Interview with the two people behind Uki Sauna
We spoke with Shunsuke Shimada, representative director of ITONAMI Co., Ltd., and Arata Kimura, director of totonou Japan Co., Ltd., about how Uki Sauna came to be, their attention to the guest experience, and their thoughts from opening through to the present.
We wanted to create a winter activity
What prompted you to build a sauna at float?
Shimada (surname only)
The initial idea came from thinking it would be nice to have a winter activity.
After float opened in September 2019, we went through several seasons, and our summer activities became well established.
We’re right by the Seto Inland Sea, so guests can go swimming and enjoy the water.
Winter is the off-season, so we started considering a sauna as something people could enjoy even in winter.
What ultimately led us to decide to install one was meeting Kimura.
He had stayed at float several times, and I heard him say, “I’m starting a sauna import business.”
As I heard more from Kimura about barrel saunas made in Estonia, I thought they would suit float, and that was the deciding factor.
Kimura (surname only)
A friend invited me to float, and I visited for a workation.
Working while looking out at the Seto Inland Sea from my room was truly refreshing.
Having spent time at float several times, I also thought that a barrel sauna would be perfect for float.
Barrel saunas stand out for their design and durability
Why does totonou Japan Co., Ltd. handle barrel saunas made in Estonia?
Kimura
It started when Saito, a friend since university and my co-founder, stayed in Estonia.
Saito and I often visited saunas and bathing facilities around Japan even before the sauna boom.
We stayed in frequent contact after he went to Estonia, and from our conversations I learned that saunas are actually widespread there.
Saito also told me about barrel saunas.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and sauna popularity grew, making saunas everywhere crowded.
I looked into barrel saunas and found that they weren’t prohibitively expensive, so I decided to buy one for private use.
When I posted about it on social media, the response was good.
I thought, “With this many inquiries, maybe we should try importing them,” and started the business.
What are the characteristics of Estonian barrel saunas?
Kimura
There are three main features.
The first is design. The rounded exterior is cute, isn’t it?
And when you add windows, as at float, you can enjoy the surrounding scenery from inside the sauna.
That’s a feature typical of an outdoor sauna.
The second is how the wood is processed.
A technique called thermal modification uses heat to reduce the moisture content of the wood and dry it out.
Wood treated this way is called thermowood, and one of its features is that it resists expansion and contraction.
Another feature is its toasty aroma, which comes from the heat treatment.
If we came across a sauna made of thermowood, we’d recognize it by its smell.
The third feature is the thickness of the wood. The wood we import is 42 mm thick.
This thickness is designed to keep the sauna interior properly warm even during the extremely cold Nordic winters.
Because it is thick, it is highly durable and heat-resistant.
The sauna stones are “Hakuo Mikage” from Yakage Town
What was it like when you first tried Uki Sauna?
Shimada
I thought it was really great, and I went in every day while we were getting ready to open.
I thought we’d created a fantastic activity for winter, too.
I was also glad we found good sauna stones when we tried löyly at Uki Sauna.
At Uki Sauna, we use “Hakuo Mikage,” quarried in Yakage Town.
At first, I just contacted them because “I wanted to use stone,” but when I visited the quarry and spoke with them, I learned that more than 90 percent of the stone they quarry cannot be used.
It seems that even a small flaw or a pattern makes the stone unsuitable for sale.
Since they weren’t processing or selling it separately, they kindly said, “Go ahead and use it.”
I took some home and tried pouring aromatic water over it, and it withstood the heat without cracking.
I’d be even happier if people learned about Hakuo Mikage and, in turn, had an opportunity to learn about Kurashiki.
Making the whole experience a lasting memory
I feel that at Uki Sauna, you can enjoy the sauna itself as well as the whole experience, from renting denim swimwear to food and drink. Just like Hakuo Mikage, everything has a meaning to it.
Shimada
There aren’t many sauna facilities that are this thoroughly focused on the experience, especially in Okayama.
I want our customers to experience what ITONAMI does.
