Our bathhouse facilities encompass a hot spa, cold plunge pool, dry sauna, showers and a relaxation lounge, which are segregated into male and female areas to suit the optional nude environment that is customary of all traditional bathhouses.
We will provide you with a locker, towels, toiletries (including shampoo & body wash) and hair dryers for your convenience. Once you have discovered Apollo’s, you will not want to leave, which is why we make it possible for you to stay all day – by giving you the opportunity to purchase food and beverages from the hotel.
Casual Pricing
Adult $19
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Tiara just went today… i think I may have to on pay day :) (via ladyvivianemae)
I DIIIIIIIIIIID, it was AWESOME. I love Japanese onsen and was tickled pink to hear about the existence of a Korean bath house but never really went there until today.
SO RELAXING. You just basically swan about the pools and showers and sauna for as long as you feel comfortable. Everyone’s nude but no one really seems to care. (It did make trying not to check out a cute chick there slightly awkward tho.) I had been so tense from piles-on of stupidity and chaos, and this helped melt it away.
They had some articles there about the history and procedures of baths in Finland, Russia, and Turkey. They all sound amazing! I remember loving my Estonian spa experience at the Brisbane Festival and was charmed at the tales of all these baths all over the world. If I had time and money I’d totally be a spabunny - maybe I could do a TV travel show talking about international spa customs or something.
People tend to think of spas as decadent indulgences (my mum was all “WHAT?!” when I told her, expecting some sort of $100+ treatment) but historically it was something everyone did for their wellbeing - as basic as our daily baths and showers. But it wasn’t just utilitarian: it also served as a home for rites of passages (births, deaths, weddings), was the neighbourhood meeting spot, and ritually marked the end of a long day of work, where your concerns and worries could dissipate with the steam and you’d feel refreshed for a hearty meal and a good night’s sleep, ready for the next day.
There were many accounts of people in mixed company nude but for birch leaves or washcloths, openly shaving or oiling up each other, without any awkwardness about sexual tension or modesty. Whatever age, whatever social strata, you were all equal in spa time. It was only when Christianity took hold (and also when it became more practical to wear & wash linen underwear than yourselves) that people were scared away from talks of spas causing venereal diseases, mental illnesses, and early deaths.
Some time ago I posted links and had short discussions about self-care for activists and busy people - visits to spas and bath houses would definitely rank as a top recommended activity. As the $19 casual entry price demonstrates, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It wouldn’t be bourgeois luxury (well, unless you want it to be - Apollo does have a range of beauty & body treatments) - you’d be continuing the traditions of the peasants and the working-class, who saw this as a necessary survival function. For one moment let the worries of the world stop, and rebuild your energy so that you can keep fighting on.
(If you have any other recommendations for spas/bath houses let me know!)
(via tiaramerchgirl)
Oh my god I need to go here.