Kita-Kagaya MULTI BARTHE, a sauna facility that combines art, has opened in Kita-Kagaya as the second temporary branch of Osaka Sauna DESSE!
Asahi Kogyo Co., Ltd. Press release: August 28, 2025 To Members of the Press Kitakagaya MULTI BARTHE, a sauna facility that combines art, has opened in Kitakagaya as the second temporary branch of Osaka Sauna DESSE! DESSE’s all-sensory sauna, a sauna facility that rejuvenates the senses with seaside landscapes, art exhibits, and botanical experiences, will open in Kita-Kagaya for a limited time from September to November.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-08082b811611537835069b0dd6279ce8-2160×2700.jpg
|https://multi.barthe.world/ Reservation URL (Kita Kagaya MULTI BARTHE) |https://coubic.com/desse/2772931 ◯Sauna overview Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-03db072e240300603a35a43322e5c497-1522×1076.jpg Overall image of the area
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-13ab0bc6558ebb2b8c2f1b5034aad1c8-1522×1076.png Illustration of each area
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-921e44d723a1bde30900b7fdedae426f-1536×1024.png A new installation, “SHIP’S CATSAUNA,” is currently being exhibited at the facility. We’ve renovated an Airstream camper van to create a space where you can experience an “indoor bath” that feels like you’re floating in space. Incorporating the seaside scenery of Kita-Kagaya, various artists have been involved to provide an essential sauna experience that reconnects all of the body’s senses, including touch, sight, and smell. ◯Architect and artist
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-445fd7f2a37e259121a7b9531ed89872-1080×1350.jpg Name/affiliation/title/area of responsibility are listed in the image (same below) Sho Ota (Overall Design) Born January 31, 1989. Born in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, and the son of a diner owner. Graduated from Kyoto Institute of Technology with a major in architectural design. Worked for six years at an architectural firm in Osaka, before founding OSTR with Ryosuke Takei. Designs in two locations: Osaka and Tokyo. Blessed with (and involved in) projects of various uses, scales, and clients, he struggles with architecture every day. He lives for beer. He also likes to play games. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-5a490eae42791409771ff0f05ddbbf5e-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “Osaka Sauna DESSE” 2023 This project involves creating a sauna-centered hot spring facility on the fourth floor of an 11-story building, formerly a bowling alley, facing the
Shinsaibashi shopping district. In a closed context with many restrictions imposed by the tenant building and no outdoor space, we conceived a “garden-like architecture” that would allow for diverse movement patterns for each person, in order to create a sauna that serves as an “extension of everyday life.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-b096937d7e91d326ece15d4738933ed3-1080×1350.jpg Kenji Yanobe (Airstream Indoor Air Bath) Born in Osaka in 1965. Since the early 1990s, he has been creating functional mechanical sculptures based on the theme of “survival in modern society.” In 1997, he embarked on the “Atom Suit Project,” visiting Chernobyl and other places. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, he created the monument of hope, “Sun Child,” which toured both domestically and
internationally. In 2017, he began creating the “SHIP’S CAT” series, a guardian deity of travel that brings good fortune. “SHIP’S CAT (Muse)” (2021), which opened at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka in 2022, will be permanently installed. He creates works that question the origins and purpose of art and create interactions with the environment.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-6abd3d900b1efffffcaea65797b90bee-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “SHIP’S CAT (Muse)” “SHIP’S CAT (Muse)” is a sculpture from the “SHIP’S CAT” series created to watch over the people passing through the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, which opened in 2022 and features a distinctive black rectangular facade, and the three-dimensional “Passage” built into its interior. It was created with the hope that it would become a symbol and guardian deity for the museum, which faces the Dojima River, to communicate with the world.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-8287ac4b235b83b11b1f7ef63e19d93b-1080×1350.jpg Daiki Kataoka (video exhibition) Born in Senri New Town, Osaka in 1989. He has worked across a wide range of genres, from dramas, films, documentaries, commercials, and sports broadcasts. In 2017, he made his terrestrial television directorial debut with Asahi Broadcasting’s “#CellOtsu.” In 2018, he founded the creative production company NEWTOWN with the philosophy of “creating the city of the future.” He has directed and produced the short film “West End Girls” (selected for the 2020 Short Story Film Festival and won the Audience Award) and the feature film “Futari no Sekai” (starring Nagase Masatoshi, released in theaters nationwide). In recent years, he has produced the TV Tokyo drama “Sauna-do,” as well as planning sauna facilities and producing events. His works combine cinematic interpretation with a focus on the local cityscape and people.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-b8b567d57755716f96356d2adb06e26b-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Works] TV Tokyo Drama “Sauna-do” At NEWTOWN, which he founded, he was in charge of producing and overall production of the TV Tokyo drama “Sauna,” starring Taizo Harada. The story follows a middle-aged man who loves saunas and travels to saunas all over Japan, facing everyday fatigue and worries through the “totono” experience and resetting his mind and body. While carefully portraying the sauna culture and local atmosphere of each region, the drama promotes the appeal of saunas and hot spring culture. It sparked a sauna boom and sparked a social phenomenon. By planning and directing with the spirit of local facilities and culture, he creates a visual world that resonates with sauna enthusiasts.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-6c43c0a32659f510320b01d9ffd09b97-1080×1350.jpg Hidefumi Terada (design) Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1990. Graduated from Yokohama National University Graduate School of Design (Y-GSA) in 2015. Participated in dot architects from 2015 to 2022. Co-founded tamari architects with Manami Matoba in Osaka in 2022. Focusing on architecture and landscape design, he is also involved in the process of creating and connecting with the city.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-e151732a31ffc0c20af41421b56e18d6-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “EXPO OPEN STREET” Planned six months before the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Held on the streets in front of Osaka Station, this event blended people, entertainment, and music. The theme was “What can be created from a single ribbon?” The temporary buildings were designed and constructed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony as the finale.