Japan's electric baths: a shocking wellness trend

Pria Koll recounts her experience at Daikoku-yu Onsen in Tokyo, where she discovered the denkiburo, an electric bath invented by Kiyoshi Fujimoto in Osaka during the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods. The bath uses electrode plates to generate a small electric current that contracts muscles, promoting circulation and relieving tension. Though unregulated, denkiburo remain common in sentos, especially in the Kansai region. Older generations swear by the health benefits, while younger people are wary. Koll notes the bath's growing popularity as a potential trend for saunas and onsens.