That’s also why we link the self-service löyly experience at Uki Sauna with food and drink.
When we previously offered “cacao löyly,” we served sweets and drinks made with chocolate produced from cacao ground in a stone mill by the stone supplier that provides us with Hakuo Mikage.
In this way, the experience at Uki Sauna can become an opportunity to learn about the local area.
I hope people can sense what we do during the leisurely time they spend at Uki Sauna, including the time outside the sauna itself.
Experiences spark conversation
What kind of response have you had from customers since opening?
Shimada
We’ve been surprised that two to three times as many customers have come as we expected.
We thought the sauna would mainly be for guests staying at float, but many people come specifically to enjoy Uki Sauna.
Some people have come back several times, which makes us happy.
We’re also glad that people experience what we’re working on.
In particular, many people rent swimwear and sauna hats.
We’re grateful that people come knowing that the items are made by our ITONAMI brand.
It seems that your passion for ITONAMI is reaching your customers.
Shimada
It seems that the experience at Uki Sauna also gives customers a chance to strike up conversations with one another.
People don’t often talk in saunas in Japan, but at Uki Sauna, people who happen to book the same time slot become friends.
Some people even went out to eat together after trying Uki Sauna (laughs).
Kimura
That’s interesting.
It may be unusual in Japan, but in Estonia, making friends in the sauna is perfectly normal.
While many people use barrel saunas simply as saunas, it’s clear that at float, you’re working to make the experience as good as possible.
It’s truly wonderful how you offer customers each and every aspect of Uki Sauna as an experience they can only have here.
Enjoy the freedom to have an experience you can only have at Uki Sauna
Do you have a final message for our readers?
Shimada
I think Uki Sauna is run in an ideal way as an experience that includes the time before and after your sauna session, not just the time spent in the sauna.
We’d like to continue creating opportunities for customers to learn more about what we do, such as our sauna stones and aromatic water.
We hope you’ll take your time and enjoy your visit to Uki Sauna or float.
Kimura
We really want people to enjoy the sauna however they like.
There are many ways to enjoy a sauna, including löyly, cold baths, and relaxing outdoors.
We hope you’ll try different things and enjoy yourself, and that along the way you’ll enjoy an experience you can only have at Uki Sauna.
From the Writer
Whenever friends from outside the prefecture come to visit me in Okayama, I go to float or Uki Sauna with them.
That’s because you can enjoy the scenery of the Seto Inland Sea and meet people, things, and activities in Okayama driven by a sense of purpose.
After the interview, I felt I understood why people want to take their time at Uki Sauna, including the time spent outside the sauna itself.
Why not experience the one-of-a-kind “totonoi” time you can only enjoy at Uki Sauna?
Uki Sauna details
| Name | Uki Sauna |
|---|---|
| Location | 1421-26 Kojima Karakoto-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 080-3885-3737 (DENIM HOSTEL float: 086-477-7620) |
| Parking | Available Free municipal parking for about 40 cars is available at the bottom of the hill. |
| Hours | 【Mixed-gender sauna, 90-minute course】 9:30 a.m. / 11:30 a.m. / 1:30 p.m. / 3:30 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. 【Women-only sauna, 90-minute course】 Held irregularly 【Private sauna for up to two people, 90-minute course】 Weekdays only; held irregularly 【FRYDAY NIGHT SAUNA, 90-minute course】 7:30 p.m. ※Mixed-gender Please check Instagram for details. |
| Closed | Open daily |
| Fees (tax included) | 【Mixed-gender sauna, 90-minute course】 ¥2,200 (tax included) 【Women-only sauna, 90-minute course】 ¥2,200 (tax included) 【Private sauna for up to two people, 90-minute course】 ¥6,000 (tax included) 【FRYDAY NIGHT SAUNA, 90-minute course】 ¥3,000 (tax included) |
| Payment methods |
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| Reservations | Accepted Please call during reception hours to change or cancel a reservation. Reception hours: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Uki Sauna |
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