Arguabley the most talked about and eagerly awaited part of Snow Peak's Campfield in Long Beach, Washington is their Ofuro spa. The building, one of four on the property, is tucked away across the river and near the Jyubako tiny homes. From the Campfield, unless it is lit up it doesn't look like much, but stepping inside offers an entirely different world. And while at Store Camp this past weekend, we were fortunate enough to be given a private tour of the construction site and a sneak peek of what to expect come June.
The Ofuro Entry
Our tour was at dusk, when the lighting was on and the sun had ducked far behind the trees surrounding the Campfield. Large vertical pieces of wood frame the entryway and bask those stepping inside in a warm glow. While the entry is open, immediately after you pass the gateway you're met with a place to pause, remove your footwear and set your things aside.
A shower is required before taking using the Ofuro, which are on the opposite side of the privacy screen. Changing rooms are to your right as you walk in so if you did not walk over in your bathing suit, you can put one on. While these weren't available to peek into, I can only imagine they'll be as good as the standard bathrooms in the wash house.
And a quick aside, while this is a Japanese style spa, clothing is required.
Where You'll Soak
Leaving the showers, you'll find 4 areas to relax in,
- The primary soaking pool
- The cold plunge
- The sauna
- An open air space
The open air space isn't as much of a formal area, but simply a large room that offers some seating and a view of most of the Campfield.
The primary pool is the centerpiece of the space, not only as the focal point visually but the space for communal gatherings and the largest space in the Ofuro.
The pool is importantly open air, looking immediately out over the river running through the land, and with a natural barrier between you and the rest of the camp in the trees growing on a small island. Not only does this offer literal privacy, but it focuses your view from the pool in to one of strictly natural space. While this photo doesn't capture the entirety of that view thanks to the tarp, you hopefully get a sense of how the entire space is framed.
Opposite the seating area first mentioned (and visible behind the pool in the photos above) is the cold plunge. A smaller, square pool also with an external view, this is meant just for a couple of people to leave the soaking pool or sauna and take a quick dip in to the chilly waters that are waiting for you.
Where You'll Sauna
But it's to the left of these two pools that the most impressive piece of the building stands: the Sauna.
While none of the photos truly do this space justice, this is without a doubt the worst offender. The interior of the sauna is made with temple-grade hinoki wood. What is temple grade hinoki? Hinoki wood is a Japanese cypress tree, with a strong aroma and very resistant to rot and mildew, it is often found in more consumer-grade goods for the bath.
Temple-grade hinoki is exactly as it sounds, wood intended for use in construction and repair of Japanese temples. Growing this quality of wood takes centuries, and the trees you plant will not be ready when you leave the planet. It is a multi-generational process and the forest where these trees are grown, cared for and ultimately harvested. But to be temple-grade, additional steps are required in the growth of these trees. Most notably, and seen in the photos below is that there are no knots present in the wood.
But it's really the aroma that is most present and pleasant about stepping inside.
Opening Soon
While we're still a couple weeks from the official opening of the Ofuro, Snow Peak Way and a summer of enjoying Campfield, this final piece is clearly coming in to place and will set the experience apart.