Healing with Japanese hot mineral bath recipe

Health benefits of hot mineral baths

Close your eyes and imagine yourself stepping into a warm natural body of water, with birds chirping around you and fresh air outside. Feeling relaxed already? That’s just one of the many health benefits you can get from soaking in a hot spring.

These waters can be found in a variety of settings, from natural outdoors to being piped into pools at spas and wellness resorts.

Share onEveryday HealthDr. Marcus Coplin, of the North American Mud Bath Association, explains that because the waters originate deep underground, they accumulate minerals on their way to the surface. The resulting water is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur, and can provide health benefits.

Each hot spring offers a unique mineral composition. Overall, most people enjoy soaking for its relaxing and pain-relieving effects.

The study also found that the risk of diseases such as stroke and heart attack was nearly 30% lower in people who bathed in hot mineral springs every day. The study followed the health of 30,000 people for 20 years.

Specifically, heat helps reduce blood pressure and improve vascular endothelial function. Hot mineral baths can also improve blood flow in the brain, reducing the risk of dementia.

According to Yumi Yamamoto, research director of LongeviQuest, the secret to Japanese longevity is eating until 80% full, working moderately and exercising diligently. Many elderly people have the habit of going to the gym every day, where they can practice Tai Chi, jog or soak in hot mineral pools.

Hot mineral baths are a traditional health therapy that dates back centuries.

Japanese people often stay at hot spring resorts for at least a week, or even longer, to bathe several times a day as a treatment for various ailments.

Today, hot spring trips for health restoration are still very popular, but most people only spend a day or two soaking in the natural mineral waters because they do not have enough time for longer trips.

However, you can still recreate the Japanese hot spring experience at home, to improve your physical and mental health. This is also a trend that many rich people in the world have been pursuing in recent years, when looking for a place to live with hot springs or building giant hot spring baths right at home.

Using hot mineral water at home has many advantages and conveniences. People can regularly take hot mineral baths at home without having to travel to faraway resorts. You can also handle problems such as removing harmful impurities, adjusting the temperature and ingredients to suit each person's therapeutic needs.

How to make a hot mineral bath at home

Here's how you can experience a Japanese-style hot bath right at home.

Cleaning

According toForbes, visiting a Japanese hot spring is a communal experience. You almost always enjoy a hot spring with others of the same sex. Therefore, it is important for each person to cleanse themselves before entering the spring to keep the water clean.

Begin your home bathing ritual just like you would at a hot spring, by washing thoroughly.

You can buy a simple wooden stool to sit on while you cleanse your body. You can also use a natural scrub to remove dead skin cells and prepare your skin to absorb all the nutrients from the bath water.

Fill the bathtub with hot water

After you’ve finished bathing, fill your bathtub with hot water, very hot. The water is hot enough to boil an egg. Most public baths have a water temperature of around 42 degrees Celsius.

You can increase the water temperature a little higher than what you normally use for a more realistic experience, but be careful not to burn yourself.

Dissolve bath salt

Japanese hot springs have high mineral content that benefits your skin and overall health. On the other hand, your local tap water may not have the same effect.

Minerals are an essential part of a hot spring bath, says mineral bath expert Colin Fukai. You can buy small packets of bath salts and use them in each bath to mimic the waters of natural hot springs in Japan.

Burn incense

To recreate the experience of a hot spring bath at home, you need to pay attention to the details of the atmosphere, and burning incense can create the right atmosphere, according to Fukai. Choose delicate Japanese incense instead of smoky incense sticks.

Soak

Now it’s time to enjoy a hot bath. Spend about 15 or 20 minutes relaxing in the mineral water to relax your muscles, but not so long that you feel too tired from the heat. Fukai suggests using a traditional Japanese wooden bath bucket to pour water over your head and shoulders.

Rinse and put on a yukata

After bathing, rinse your body with water and wash it thoroughly without using soap to retain most of the minerals on your skin. At Japanese hot springs, you will dry yourself with a traditional cotton hand towel.

Once you’re at home, dry yourself off with a large, soft towel made from natural fibers. Finally, you can complete the experience by slipping into a yukata and relaxing for the evening./.