Stay Home Foot Baths

As a huge fan of onsen, it's sad to say I haven't been to one, not even to a foot bath, in over a year.

Despite living in a city with onsen and foot baths within a reasonable distance, the pandemic has made this more complicated. It's not that I can't go most of the time, it is just more weird now, since we obviously can't wear masks while bathing.

In the case of the local foot baths, near Minoh Waterfall, they are open when they are open, and when we are under a state of emergency, they close all the time.

This is quite different from most outdoor foot baths, open to all at any time. (One example is Hot Foot 105, in Obama, Nagasaki.)

A while back I got into a book called, The Seitai Method, which is mostly about stretches for health (based on a special flavor of Japanese chiropractic). The book includes partial bathing for health benefits, and one of those that we have adopted as a morning practice, is foot bathing. This is mostly done in the winter, when we are not rushing in the morning, which is not as common as I'd like to. Sleeping late because it's cold doesn't help, but I've been meaning to get to it for a couple weeks now.

We do this with only two special items, both from 100 yen stores, although I think the tub was 2-300 yen. The basin is big enough for feet but is technically a basin for catching water under your dish drainer. The other item is a cute water thermometer, which seems to work fine for measuring air temperature also. It floats on the surface of the water. You might already own items that are close enough if you bathe babies or pets in your home.

Foot baths are good for improving symptoms of a cold due to renal fatigue, coldness in the hands and feet, sore throat, fatigue, and tired legs, among other things. They are helpful to ease any cold symptoms before getting a fever. I suffer from cold hands and feet in the winter, but enjoy it enough to take a foot bath without symptoms.

The water should be heated to around 47-48 degrees Celsius. For children or those sensitive to that temperature, use 45-46 degrees. Both feet should be immersed in the water up to the ankles. The book says that it is normal for your feet to become bright red. In fact, if they are not both red, keep soaking even one foot. The amount of time recommended is 4-6 minutes and by then you might be perspiring.

This ritual is kind of squeezed into a rushed morning when it happens for us, but is a welcome 5-10 minute break to relax. It's sort of meditative, being stuck there with your feet wet and no where to go.

It would be lovely to have a foot bath with real onsen water at home to enjoy any time, but this is the next best thing.