbanyoku in our post “What is a ganbanyoku?”

Ganbanyoku spas have become very popular in Japan, especially with young women. Some of these spas are built as “drop-in” locations in city centers where you can have a quick sweat on your lunch break or while waiting for the train home in the evening. Others are built into elaborate bathing facilities where you can make like the monkeys, alternating between a hot bath and hot stone with a massage in between.

The New Zealand Herald reporter Vaimoana Tapaleao describes her experience at Bliss Stone Spa:

I’m lying face down on a hot stone slab only just covered by a couple of towels.

The room is dark and I’m almost drowning in the heat it’s so overwhelming.

At first you wince as your skin touches the stone, but you soon adjust and it becomes less intense.

I’ve been five minutes on the stone bed and already I’m drenched with sweat.

I’m told it’s not the ordinary sweat you get from exercising – or doing hard work – and you’re encouraged to not shower afterwards, for best results.

Unlike ordinary sweat, which is sticky and has an odour, this feels more as if someone has poured hot water over me.

As you lie on the stone bed, it gently heats you from the inside, spreading the heat around your body before releasing impurities and dead skin cells, leaving the skin glowing.

Sounds good to me. I’m in there for an hour, switching from my tummy to my back now and again.

I notice at the end of the session that the “sweat” disappears within minutes of leaving the spa room and my skin is not only dry but baby-bottom smooth.

Sounds good to me. If you’re looking to try a ganbanyoku, there are a few scattered throughout the world. You can find them in our database.

Source: “Alternative therapies: Japanese monkeys knew about the health benefits of rocks” from the New Zealand Herald

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Today's New Zealand Herald presents an interesting idea: Monkeys taught us to bathe in the heat. In an interview with the owner of Bliss Stone Spa, a new ganbanyoku establishment in Auckland, he says the Japanese idea for the ganbanyoku by watching monkeys. Photos of Japanese macaques bathing in the country's hot springs are extremely common. What is not as widely known is that the monkeys, after leaving the baths, lie and sleep on the flat geothermally heated stones near the pools. From the article: "These monkeys live long and healthy lives, so the early Japanese thought lying on hot rocks will be good for people too," said Mr Sekikawa, who brought the Japanese stone spa concept to Auckland in 2009. If you aren't familiar with it, ganbanyoku is a heated slab of stone placed in a humid room. You lie on the stone and the heat causes you to perspire profusely in a few minutes. You can read more about the ganbanyoku in our post "What is a ganbanyoku?" Ganbanyoku spas have become very popular in Japan, especially with young women. Some of these spas are built as "drop-in" locations in city centers where you can have a quick sweat on your lunch break or while waiting for the train home in the evening. Others are built into elaborate bathing facilities where you can make like the monkeys, alternating between a hot bath and hot stone with a massage in between. The New Zealand Herald reporter Vaimoana Tapaleao describes her experience at Bliss Stone Spa: I'm lying face down on a hot stone slab only just covered by a couple of towels. The room is dark and I'm almost drowning in the heat it's so overwhelming. At first you wince as your skin touches the stone, but you soon adjust and it becomes less intense. I've been five minutes on the stone bed and already I'm drenched with sweat. I'm told it's not the ordinary sweat you get from exercising - or doing hard work - and you're encouraged to not shower afterwards, for best results. Unlike ordinary sweat, which is sticky and has an odour, this feels more as if someone has poured hot water over me. As you lie on the stone bed, it gently heats you from the inside, spreading the heat around your body before releasing impurities and dead skin cells, leaving the skin glowing. Sounds good to me. I'm in there for an hour, switching from my tummy to my back now and again. I notice at the end of the session that the "sweat" disappears within minutes of leaving the spa room and my skin is not only dry but baby-bottom smooth. Sounds good to me. If you're looking to try a ganbanyoku, there are a few scattered throughout the world. You can find them in our database. Source: "Alternative therapies: Japanese monkeys knew about the health benefits of rocks" from the New Zealand Herald