Yunessun Spa Resort

After centuries of traditional bathhouses and hot springs (known as “onsen”), it’s little wonder that the Yunessun Spa Resort has decided to branch out into more exotic bathing options like green tea baths and ramen pools.

Set at the foot of lush green mountains, the spa/theme park in Japan’s Hakone prefecture offers all of the refreshing spa treatments one might expect from such a relaxation palace, but its theme baths are like nothing else in the world. The complex offers a number of theme spas such as the Roman-styled Ancient Roman Bath or the massive God’s Aegean Sea. However its the drink-themed attractions like the Green Tea Spa, where bathers get to relax in a pool filled with actual tea, that steal the show. In addition to the relaxing tea bath, the site also has a Red Wine Spa, a Japanese Sake Spa, a Coffee Spa, and a pepper-water filled Ramen Noodle Spa. More than just colored water, these pools are filled with the actual drink. The coffee is brewed in pots and poured into the pool barrel-by-barrel, and the sake and wine baths could even get someone drunk (although drinking any of these waters is highly inadvisable).

Don’t miss the coffee- and wine-pouring ceremonies, which occur several times each day at hours posted near the pools themselves.  Be warned, however, that much like a Nickelodeon gameshow, more juice ends up on the spectators than in the spa.

Each themed bath also features over-sized drink containers associated with the bath. For instance, the wine bath issues from a giant wine bottle, and massive fake noodles hang over the ramen pool. Baths can be both relaxing and fun but Yunessun has finally created baths that can make people hungry.