Hotel owner admits spa bathwater was only changed twice in a year, apologizes

Mar 6 2023, 7:04 pm

A guesthouse owner in Japan has issued an apology after admitting that the spa bathwater at the hotel was only changed twice a year, when it was supposed to be changed weekly.

“I am very sorry,” said Makoto Yamata, the owner of Daimaru Besso inn in Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture, at a press conference, according to a CNN report. He admitted he was “unaware” of the local laws regarding changing the water.

Not only was the water not changed, but hotel management avoided chlorinating it because they “disliked the smell of chlorine.”

The hotel has been operating since 1865 and boasts a gender-segregated bathhouse with natural hot spring water. This water comes from the 1,300-year-old Futsukaichi Onsen, and the hotel claims it has wonderful effects on the skin and joints, and can even relieve nerve pain and gastrointestinal issues.

spa

Daimaru Besso

The dangerous bacteria found in the spa bathwater is called Legionella, and Yamata didn’t think it was worth worrying about.

Yamata said he’s even used the baths himself since large amounts of Legionella were detected in them. “I [thought] it was safe because the large baths were free-flowing, so the water was changed quite often.”

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

CNN reported that a health inspection of the bathwater detected a shocking 3,700 times more Legionella than is permitted by local laws.

What is Legionella?

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Legionella is waterborne bacteria that can infect your lungs if you breathe in contaminated droplets of water.

It can be found in large air conditioning cooling towers, whirlpool bathtubs, humidifiers, hot tubs, public spas, and plumbing systems — including water heaters, faucets and showers.

It’s generally low-risk but can cause two particular illnesses in humans — Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever.

“Legionnaires’ disease is a serious respiratory illness that results in pneumonia. The name Legionnaires’ disease comes from an outbreak of pneumonia that killed 29 people at an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia in 1976,” PHAC’s guide on infectious diseases reads.

The health agency also describes Pontiac fever as a milder illness that causes flu-like symptoms, but not pneumonia. Without treatment, infected individuals manage to recover in two to five days, and with antibiotics, the healing process can be quicker.

Read more about reducing the risk of catching Legionella-related diseases here.

National Trending StaffNational Trending Staff

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