A person can’t visit the beautiful island
of Taiwan without hearing about the
legendary health benefits received from soaking in the hot springs situated throughout the
land. It was during the Japanese
occupation between 1895 and 1945 that these hot springs truly became popular and
developed into the famous destinations for respite they are today.
Having decided late yesterday afternoon to visit the springs in Beitou, an
hour north of Taipei
city, I wake up early this morning to plan out the logistics of my
daytrip. I have two options: 1) I can go
to a luxury resort and pay to soak in community pools in which the hot spring
water is pumped into or 2) I can go to one of the last remaining traditional
public baths available to the locals. Concerning option 1, the cleanliness is
questionable and rumored to 'recycle' old bath water. But in option
2, it's required nudity. After a bit of hesitation, I talk myself into
option 2 and ultimately decide that I have a bigger problem with a lack of
sanitation than a lack of clothing. After a 45 minute subway ride, a 10
minute bus ride, and a short hike to the hot spring, I arrive.
I am halfway across the bridge to the public baths when I hear a frantic man
calling me. I look to my right and see a half naked male octogenarian
emphatically shooing me away. Oh. Wrong
bridge. I step in reverse and soon, find myself in the ladies bath.
But I can't bring myself to get past the doorway. Hit by shock, I am
initially paralyzed the moment I see every woman is naked. I mean, I read
about it beforehand, and I knew about it beforehand, but that's still very
different from being greeted by the visual onslaught of unabashed body parts.
Forgive me, but I’m American. Accordingly, I have a very real
discomfort with nudity. Unless it's in the shower or in the bedroom, it's
not meant to be available for viewing. So,
I backpedal, head up a little ways and stumble upon a local shrine. I
light incense and pray. Please, some assistance. It's just the human form. I'm not scared. Thank
you. When I finish, I place the incense at the front of the shrine
and turn around. A kitten is staring straight at me and I follow it back
down the walkway to the ladies' bath. At the doorway, I meet a woman
going in at the same time as I. Somehow, entering with another is
much more comforting than going alone.
I feel a bit nervous about stripping down in front of a bunch of strangers
but all of them are old, already naked, and not models so it's really not
as bad as I’m making it out to be. I wash up and dip my legs into the
pool. The water is hotter than holy hell and stings like a million angry
ex-lovers. I start rubbing my calves to help with the pain when I hear,
"no scrubbing!"
"But it's too hot."
"Just go in slowly and don't move around. It only feels hot when you
move."
Surprise, surprise. Granny knows a bit or two. And honestly, it really does
only sting when I move. I plan to soak for 20 minutes (the recommended safe
amount of time) but after five measly minutes I find myself climbing back
out. I’m dizzy. My heart rate is frenetic. And I can barely
breathe.
How these grandmas do it is beyond me.
Ten minutes sitting outside puts my heart rate back at manageable, although
still faster than normal. Five in. Ten out. Three in. Fifteen out.
And it takes another 30 for my heart to stop trying to fly out of my chest and
120 for the red splotches to disappear from my skin. But when I’m done, I
feel utterly fantastic. I’m relaxed, my skin is phenomenally dewy, and I
feel like a kid dressed up as Superman for Halloween. I’m amazed at how
good I feel.
I step out the door and see my feline attendant who promptly turns to
lead me out.
