On a recent concert tour in Japan, I had the chance to visit several thermal baths and to chat with people about the tradition of bathing. I was fascinated by their differences with American spas.

The following is a transcription of the video: Medha: Hey, I'm Medha, and today I'm headed to SoJo Spa Club in Edgewater, New Jersey, to try a Japanese volcanic sand bath. SoJo Spa is the only spa in ...

Japan's “hot spring capital” is trying to find ways to make one of the country's most popular pastimes more inclusive for people who identify as LGBT, when most public baths are segregated according ...