Hello,
winter has fully arrived in Japan,
and our breath now turns white in the cold air.
I hope you are keeping well.
I am a therapist who welcomes you at KUU Spa.
Today, I would like to share the story of
the world beneath your feet and our foot bath ritual.
Your feet support your body all day long,
touching the ground, carrying your weight,
working tirelessly inside tight shoes.
At KUU Spa,
we offer our deepest respect to your feet
and welcome them as honored guests,
guiding them back to their natural, barefoot state.
The ritual begins at the entrance.
This is the place your feet enter first―
the space between outside and inside,
the “awai,” a threshold of opposites,
like white and black, yin and yang.
White pebbles and bamboo charcoal represent
calmness and fire.
Here, external energies gathered from the outside world
are gently settled and released.
You then change into fresh slippers
and are guided into the ritual space―
as if ascending into the sky.
Their soft, cloud-like touch
signals your feet that it is time to rest.
Stepping down onto a thick towel mat,
the foot bath ritual begins.
First, you choose a stone that resonates
with how you feel in this moment.
• Aventurine ― vitality and emotional balance
• Crystal ― amplification of energy and purification
• Rose Quartz ― love and gentleness
• Amethyst ― stillness and deep healing
If it’s difficult to choose by sight,
touching the stones is best.
Trusting today’s intuition is always the right choice.
When the selected stone is gently dropped into the water,
it echoes softly―
clink, roll.
Vibration, water, and stone meet,
inviting your feet into a quiet field of resonance.
Small pebbles beneath the water
stimulate the soles of your feet,
while the subtle sound they make
guides the body toward purification.
We then cleanse your feet
with coarse sea salt harvested from the waters of Kyushu.
Each grain honors and purifies,
washing away fatigue with care.
To finish, your feet are wrapped
in a soft, pure white towel.
Every toe is gently read,
every movement attended to with intention.
As you slowly lift your gaze,
you may find yourself looking at your feet
with a tender expression―
as if saying,
“You worked so hard.”
At that moment,
your feet return to you,
rested and quietly content.
Lately,
have you taken a moment
to truly look at your own feet?
