Literally 10 minutes after I clicked “schedule publish” on my 2026 Western North Carolina (WNC) Bucket List—which included “Visit the Shoji Spa” in the fourth spot—one of my good friends texted me.
“Do you have any plans tonight?” he asked. I didn’t, so I told him thusly. “I have a gift card to the Shoji Spa for a two-person soak I need to use before January 30th,” he responded. “Wanna go?”
Fate, I’ll tell ya. Obviously, I went, not only because I’d just added it ot my bucket list, but because free is for me.
I’ve long been joking that Asheville is populated with people who’ve had *transformative* experiences in Asia—it’s part of the reason that I’m personally lobbying for the first American season of the White Lotus to be set here (I’ll be writing about this soon)—so it should be no surprise that Asheville is home to the only Japanese-style soaking spa, not only in Ashevillle, but on the entire east coast (per their website at least), founded and ran, obviously, by my fellow white people.
It’s actually stupid that I haven’t been to Shoji yet, because it’s over in my neck of the woods (it’s only a nine-minute drive from where I live in the Reynolds/Fairview area of the city) overlooking the Blue Ridge Parkway (the parkway entrance is just three minutes from me; that easy access is 100% one of the main reasons I’ve stayed at my apartment complex this long). I will note to anyone going that it is up a rather gnarly (but populated and not rural at all) mountain road that I didn’t love driving, but that gives the spa its mountaintop vibes and sweeping views.
While the spa is also a lodge you can stay at (relatively affordably, I was surprised to learn), and offers a whole host of spa amenities (massage, facials, treatments, etc.), most people go for the soaking tubs, which are essentially very nice salt-water hot tubs situated on private, covered, outdoor decks overlooking the forest that overlooks the Parkway. Admission gets you a robe, an hour at the tub, and use of a communal outdoor cold shower and cedar sauna, both of which you can use as much as you’d like during your hour soak. You can also purchase snacks (we got the tea service), and they have complimentary water.
We went on a rather cold winter night, which is actually I think is actually the ideal time to do this, as I’m a big contrast therapy guy (probably why I’m such a Sauna House devotee), although I don’t know that night or winter would be necessary here; I imagine this would be very relaxing on like, a crisp fall afternoon with the foliage (i bet it’s next to impossible to get reservations there). It was a great way to spend an hour, super relaxing, and something I’m going to 100% book next time I have friends in town.
AshevilleExplorer 