Saere Asian Resort Spa

There is nothing as luscious as the relaxed feel of floppy muscles and bones after a good few hours soaking and basking in the waters of a Japanese sento. Saere Asian Resort Spa is the latest modern addition to the wide variety of bath houses scattered in and around Hiroshima. A city dwellers' remedy for washing away the blues, the morning after or fuzzy brain summer lethargy when you can't quite make it to an onsen.

Saere is blatantly brand spanking new; polished dark wood, sparkling tiles and fresh tatami are wonderfully maintained. There are two bathing options; bath only or the whole shebang.

Bath only includes washing stool bars, a variety of indoor and outdoor baths, dry sauna, salt sauna, steam room, and a massage waterfall. The whole shebang, however, offers all this plus an aromatherapy room, snow sauna, massage chairs, snooze beds and the fashionable Korean hot stone slab bed.

With a healthy pocket after payday I splashed out on the latter option and spent 4 hours feeling very much at home sampling Saere's delights. After depositing my shoes in a wee locker I fumbled with my abismal Japanese skills to the lovely, patient foyer staff and was handed a bag with two towels, my 'relax' uniform i.e. shorts and t-shirt, given my wirstband-locker-key thingamajig and guided, map in hand, in the right direction. Having stripped off, I made my way to the ladies indoor area for my mandatory scrub down to get rid of the train juices before trying out the various baths. Each personal wash stool area is supplied with a gorgeous variety of complimentary body washes containing au natural cleanser charcoal and aromatherapeutic herbs (don't be put off by the blackness), shampoos, conditioner, and (a must for the hairy foreigner) disposible razors. Simply choose your pew and get cleansing.

Fresh as a daisy I moved leisurely between the four indoor baths, the temperatures varying between hot, hotter and even hotter. Some baths are equipped with cellulite pummeling jets or gentler muscle warming swirls and differ in depth, size and number of essential grapple bars. Saunter outside into the sunshine for the outdoor experience. There are a couple of shallow (1-2ft) pools surrounded by very convincing plastic rocks and some greenery, a deeper cave bath (4-5ft) adorned with suitable buddah statues and appropriately placed rocks just at neck height and a Q10 pool (3ft) which is bright purple, shimmers in the sunshine and has a gentle silky feel to it. I got a wee bit addicted to the massage waterfall; strategically place yourself on the wooden bench and hit the button and water crashes down on your shoulders working away all those knots. Not really a sauna gal I made a brief pit stop at the salt sauna where I rubbed in a few crystals from the huge comlimentary mound then adjourned to a lounger for a snooze under the shelter of a parasol.

Once you're all purified and well soaked you can move onto stage two. Adorn the uber-comfy 'relax' uniform and do as it says; kick back. Wander through to the communal mixed area and there's a vast collection of manga, numerous beverage machines, fresh fruit drink bar, cushioned tatami areas and loungers to flop down on and chill out. Gentle bird calls and lush plants suffuse the main lounge and you're practically begged to just drift off. For sufferers of air-conditioning cold this area has the most perfect temperature control, just right.

If you're looking for a few more amenities try out the spacelike aroma room with its sparkling stars, the snow room which is a welcome cool down after the hot bathing or a snooze on the Korean style heated slab floor. Massage chairs with personal TVs and blankets are available in two adjoining rooms and you may even catch a subtitled film.

Fully relaxed, cobwebs all dusted away pay your bill on your way out, on return of your electronic wrist-thingamajig to which any extras (drinks, massage therapy etc.) will have been added. Although pricier than an older city sento there is no time limit at Saere and its open 24hours, so if you do doze off you'll be left happily undisturbed in dreamland. Just a 3 minute hop and skip from the JR Saka station on the Kure line and you're heading back into the city and normal life resumes... but maybe in a more tranquil state than before.

Details

Bath

• (3 hour limit) only around ¥1000 (adult: 13-59), ¥900 (child: 4-12), kids 3 and under are free
  
• Full use of baths without a time limit is ¥2000 (adult), ¥1500 (child)
  
• Various discounts for certain hours/ladies days, monthly membership deals, etc...

Courses include

• Chinese Reflexology (tsubo)
• Korean "Bata"
• Thai "Chakra"
• Indonesian Aroma Massage
  and more.

Access:
Located just across the street from JR Saka Station on the JR Kure line. If driving, head past the Hiroshima Port (Ujina) area and follow Route 31 toward Saka Station.

Saere Asian Resort Spa
http://www.seare.jp/
Tel: 082-886-3345
Open 24 hours every day of the year.

August 2006
Gillian Kyle

A recent settler in Oyashima I graced the shores of Hiroshima from a drizzly nae sa bonnie Scotland. I wittle away my free time doodling, reading and wandering, capturing as many wee bizarre snapshots of strange life here that my memory can hold. Its grand to have the opportunity to live and work in such a lovely city and I could happily eatokonomiyaki til the cows come home.