Japan s sauna industry not letting pandemic turn down the heat Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
A tent sauna on the bank of the Atago River in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture | COURTESY OF TATSUYA SUZUKI / VIA KYODO
KYODO Feb 16, 2021
When the coronavirus pandemic hit last year, Japan’s booming sauna industry had a problem: Packed hot rooms seemed to violate all the new rules of social distancing and ventilation.
But instead of spelling the end of the good times, the challenge has led to a burst of innovation, with the emergence of saunas for individuals and even outdoor versions at such scenic spots as riverbanks.
Japan s sauna industry not letting pandemic turn down the heat When the coronavirus pandemic hit last year, Japan s booming sauna industry had a problem: packed hot rooms seemed to violate all the new rules of social distancing and ventilation.
But instead of spelling the end of the good times, the challenge has led to a burst of innovation, with the emergence of saunas for individuals and even outdoor versions in such scenic spots as riverbanks. It has become an opportunity for novelty to become pervasive, said Yasutaka Kato, 37, representative director of the Japan Association of Sauna and a physician.
Japan s saunas were once seen as the preserve of middle-aged men, but in recent years they have drawn in increasing numbers of younger people and women too. And despite the pandemic, the appetite to sweat one s way to health or beauty or just let the heat unknot a stiff body seems undiminished.