By NAOYUKI MORI/ Staff Writer
March 27, 2022 at 07:10 JST
The sauna-equipped Sabus is shown in Kamikawa, Hyogo Prefecture, on March 4. (Tatsuo Kanai)
KAMIKAWA, Hyogo Prefecture--A retired fixed-route bus was remodeled into a traveling sauna hut that can be dispatched anywhere at the client’s request.
The Sabus mobile sauna concept was proposed by Arisa Matsubara, 29, an employee of Shinki Bus Co., which had operated the vehicle.
Matsubara learned about a sauna bus in Finland, the homeland of the bathing tradition, and floated the steam bath idea in hopes of increasing revenue amid the decline in ridership during the novel coronavirus crisis.
She founded a new bus business company in May last year while being temporarily transferred from Shinki Bus, which operates mainly in Hyogo Prefecture. She spent four months completing Sabus.
The bus features a sauna chamber in the rear, outfitted with a wood-burning stove, that accommodates up to 12 individuals. A rest room is available in the front, while hand straps and stop buttons are left as they were to retain the original ambience.
“The Sabus offers an experience comparable to a full-fledged sauna with the bus-like atmosphere preserved,” Matsubara said. “It was created just as I envisioned. I expect it to reach out even to those who do not use saunas in daily life.”
The company initially plans to rent out the Sabus to businesses, such as accommodation and bathing facilities.
Reservations are accepted on the inquiry form of Sabus’ Japanese-language website at (https://sabus.jp).
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