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Meadowood Napa Valley
is offering the ultimate California spa escape with its
Town &
Country Getaway. This four day spa vacation starts
in San Francisco and concludes in Napa Valley and includes
luxury car service, accommodations, fine dining, spa
treatments, and more. |
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Spa and Golf in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. One night in
a parlor suite, one hour massage for one, 18 holes of golf
with cart for one and one welcome gift per couple. From
$249 per couple. |
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Bring your four legged family
members to the spa resort this summer
... here are our best
Pet
Friendly Spa Retreats |
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Four
Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so
is idyllically situated in an historic and peaceful 7-hectare (17-acre) Japanese
garden, and boasts an innovative blend of classic European décor, distinctive
Japanese art, modern technology and intuitive service.
The Spa at Four Seasons
Hotel Tokyo offers unique relaxation, from a traditional Japanese Onsen
mineral bath to a selection of massage treatments. The Hotel also offers two
beauty salons to provide hair, skin and nail care, including Guerlain
aesthetician services. |
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Discover the wonders of an
ancient Japanese hideway at
Gôra Kadan, the former relaxing retreat of the «Kanin-no-miya»
imperial family. This noble residence set in beautiful surroundings in the
national park of Hakone, offers authentic Tatami-style rooms with cypress bath,
open-air bath or whirlpool bath. After a visit to the nearby tradition museums,
savour traditional «Kaiseki cuisine» and enjoy spa treatments.
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 The People of
Kusatsu in Gunma
Prefecture enjoy one of the most prolific hot springs in Japan.
Springs gush from a number of wells in town, with a combined output 9,772
gallons each minute. The springs produce sulfurous spa waters with high
acidity, believed to be effective against neuralgia and skin diseases.
Records as early as the 13th century demonstrate men of power and authority
visited the town to bathe in the springs -- already well-known at that time.
Today, Kusatsu is part of Joshin'etsu Kogen National Park and enjoys a steady
stream of visitors throughout the year.
There are more than a dozen
public baths in town, which are open around-the-clock to everyone -- without
charge. At some of the public baths traditional "yumomi" is still in
effect. Yumomi adjusts the temperature by mixing the cold air of the highlands
into the hot water with vigorous movements of wooden boards. Attendants stand at the edge of
the bath and stir the water in the bath with a wooden board to cool the
water. The website linked above,
http://www.kusatsu-onsen.org/index.html, has wonderful resources for
both the culture, guidelines, and tips for using the onsen baths, but a list of
area onsens as well. We highly recommend it.
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ADDITIONAL LINKS OF
INTEREST |
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Thai Med Stone Spa
3-1-3 Isa, 2f
Ginowan City, Okinawa
901 Japan
81-98-897-7270
"On Okinawa, the
stone-spa is rapidly gaining popularity among locals as a new
method for health care. Ganbanyoku is a sauna-like bath, as it
heats your body deeply inside and makes you drip with sweat. The
Japanese word “Ganban” means “rock”. The Ganban used at stone-spa
parlors contains a lot of minerals and emits far-infrared ray. At such
places, the rock is heated up to about 40c (105F) and you spread a towel
and lie on the rock for 15 minutes. After taking a break for 5 to 10
minutes, you will repeat the same set for 3~4 times."
Ms. Mika Uehara, the
owner of Thai Med says. “But if you come to my place and
try, you will feel the difference. The calm, Asian atmosphere leads to
tranquility, because of far-infrared rays emitted from the rocks, you
will feel the body heat-up inside. The sauna-bath heats you up as well,
but only the surface. After taking Stone-Spa, you
recognize your body as being still warm for a couple of hours.”
Thai
Med is strictly for women, and offers a 90-minute Stone-Spa
for ¥1,350, as well as two shorter versions. A Lymphatic Massage is
¥5,250, while Aromatherapy Massage is ¥7,350 for an hour. Thai
Med hours are 10am~9pm for Stone Spa and other
services, while the retail store remains open until 11pm.
Thai Med is located in Ginowan Isa, near Camp Foster. From
Foster Commissary Gate: Turn left onto Route 58 after passing the gate.
Continue driving south and turn right at the second traffic light. Soon,
you will see the building where Thai Med is located on the
second floor."
Reprinted from
Weekly Japan Update, Jun
Iha |
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Japan
is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to
the east of China, Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in
the north to the East China Sea in the south. The characters that make up
Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified
as the "Land of the Rising Sun". Japan comprises over 3,000
islands, the largest of which are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku,
together accounting for 97% of land area. Most of the islands are
mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji,
is a volcano. Japan has the world's tenth largest population, with about
128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the capital city
of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan
area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of
Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of
Japan begins with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the first
century AD. Read More
An onsen is
a Japanese hot spring. A volcanically active country, Japan has thousands
of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were traditionally
used as public bathing places and today play a central role in directing
Japanese domestic tourism. Onsen come in many types and shapes
including outdoor and indoor baths. Baths may be either public run by a
municipality or private often run as part of a hotel, traditional inn or
Bed and Breakfast (minshuku).
Onsen are a central feature of Japanese tourism often found out in the
countryside, and are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples,
families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of
the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of "naked communion"
for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey
atmosphere of an onsen inn.
Read More
Japan Ryokan
Association: Experience the elements of Japanese culture and
customs: living in a room with Tatami (straw mat)
flooring, changing into a typical Yukata (robe) after
taking an Onsen hot-spring bath, sleeping on a
Futon (bedding) put down directly on the Tatami floor, and etc.
in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel.
Secret-Japan:
A guide to 125+ onsen facilities in Japan
Sento Guide: A guide to
200+ public bathing facilities in Japan
Onsen Express:
A guide to onsen facilities in Japan
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