I went to the hot stone spa at my gym today. It's not one of those Spa Treatment experiences (I capitalize this because I have a friend who manages one of those kind of spas) where someone puts warm stones and essential oil or something on you for the jolly price of fifty dollars or more. The hot stone spa here is more like a sauna but instead of cedar benches there are long , heated stone beds that you lie on. Somewhere there is some kind of wood called Keyaki which gives the room a nice, slightly piney scent.
I spent most of this workout stretching after doing some light cardio, abs and pushups. Great stretch, little tiny bit of yoga and off I went to the hot stone bed. With the small 300 yen fee (maybe $2.50 USD in a kind of random guess on the exchange rate) you get to claim a bed for one hour and a rental yukata.
I like the yukata a lot because I feel more comfortable moving around in it than a towel. The thin cotton is also nice in the room. Very non-restricting.
I did some relaxation visualizations and a little reiki and done! I actually managed to stay inside for 20 minutes. My record for a sauna is about 5. I really liked that the temperature was quite warm but not hot and the air was humid but not stifling. Sometimes I find it hard to breathe in a sauna or steambath. The stone bed was very warm but comfortable on top of a towel. I really liked how it seemed to warm all my achey spots.
When I left the gym I noticed that my back and shoulder pain were gone for the first time in a few weeks. I am SO happy right now.
And on that note, I'm going to sleep.
I got a few cherry blossom shots that I will try to put up in the next couple of days. Sometimes I don't know why I shoot RAW format because I hate all the steps I have to go through to get it ready for the web. So coming soon... Cherry Blossoms.