Taiwan’s hot springs are how locals relax and rejuvenate – and they consider it important for both their physical and mental wellbeing. I stepped out of the warm pool to towel myself dry, shivering in Taiwan's chilly winter air. The skin on my fingers had shrivelled like prunes, but that was to be expected after spending more than two hours in the water.
Looking around the upscale hot springs resort in the Taipei district of Beitou , it seemed to me like the whole city was there that afternoon: but then, it was a Sunday, and this is what locals tend to do in their free time in Taiwan. "In the West, people go to bars after work to relax and catch up with friends. In Taiwan, we go to hot springs to meet our friends and socialise," Taiwanese marketing professional Jacquelyn Wu told me.
The concept of yì bó èr shí is very popular in Taiwan, she elaborated. Literally translated as "one stay two meals", it refers to the phenomenon where people head to a hot springs resort after work, usually on Friday evenings, to enjoy a soak, dinner and a good night's sleep, followed by another soak and lunch, before going home. For a relatively small island, Taiwan has one of the largest concentrations of geothermal springs anywhere in the world, thanks to its location in an active volcanic zone with constant subterranean heat.
It was the Japanese colonisers in Taiwan who popularised the idea of bathing in these natural thermal springs. Just like Finns flock to their saunas , the Tai.