It was after a long day that my hosts, Aisha and Mohamed Solimon, decided that we should go to a sauna to relax and refresh our tired bodies.
Since last November, staying In the Rixos Premium Belek Hotel, Turkey for nearly six weeks and the Rixos Al Nasr in Tripoli, Libya for two weeks, I was able to partake their saunas, and nearly died as overheated once, well I felt as if I was dying.
For me, I have never felt the benefit of cooking myself, of sweating so much that I had to drink gallons of water to replace that which I had lost. For others, I respect their joy and excitement.
So we visited the Stonebath Sauna (Yi Sheng Tang) in Shanghai, which is advertised as a new concept of natural mineral therapy spa, and China’s first medical stone spa.
I felt that I was attending a pyjama party, as we had to remove our normal clothes to wear robes given to us.
Phillip Holt and Mohamed Solimon
Under orders from Aisha, I had to drink loads of water before entering the sauna, and when we did, I understood why it was called Stone Bath. There were more pebbles (stones) in the room than on the beach in the UK’s holiday town of Brighton (click to see views), and they were hot.
We had to lay down on these stones, and sacks of equally hot stones were placed on our ankles, stomach and shoulders, meaning we were pinned down, unable to move. Ten minutes like this and it was time to get out for more water to be poured down the throats, only to return for more heat treatment.
For me, I did not feel any benefit, apart from sweating a lot and having a shower after. The companionship was great, and the others enjoyed the benefits, but then it is all about the Cat on the Mat.
Image from Stonebath Sauna (Yi Sheng Tang) Shanghai
But, I must say, I enjoyed the night out.