The Tokyo Experience That Lets You Feel Like You’re Back In the Womb

Do you remember what it felt like to be in the womb? If you’re like most humans, probably not ... but it was probably pretty good. And now you can go back to it. A new experience in Tokyo is promising to make you feel reborn by returning you to the warmth and comfort of the womb. The experience is called the Sauna Mother and promises a place where you can “stop being an adult for two hours.” Here’s how the experience is described:

Sauna Mother takes customers all the way back to the prenatal stage of childhood. For example, instead of a regular old sauna, the facility has a Uterus Sauna, which reproduces the sensations of being in the womb through fleshy red lighting, muffled sounds, and a scent its designers say is evocative of the smell of a mother’s skin. You can even have your photo taken to be placed on your “rebirth certificate” that Sauna Mother provides. After emerging from the Uterus Sauna you’ll proceed to the Newborn Bath, a cold-water bath meant as an allegory to the initial rinsing of birthing fluids off of a newborn child. Subsequently, you’ll be warmed back up again in the Mother’s Lap Shower, for which guests are propped on a seat shaped like a woman’s torso and thighs. Finally, there’s perhaps the most visually impactful part of the experience, the Mother Sofa, where guests are cradled, rocked, and watched over. The goal of all this, Sauna Mother says, is to provide guests with “the sense of security they felt as newborns,” which will have them feeling invigorated when their session ends.

The cost for the entire experience? A two-hour session is listed for 8,500 yen (about $54). Looking at the photos of the experience, some elements are infinitely creepy (like the projections of motherly figures meant to “watch over you”) but the entire idea is certainly non-obvious. I’ll admit, I’m adding it to my own experience wish list for the next time I’m in Tokyo. When I do it, hopefully I’ll emerge “feeling invigorated” and not suffering night terrors from memories of holographic mothers watching over me. Would you try this?