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With February here, it’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security regarding the weather in Japan. After all, in just a month the cherry blossoms are scheduled to start blooming in Tokyo, and aren’t those outdoor sakura hanami parties the archetypal moment of spring?
Old Man Winter (or the Winter Shogun, as he’s called in Japan) is going to be hitting Japan with cold temperatures for a few more weeks, however, and so it’s still a great time to head to a hot spring to warm yourself up. And if you’re having trouble picking which hot spring to go to, right now is an especially good time to visit Yunessun in the onsen town of Hakone and take a dip in its chocolate bath.
The chocolate bath isn’t a permanent part of Yunessun, but the facility is offering it as a special service for the Valentine’s Day season, since the celebration is at least as much about chocolate as it is romance in Japan. Twice a day, at 1 and 3 p.m., the Yunessan staff pours a full liter of chocolate into the tub, with the heat of the bathwater releasing a sweet aroma that the resort says will soak into your pores and leave your skin with a sweet scent.
In addition to the aroma and novelty, the chocolate bath also comes with a variety of purported health and beauty benefits, as Yunessan says the moisturizing and circulation-improving effects found in cocoa will be transferred to guests via their time in the choco-filled tub.
While most hot springs in Japan require bathers to be nude, Yunessun allows, and actually requires, bathing suits for this unique experience, which is also a mixed-gender affair (mirroring the setup of its maple syrup bath from a while back). The chocolate bath will be open until March 17, meaning guests can celebrate with a soak to celebrate not only Valentine’s Day, but its Japanese counterpart White Day as well.
Related: Yunessun official website
Source: Yunessun press release
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Celebrate pancakes with a maple syrup bath at this famous Japanese hot spring resort
-- Onsen in Japan uses the same mysterious hot spring bathing system from Ghibli film Spirited Away
-- Sink or drink? Japan celebrates arrival of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau with special wine-bath
- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2019/02/05/chocolate-hot-spring-bath-opens-in-japan-allows-swimsuits-mixed-gender-bathing/
17 Comments
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GyGene
Eh to, no sankyu da yo. I love onsen and I love chocolate, but not together.
Aly Rustom
what next? a Guinness bath?
bearandrodent
Sounds very unhygienic.
Hawkeye
I can't imagine sitting in a tub of hot chocolate. Don't want to say anything rude here but this looks like a scat party, yuck!
therougou
And then leave you with pimples all over your skin.
commanteer
Why not? Cocoa butter is a well established ingredient in skin care products. Nothing odd about this at all.
How so? Most people don't drink their bathwater....
Pimples: caused by sugar, refined carbohydrates and some heavily processed foods - not by cocoa.
that person
Not for me. And how many men are going to have to hide under the dark water for longer than anticipated?
Right. And exactly what is the percentage of cocoa being used!
@commanteer
they’re pouring chocolate in the tub. Not cocoa butter
commanteer
Unsweetened chocolate is basically cocoa, which contains cocoa oils.
Kenji Fujimori
I like to go to choco onsen
Serrano
I tried chocolate syrup in bed once. Tasty but really messy.
Luddite
No, hormones and genetics are the main culprit.
Jeff Huffman
. . . or the Winter Shogun, as he’s called in Japan . . .
No.
commanteer
Wow. A lot of chocolate haters. Sad.
lostrune2
Maybe only if we can lick it off of 'em
mmwkdw
Go in for a dip, and come out as a chocolate Easter bunny ?
This must surely rank up there with the top weirdo Japanese things.... is it supposed to be a Tourist attraction as such ?
And, what does Chocolate-bath peed-into smell/taste like ? I know the smell/taste from public swimming pools... but this one sets a new standard... Yuk!
In short, no thanks
Serrano
is this better than the wine onsen?