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A spokesman for the Buppa tourist department said the city is discussing safety issues, such whether they could run hot water inside a roller coaster
A spa-themed amusement park, which first started as an internet campaign intended to promote the 2,000 onsens (or hot springs) in the Japanese city of Beppu, became a reality this month.
The existing Rakutenchi theme park in Beppu was “re-purposed” over a single weekend and renamed “Yu-Enchi” – a play on the words fun and spa – with a number of rides being transformed into having an onsen theme.
Riders on the park’s roller coaster were drenched in soapy foam before going out onto the track, a merry-go-round featuring bath tubs was introduced and a number of spa-themed group activities were organised around the park.
The park is a result of a tongue-in-cheek video – showing guests sitting in a roller coaster, waist deep in onsen water – launched by the mayor Beppu last year.
Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano promised to make the ‘spamusement park’ a reality if the video got one million views – which it did in the matter of days.
Beppu is famous for having more than 2,000 onsen – or hot springs – and the video was part of the mayor’s plans to promote the city as a wellness tourism destination.
Once the 1m view milestone had been hit, Nagano kept his promise and the city raised more than ¥33m ($US300,000) through crowdfunding alone in order to bring the park to life.
The park was opened for three days – from 29 July to 31 August – and attracted more than 12,000 visitors.
See the original video of the park below
The media attention created by the park and the viral campaign over the past year has seemingly worked, too.
The ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa will include a public onsen bath, spa and pool, and the 89 bedrooms will each feature their own private onsen with water from a local hot spring.
British spa and skincare giant Elemis is making a grand entrance into London's retail scene,
handpicking Covent Garden's Seven Dials for its inaugural standalone store.
Freddie Moross, founder of wellness music provider Myndstream, has announced plans to launch
Spiritus – a brand new breathwork series by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Peter
Kater – onto the company’s music streaming service, The Stream.
Austrian-based Full Balance has created a Big Foot massage board for communal spa areas which
guests stand on to "closely mimic the experience of professional reflexology treatments".
Industry event organisation Spa Life is gearing up for the first-ever Spa Life Scotland
Convention, due to be hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow from 28-30 April.
We Work Well founders Monica Helmstetter and Lucy Hugo have called on ISPA members to join
their annual SpasPushingLimits charity hike in Phoenix, Arizona, on 22 April.
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
NYC-based lifestyle, spa and skin science brand Immunocologie Skincare has embarked on a
strategic collaboration with Satteva Wellness Group, marking its foray into the Latin
American market.
Global wellness music provider Myndstream has released the second episode of its new
educational content series Mastermynds, in partnership with Universal Companies.
Cryotherapy supplier Art of Cryo has created a new 12-person walkthrough cryotherapy chamber
at Cryo Center Coolzone Madeira, claimed to be the largest cold therapy treatment experience
in the world.
The 'spamusement' park included a roller coaster filled with foam
A spa-themed amusement park, which first started as an internet campaign intended to promote the 2,000 onsens (or hot springs) in the Japanese city of Beppu, became a reality this month.
The existing Rakutenchi theme park in Beppu was “re-purposed” over a single weekend and renamed “Yu-Enchi” – a play on the words fun and spa – with a number of rides being transformed into having an onsen theme.
Riders on the park’s roller coaster were drenched in soapy foam before going out onto the track, a merry-go-round featuring bath tubs was introduced and a number of spa-themed group activities were organised around the park.
The park is a result of a tongue-in-cheek video – showing guests sitting in a roller coaster, waist deep in onsen water – launched by the mayor Beppu last year.
Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano promised to make the ‘spamusement park’ a reality if the video got one million views – which it did in the matter of days.
Beppu is famous for having more than 2,000 onsen – or hot springs – and the video was part of the mayor’s plans to promote the city as a wellness tourism destination.
Once the 1m view milestone had been hit, Nagano kept his promise and the city raised more than ¥33m ($US300,000) through crowdfunding alone in order to bring the park to life.
The park was opened for three days – from 29 July to 31 August – and attracted more than 12,000 visitors.
See the original video of the park below
The media attention created by the park and the viral campaign over the past year has seemingly worked, too.
The ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa will include a public onsen bath, spa and pool, and the 89 bedrooms will each feature their own private onsen with water from a local hot spring.
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British spa and skincare giant Elemis is making a grand entrance into London's retail scene,
handpicking Covent Garden's Seven Dials for its inaugural standalone store.
Freddie Moross, founder of wellness music provider Myndstream, has announced plans to launch
Spiritus – a brand new breathwork series by Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Peter
Kater – onto the company’s music streaming service, The Stream.
Austrian-based Full Balance has created a Big Foot massage board for communal spa areas which
guests stand on to "closely mimic the experience of professional reflexology treatments".
Industry event organisation Spa Life is gearing up for the first-ever Spa Life Scotland
Convention, due to be hosted at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow from 28-30 April.
We Work Well founders Monica Helmstetter and Lucy Hugo have called on ISPA members to join
their annual SpasPushingLimits charity hike in Phoenix, Arizona, on 22 April.
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
NYC-based lifestyle, spa and skin science brand Immunocologie Skincare has embarked on a
strategic collaboration with Satteva Wellness Group, marking its foray into the Latin
American market.
Global wellness music provider Myndstream has released the second episode of its new
educational content series Mastermynds, in partnership with Universal Companies.