Sanpia and Inner Serenity
- At February 20, 2022
- By admin
- In Annes Letters
0
Dear Family and Friends,
Last week my friend Noriko called and asked if I wanted to go to a spa. She had not been feeling well since her Corona booster and felt a good long soak would do her good. I love doing things with Noriko and Japanese spas are beyond words wonderful, so I gladly agreed to go.
I was astonished when we drove to a part of the city that was once vast paddies, but now is basically highways, big chain stories one after another, factories, and parking lots for trucks. It is the sort of place I avoid at all costs. But there we were.
Seeing my expression, Noriko reassured me by saying, “Sanpia (Sun Pier?) is a nice place. You will like it.” I smiled and we headed to the entrance.
To my relief, the first impression was indeed welcoming. There were tiny raked-sand gardens and large trees in the lobby. And the floors and walls were made of inlayed marble.
There were two saunas with large containers of salt for scrubbing your body.
And outdoors there were a multitude of more baths.
My apartment has only a shower, which can be tough in winter. So, a few days later I took a subway and braved the horrendous, but thankfully not long, walk to Sanpia. As I sat outside happily soaking, I thought of this spa compared to regular ones. All are heated with natural thermal waters, but this one is unique. Instead of trees and rivers surrounding the baths, I could vaguely sense the blacktop, concrete, factories, and trucks. I realized this was how most of us have been surviving the chaotic past few years. We turn inward to find a beautiful place of serenity that balances out the shocks and horrors that bombard us day in and day out. Our minds and hearts are indeed the Sanpia we can create wherever we happen to be.
Love,
Anne
Last week my friend Noriko called and asked if I wanted to go to a spa. She had not been feeling well since her Corona booster and felt a good long soak would do her good. I love doing things with Noriko and Japanese spas are beyond words wonderful, so I gladly agreed to go.
I was astonished when we drove to a part of the city that was once vast paddies, but now is basically highways, big chain stories one after another, factories, and parking lots for trucks. It is the sort of place I avoid at all costs. But there we were.
Seeing my expression, Noriko reassured me by saying, “Sanpia (Sun Pier?) is a nice place. You will like it.” I smiled and we headed to the entrance.
To my relief, the first impression was indeed welcoming. There were tiny raked-sand gardens and large trees in the lobby. And the floors and walls were made of inlayed marble.
The staff greeted us politely. They handed us bags with towels and robes. There was a thermally heated room with sunken lounge chairs and an area with separate TVs for individual viewing.
It seems half of this oasis is a sports center, the other a spa. We, of course, headed right to the baths. Again, I was both surprised and delighted to see many pools, some inside, some out. There were large ones with still water for relaxing. And small, more specifically therapeutic ones with water forcefully shooting in bubbles, wonderful for massaging stiff shoulders and aching backs.
It seems half of this oasis is a sports center, the other a spa. We, of course, headed right to the baths. Again, I was both surprised and delighted to see many pools, some inside, some out. There were large ones with still water for relaxing. And small, more specifically therapeutic ones with water forcefully shooting in bubbles, wonderful for massaging stiff shoulders and aching backs.
There were two saunas with large containers of salt for scrubbing your body.
And outdoors there were a multitude of more baths.
One had an odd scent, but a perfect temperature. As we sat soaking, the cleaning girl came and began pouring a brown powder into the water. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day,” she said, “so this is chocolate.” We both were taken aback, but surrendered to the joy of the unexpected. She then pointed to the Sakura tree next to us. “The petals in the water are so beautiful. Please come back in spring to enjoy them.”
My apartment has only a shower, which can be tough in winter. So, a few days later I took a subway and braved the horrendous, but thankfully not long, walk to Sanpia. As I sat outside happily soaking, I thought of this spa compared to regular ones. All are heated with natural thermal waters, but this one is unique. Instead of trees and rivers surrounding the baths, I could vaguely sense the blacktop, concrete, factories, and trucks. I realized this was how most of us have been surviving the chaotic past few years. We turn inward to find a beautiful place of serenity that balances out the shocks and horrors that bombard us day in and day out. Our minds and hearts are indeed the Sanpia we can create wherever we happen to be.
Love,
Anne
