Airport Spa Series: 風の湯 at Nagoya's Chubu International Airport

  Second up in my series about airport relaxation, is probably one of my favorite airport experiences ever: Hu no Yu (風の湯) at Nagoya's brand spanking new Chubu Airport.


  When Nagoya found out that expanding Komaki airport wasn't much of an option, they did what every other self respecting Japanese city would do and went all out by building an airport in the bay.


  The airport isn't too big, but it has everything, great shops, great food, one of the best planespotting terraces anywhere, as well as our subject matter for today: the world's only naked plane spotting spa.


  Yes my friends, Hu no Yu is a japanese onsen with a twist, you don't only have your typical tubs, you also have a magnificent view of the runways and airport ramp. Worry not though, the airplanes don't have a good view of you thanks to creative architecture, yeah, that wooden shack you see in the building is part of the Spa's terrace.

  Admission is only 1000yen (credit cards accepted) so you won't really break the bank too much unless the yen goes higher than it is at time of writing, around 76 to the dollar.  But as of now, the unique experience makes the price worth it.


  The hot tub repertoire is quite decent, you have a hot jacuzzi, massage tubs; shallow tubs where you can lie horizontally and enjoy bubble jets massaging every inch, an electric massage tub; where you can enjoy a tingly electrical bath, a bit odd, but interesting nonetheless; and of course, the outdoor terrace,  complete with lounging chairs where you can enjoy the breezy weather and a marvelous view of the runways. A real treat for airplane enthusiasts.

 True to the bath's name, roughly translated as "Wind Bath", weather outside can be quite breezy, but this is good as you need a place to cool down sometimes. There are plenty of quiet onsens all over Japan, so it's nice to have one where you can relax with the sound of airplane engines in the background.

Unfortunately, for obvious reasons you can't have a camera on you, but, that's no problem as you can simply go outside and enjoy the free viewing terrace.

Airport Spa Series: Incheon International Airport's Spa on Air

  Airports and relaxation, two words that seem mutually exclusive, and many times, they are.  But we're not talking about the C/D concourse at Dulles or Terminal 6 at LAX, we're talking about Seoul's Incheon airport, the comfiest hub in Northeast Asia.

  After a long 10+ hour flight and an even longer journey from home, you feel tired, jetlagged, and probably a bit stinky too. Worry not fellow travellers, it's Spa on Air to the rescue.

  Unfortunately for those of you on short transits, this is located outside of immigration, but if you have 3+ hours it's definitely worth it. After exiting customs, go down one level and you'll find Spa on Air on the north/east side of the concourse, worry not, it's open 24 hours, so you shall find respite no matter what time of day you come in.

  The entry fee was about the equivalent of 10usd last time I was there, which is the standard entry fee for daytime, although there is a surcharge if you stay between midnight and 6am, as well as additional charges for private rest rooms or massage services.

  The counter staff take care of your luggage and give you abag with fresh towels and clothes; afterwards you take off your shoes and are sent off to the locker rooms.  Please be aware that the "wet" areas of the spas are segregated and once you're in the dressing rooms, you better be comfortable with nudity ;) . It's easy to get over it though, as there always seem to be someone with more excess flesh in worse spots than you.

  Once you're in your birthday suit, take a quick shower and you're free to dip your bottom in the hot tubs, careful, they're hot ! But oh my, feel those bubbles, kissing the exhaustion away. There really is no better way to relax than a nice tub of hot water. There's even a couple of different temperatures to choose from depending on where you sit. So just find the right spot and relax.

   After you're done dipping, you can head over to the dry sauna or the steam sauna as well to continue with the heat/water therapy. Personally, I love to go for an extended cycle of rinse/wash/repeat until I feel like a mass of pizza dough that's been kneaded thoroughly by an Italian granny.

  Be sure to keep hydrated, but that's easy to do as there's always a watercooler in the dressing room. There's also toothbrushes and all sorts of assorted toiletries to help you make yourself presentable before putting your rags back on and heading to the common areas.

  Once you've had enough nakedness, you can take your Spa provided clothes and head out to the common areas, there's a tv and snack area, as well as plenty of couches and mats where you can crash out for a few (or many minutes).  I've personally spent a few hours here after arriving on red-eye flights so I could head into town at a more check-in friendly hour and it's amazing how time flies down here.

  Once you're done you just go back to the dressing room and put on your street clothes, I guarantee you shall feel completely renovated. There's nothing quite like that fresh out of the spa feeling. And you'll also feel good that you had hours of relaxation for only a pittance.

  Keeping true to my blog name, I have been too cheap to try the extra services but they seem reasonably priced. All in all this place is an excellent value for any traveler and a very important asset for Incheon, I'm only sorry that this sort of place isn't more commonplace in airports worldwide, one can dream no?

Time to get the ball rolling

  Hey folks, after years of procrastination I thought it was time to finally get the ball rolling. I've been lucky enough to get around the block a few times. I'm not a rich man by any means but with some good planning I've been lucky enough to feed the travel addiction without going bankrupt (yet).

  I hope my experiences can help others have as much fun as I have. Plus, it's nice to have a record of things, before old age erases them forever !