Yasuragi – a genuine Japanese spa getaway in Stockholm

*Stay sponsored by Yasuragi

It's been a few years since I first spotted Yasuragi on some bloggers social media channels and I've wanted to stay there ever since. Luckily the spa reached out to me to invite me for a little getaway, which was perfect as I had some work to do in Stockholm the same weekend.I had just flown over from New York and confused by my jet lag, the next morning I actually thought I woke up back in Japan.Yasuragi is a peaceful and serene luxury spa 20 minutes cab ride away from the city center of Stockholm. The spa also offers activities, such as meditation and yoga every day.The age limit at Yasuragi is 16, making the place even more peaceful. During summer though, the spa welcomes younger guests wit the popular Yasuragi Kids concept, which you can read more about here.You can also access Yasuragi with different day packages. Find more information here.*Photography isn't allowed in the public areas of Yasuragi Spa, so all these photos are taken from our room + one food photo sneakily snapped with my iPhone.Yasuragi is a four start luxury hotel, but not exactly the typical pretentious kind – but very authentically Japanese. The place reminded me a lot of some Japanese spa's I've stayed in before in Osaka. So don't expect to arrive to a luxury hotel in its typical form. If you know what to expect from a Japanese spa, you'll truly appreciate this place and its luxuries. Yasuragi also won World Luxury Spa Awards this year in 2018.Yasuragi has all together 191 guest rooms, which you can see here. We stayed in the Junior Suite, which I can highly recommend. Our room was spacious with its massive private balcony and the view of the archipelago. The best thing about our traditional Japanese room was the bathroom with its unique bath tub, which you can see in some of the photos in this post – I could have spent my entire time here in this tub with a glass of champagne or a cup of green tea to watch the sunrise and sunset.One day when I'm drowning in money (any day now), I'll book a stay at the Ryokan Hanare suite.All guests get their own yukata (wearing in the picture below) at the check in, which is to be worn in all public areas of the spa hotel. You will also receive a reasonably stylish black swimsuit to wear in the spa. And I must say, having each guest dress exactly the same perfectly adds up to the serene Japanese feel. You can also take your own yukata home as a souvenir.

The perfect Teppanyaki dinner

The thing I most like about Yasuragi is how the Japanese theme has been done all the way. There are three delicious restaurants at the hotel, a sake bar and a cocktail bar.We enjoyed a traditional Japanese Teppanyaki dinner as a part of our package. We were sat down with a lovely Dutch-Filipino couple and enjoyed a few extra glasses of wine together to talk about our world travels until late. Each table will have their own chef who will ensure you have no food allergies and starts cooking several little dishes, which you'll enjoy as they get prepared.The next day we enjoyed lunch at Saishoku Vegan & Rawfood restaurant. Saishoku means a vegetable eater in Japanese. So if it's a detox you need during your spa stay, Saishoku is the perfect option for dining in.Read more about Yasuragi dining options here.

Meditation and yoga in Yasuragi

Yasuragi offers several activities every day, which we actually didn't even know about before the first evening and which were not mentioned to us at the check-in. So make sure to follow the information boards in the lobby to see the activities schedule.There are some options for running in the nature, but what I always enjoy the most is yoga and meditation. We tried a Tibetan Healing Sound meditation session in the morning, which was a perfect start to a relaxing day. Though it came to me as a surprise, the lesson was held completely in Swedish, which I don't understand too well. But lucky itt was still easy enough to follow what everyone else was doing!More information about activities here.

Yasuragi Spa – the perfect getaway

I unfortunately have no photos of the actual spa, as photography there is strictly prohibited. Surely as a blogger and a photographer this was first a bit of a shock to me – but at the end of the day I think it's a good thing to get people off their selfie game for a little while and make them live in the moment and relax.The spa stays peaceful even on busy days and there are no kids below 16 allowed in the area.There are several different pools in the spa area from a warm indoor pool to a cold outdoor one. My absolute favourite though is the traditional outdoor Japanese bath with hot water, making it especially perfect to relax outside even on cold snowy days.You'll also get to enjoy several different saunas from a traditional Finnish one to a salt sauna and much moreIn the spa area, there are green tea, fresh fruit and tea on offer.Read more about Yasuragi Spa here and make a booking.