Sweat it Out With the Iyashi Dome

If you are desperate for a detox before Christmas but haven’t got the time to fit in another gruelling slog at the gym, the Iyashi Dome may be right up your street.

First developed in Japan, the Iyashi Dome looks a bit like the end of a giant whiteboard marker and comes from the traditional suna ryoho technique of burying yourself in the warm sand by the seashore or near hot springs to detoxify the body through perspiration.

Unfortunately, the modern Iyashi Dome that I experienced wasn’t situated on the beach but instead in the refined surroundings of a treatment room at LA Fitness in Covent Garden’s Waldorf Hilton hotel, which I visited on a dreary winter’s afternoon.

After the initial consultation of a detailed weigh-in that measured everything from my body fat to my metabolic age, I then stripped off to my knickers and buried my body in a black carbon dome. With everything but my head covered, the dome gradually warmed up my body by emitting vibrations of far infrared rays. With Japanese music in the background I was left alone for 15 minutes to lie back and relax while sweating out a large volume of perspiration and toxins.

The dome was smaller than I expected but by no means claustrophobic, its immense heat meant that 15 minutes felt like an hour but before I knew it my therapist was back in the room instructing me to turn over onto my front. This stage felt quicker but by the end I was dripping.

Apparently this extreme level of perspiration initiates a deep cleanse which helps break down excess energy, fat and accumulated toxins. The sweat factor is also the equivalent to the effect that might be achieved from a vigorous 20km run – not bad for a Tuesday afternoon!

LA Fitness
The Waldorf Hilton
Aldwych
Covent Garden
WC2B 4DD

Tel: 020 8858 5877