About

Soaking is a passion of mine; something that I love to talk about and want to share. At hotsprung I hope you will find a few good stories about my bathing life, as well as useful links and information for your own bathing adventures.

The places you read about at hotsprung are public bathing facilities, spas and natural water sources such as hot springs. Public bathing is an elusive term because the facility may also have the word spa attached to it. When participating in public bathing, treatments are usually self-administered, and are done so by entering a hot or cold source accessible to other people at the same time. They are usually culturally specific and entered for the purposes of health and cleansing.

Public bathing has been practiced for thousands of years by nearly every culture. It is always a great adventure to go to a foreign country and experience new bathing rituals. Unfortunately, not all of us have the time to jet off overseas.  However, there is a rising trend in public bathing for both health and recreation that is beginning to permeate western culture while drawing on traditions that have been in place for thousands of years.  Some examples include:

Russian – Banya

Finish – Sauna

Turkish – Hammam

Japanese – Onsen and Sento

Korean – Jjimjilbang

Roman – Therme

Traditionally, all of the above public bathing facilities existed as the primary place to clean the body and restore health. They were used by everyone and were often free or priced so they could be accessed easily; many are still that way today. Whatever your price range  spas, saunas, and hot springs will contribute to your overall health and provide  luxurious, relaxing, and often adventurous experiences.

Enjoy the articles and feel free to contact me.