Last night, we took a little dip at our local sentō, a type of Japanese communal bath house. With towels in tow it took us about 30 seconds to walk from our apartment to the sentō. We parted ways in the lobby and I headed into the ladies section, paid the fee, chose a locker and stripped down. Within moments I was sitting on a little stool, parked in front of a mirror and diligently took a shower. 

As the shampoo foamed in my hair, I couldn’t help but smile and remember my first experience at a public bath house in 2010. After the initial “what do I do?” moment passed, I remembered how liberating it was to be in the nude, washing myself, then braving the 45 degree bath. No one cared what I did or who I was. I got to be in my own little world. I sat in the tub for a few minutes, humming in my headed and tapping my feet under water. It was beautiful.

♥

Taken with my iPhone 4S and processed in Over.