I want to share the original painting I did for my new book, How to Take a Wa Style Bath: From the Onsen to the Comforts of Your Own Home, of the famous ♨️ onsen mark that signifies onsen or sento--hot springs and public baths on maps in Japan.

Did you know that the 3 wavy lines has another meaning besides symbolizing hot water? They are also indicators on how long you should soak in order to get the most out of an onsen bath. The left line is slightly shorter than the middle one, and the right one being shortest--this reflects what was the recommended duration for each soak: first you start off soaking for 5 minutes (represented by the left line), then 8 minutes (center line), and last of all, 3 minutes (right line) to wrap up an onsen bath.

When it's chilly out and despite most wanting to take a hotter bath, one at 40 or 41 degrees Celsius (104 or 106 Fahrenheit) can do your body lots of good. Bathing temperature is so important that I devoted a chapter just about it. And many people forget to stay hydrated before and after taking baths. It's important to have some water, or some warm herbal tea around 15 minutes before one, since that is the amount it takes for the fluid to travel throughout the body. It is said that a person usually loses approximately 500 mL of fluid from taking just regular bath! So drink up too, after taking one.

For more tips about wa style, or Japanese style bathing for at the onsen (hot spring) or at home, check out my book, available on Amazon & Blurb now! jodisam.com/books/wastylebath/