Onsen means “Hot Spring” in Japanese. It’s a two thousand year old wellness culture of bathhouses, communal soaking, leisure, socializing and hydrotherapy, all built around Japan’s volcanic geothermal springs. These springs often contain large amounts of dissolved minerals, making them medically therapeutic as well as relaxing!

This is Serenity, the new doll I’ve been working on. I realize now that I made her as a self-soothing response to overwhelming anxiety about our troubling times. Making her helped me feel a measure of tranquility, so I called her Serenity.

I wanted to capture images of her that similarly made me feel calm, so I focused on my two favourite stress-managing activities of Forest Bathing and Onsen Therapy. Both are ancient wellness practices found in different cultures. The last post was about Forest Therapy Serenity, and this is Serenity at the Onsen.