点评:We traveled from Finland to Yasuragi with my sister in the beginning of March, which was also a winter holiday week in Finland and I suppose in Sweden too. This was our second time visiting there and we had high hopes since the first time (summer 2022) was really pleasent and it stayed in our memories as one of the best spa and hotel experiences ever. That time we loved how Yasuragi highlighted peacefullness and silence, disconnections from mobile devices, being apart from peoples jugdements and effortlessness of just being. Yet, we were slightly disappointed since Yasuragi has loosened these values a lot.
This time the experience was all in all good, but it definitely had it's downfalls. We came to Yasuragi to experience silence, "zen", disconnections from the surrounding digital world and to load batteries. We noticed that when checking-in to the hotel receptionist didn't really emphazises that it's important to keep low voice, respect other peoples experience and to not carry mobile devices in the public areas. These were the "main" rules last time as we remember it and this is what makes Yasuragi special. Also, Yasuragis websites doesnt't highlight these values so visible anymore than before, which is a big shame.
We went to the spa and it was way too crowded and noisy. Couples are way too intimate in the indoor pools, which makes you feel really uncomfortable and outdoor areas are very loud due to people speaking loudly and also because of the automatic water change sirculations in the pools. I saw only few signs here and there noting to keep silence and not carry mobile phones. There was suppose to be "half an hour of silence" as one of the "activities", but no staff members came to remind of it. Last time there was a cong that was played so everyone went silent, which was so effective!! There was no respect for silence at all. We had to keep finding corners and places to find our peace and really start the experience. I'm happy I didn't see any mobiles in the pools.
We took voice bowl relaxation activity after the spa, which was really good and effective. I enjoyed it a lot but what distracted me was that few participants had mobiles on their chests? Why?? Why is it so difficult to leave the phone behind in a place that you are suppose to do it?? Why the instructor didn't advice to leave the phone outside? I don't get it. I really don't want to be filmed in any place even when others think it's "instagram friendly".
At a dinner we saw few people wearing they're own clothes, which is ok, but the reason you wear yukata is to give as little visual stimulus as possible and let people be without anyone staring what you wear or how you look. This distracted me a little. At the breakfast it was more distracting, since there came those, who had bought a day visit. They had their yukatas around their arms and they came in with full winter clothes and bags and all that stuff. I mean, why? Again, if the purpose is to maintain calmness, why staff doesn't guide visitors first to change their clothes to yukatas and then enter to breakfast area? Simple as that.
Where has Yasuragi lost it's rules and values which makes it so special? If going down to this road Yasuragi is going to be just another spa hotel in the future.
One thing I saw later in Yasuragi website is that they're going to open drop in sushi bar and have a take away option. Why though? This is again another "busy people pleasing" -method and maintains the concensus of food needs to be eaten in a hurry or on the go. Where do you take away the sushi, to sauna? To perform the spa and hotel experience? Where is the stillness and stopping in the moment in that?
Although there were these distracting aspects on our stay, we managed to find relaxation in ourselves. There is so much good in Yasuragi what makes it relaxing, and it could be so much more, if they didn't stretch the rules and their core values; keep silence, respect others, disconnect. This is what I want to see more next time.
Who ever is working in the marketing managing should reconsider is the social media visibility more important than the values you're "representing".
翻译:三月初,我们和姐姐从芬兰前往安城,那也是芬兰的寒假周,我想瑞典也是如此。这是我们第二次访问那里,自从第一次(2022 年夏季)以来我们就抱有很高的期望,它真的很愉快,并且作为有史以来最好的水疗和酒店体验之一留在了我们的记忆中。那一次,我们喜欢 Yasuragi 强调的平和与沉默、与移动设备的断开、远离人们的判断和轻松的存在。然而,我们有点失望,因为 Yasuragi 大大放松了这些价值观。
这次的经历总的来说很好,但也肯定有缺点。我们来到Yasuragi是为了体验宁静、“禅宗”、与周围数字世界的隔绝以及充电。我们注意到,在办理入住手续时,酒店接待员并没有真正强调保持低声、尊重他人经验以及不在公共区域携带移动设备的重要性。这些是我们记忆中上次的“主要”规则,这也是 Yasuragi 的特别之处。此外,Yasuragis 网站不再像以前那样突出显示这些价值观,这是一个很大的耻辱。
我们去了水疗中心,那里太拥挤、太吵了。情侣在室内泳池里太亲密了,这让你感觉很不舒服,而且室外区域非常吵,因为人们大声说话,而且泳池里有自动换水的循环。我只看到到处都有一些标语,提醒人们保持安静,不要携带手机。原本应该有“半小时默哀”作为“活动”之一,但没有工作人员前来提醒。上次有一个锣,所以大家都安静了,这太有效了!根本不尊重沉默。我们必须不断寻找角落和地方来找到我们的平静并真正开始体验。我很高兴我在泳池里没有看到任何手机。
水疗结束后我们进行了声碗放松活动,这真的很好而且很有效。我很喜欢它,但让我分心的是很少有参与者胸前挂着手机?为什么??为什么把手机放在你应该放的地方这么困难?为什么教练不建议把手机放在外面?我不明白。我真的不想在任何地方被拍摄,即使其他人认为这是“Instagram 友好的”。
在一次晚宴上,我们看到很少有人穿着自己的衣服,这没关系,但穿浴衣的原因是为了尽可能减少视觉刺激,让人们不会盯着你穿的衣服或你的样子。这让我有点分心。早餐时更让人分心,因为那些买了一日游的人来了。他们胳膊上裹着浴衣,带着全套冬衣、袋子和所有这些东西进来。我的意思是,为什么?再说一次,如果是为了保持冷静,为什么工作人员不引导游客先换上浴衣,然后进入早餐区呢?就那么简单。
Yasuragi 在哪里失去了使其如此特别的规则和价值观?如果沿着这条路走下去,Yasuragi 未来将只是另一家温泉酒店。
我后来在 Yasuragi 网站上看到的一件事是,他们将开设寿司吧并提供外卖选项。为什么呢?这又是另一种“取悦忙碌的人”的方法,并保持食物需要匆忙或在旅途中吃的共识。你把寿司带到哪里去桑拿?进行水疗和酒店体验?那一刻的静止和停止在哪里?
尽管我们住宿期间存在这些令人分心的方面,但我们还是设法在自己身上找到了放松。 《Yasuragi》中有很多让人放松的优点,如果他们不违反规则和核心价值观,那么它可能会更多。保持沉默,尊重他人,断开联系。这是我下次想看到的更多内容。
从事营销管理工作的人应该重新考虑社交媒体的知名度比您“代表”的价值观更重要。