Sand bathing basically involves getting buried in a large pit of volcanic sand for up to 30 minutes. The experience is not only soothing and satisfying, but believed to be highly therapeutic as well. It is apparently great for treating infertility, diabetes, anaemia and asthma, and is also said to aid in weight loss. The bathing areas consist of a huge boxes of sand, heated up with natural hot spring water. When the sand is thoroughly soaked in the water and steaming hot, the water is drained. Visitors are then let into the box and asked to lie down, as workers shovel copious amounts of sand on top of them. The bathers remain buried until the sand cools down, and are then directed to bathing facilities to wash the dirt off.
Once the box is empty, the heating process is started again, which takes about 30 minutes. So tickets to the bath are sold at 30-minute intervals, and there are only a limited number of spots per session. The ticket comes with a traditional Japanese cotton robe called 'yukata', and a towel. The garment helps keep the sand from sticking to the body, and also acts as a sort of insulation against the heat. A wooden pillow is also provided, which serves as a head rest.
