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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

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