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-b1b8003ea817b50ef843c80aec525496-1080×1350.jpg Toshiki Tanimuka (herb garden) Born in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture in 1994. Graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University in 2016. After three years at a landscaping company and three years working in gardens in South Africa, he joined his family business, Midorimukai Garden, in 2022. He is the fifth generation of a family of tree growers. He designs and installs exteriors, landscaping, and plantings for stores, facilities, and private residences, as well as spatial decorations using plants. At the Osaka Kansai Expo, he was involved in planting construction and planning for five pavilions, including the German Pavilion.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-d88da0557daa322e849f65abe2fd9304-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “EXPO TRAIN Hankyu” 2024 For the “EXPO TRAIN Hankyu,” a project planned one year before the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the interior of the train was decorated with live plants. Based on the theme, “Maybe plants will even be on board the Hankyu trains of the future?”, we designed a space that delivers an extraordinary sense of healing and surprise, proposing a new look for commuter trains. We received many comments such as, “A train like this would make my daily commute more enjoyable.” This is a true Green Car.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-37c207f418192a3e0204c1b086743b26-1080×1350.jpg Takanori Shimodera (stall, design) Born in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1994. Specializing in food stalls, under the name “TAIYA,” he researches, designs, and produces food stalls. He also investigates the food stall ecosystems of various Asian countries, conducting research and practice while pulling his own food stalls in urban spaces. He aims to restore the vitality of the streets, which are created when people gather together. He is currently based in Osaka and Fukuoka.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-4de822353750ba483fc752d9c4cd468d-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “Under the Moving Roof” (Fukuoka Asian Art Museum) 2023 What is a food stall? Having traveled and researched food stalls in Southeast Asia and Japan, I came to believe that food stalls are shaped by the local climate, history, and systems, and that these characteristics are reflected in their roofs. What kinds of situations and events would emerge in a space where the roofs of food stalls from various Asian countries were floating?
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-68a71c6561c6920c805b759d287c1a90-1080×1350.jpg Takashi Otama (sauna bench) Born in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture in 1986, and currently based in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, he creates furniture products such as stools, benches, and tables, with designs that make the most of the natural charm of wood. He values
connections with the local community and its people, and works to preserve as many important items as possible there.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-f3d64bc4d5b4c849db27b3f880a3e441-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “Trembling Bookstore Stool” A stool made from a tree that was once a roadside tree has been given new life in a bookstore run by a Buddhist monk in Ikeda, Osaka. The felled tree once again embodies the presence of people, remaining quietly in the place where many people gather.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-d9577819bb049560d91024dacd995345-1080×1350.jpg Chisato Takano (Entrance Roof) Born and currently living in Osaka Prefecture in 1998. 2021 Graduated from Kindai University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Art, Major in Visual Arts. Using waste materials, construction materials, and ready-made products from the town, he creates sculptures, installations, drawings, and zines. In recent years, he has been interested in the rare phenomenon of the “relationship between art and society” that is born between people and the place through outdoor installations, and has been working on art projects. Using waste materials collected from the local area in his works, he shares memories of the place, the memories of objects, and the space, and creates new human interactions over time, connecting the lives and thoughts of various people across time. Through his projects, people with various thoughts emerge, various actions are taken, and new relationships are born. His creative work is motivated by his desire to immerse himself in and be present in those moments.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-495c84fef3ca3c605229ffc01b326354-1080×1350.jpg [Representative Work] “Generator” 2024 In a vacant lot in Kita-Kagaya, the artist created and installed an experiential artwork from scratch using waste materials from various human activities collected in the area. The aim was to share the memories and space of the place and objects, and to create new interactions between people as time passes. The aim was to create a device that would stimulate people’s movement in a positive way, so that passersby would witness the people who came here to view and experience the artwork, and would be drawn to the place, their curiosity stimulated and intrigued, and something new would be born here.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-6c2c83ccf92d34d4f9390b4ef57f2143-1080×1350.jpg Yuto Yonemura (spout) Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1996. Graduated from the Department of Fine and Craft Arts, Kyoto University of Art and Design (now Kyoto University of the Arts), Department of Comprehensive Design, in 2019. In the same year, 2019, he formed the unit “John Gan Jihn” with Ryui Fujimoto. They occasionally collaborate, recruiting different members depending on the exhibition structure or project. Inspired by his admiration and interest in overwhelming beings beyond human comprehension and specific people based on his own personal experiences, he creates using a variety of materials, including clay, stone, and FRP. While creating unique stories told through physical relationships, he also seeks to incorporate inner emotions such as pain, fear, admiration, and awe. In creating these works, he focuses on weakness, failure, and imperfection, which he considers to be the polar opposite of the strength, grandeur, and sublimity that many sculptures often display.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/104621/11/104621-11-8b2c4037d8d375f4b7f8824090cd39fa-1080×1350.jpg [Masterpiece] “insulation (for your)” 2024-2025 Size: H2350×W960×D960 Materials: Paper clay, FRP, iron, old clothes, wood, lacquer paint, exterior wall paint, solder casting ◯Production team Osaka Sauna DESSE, Chishima Tochi Co., Ltd., OSTR Co., Ltd., SAUNA NO TSUDOI ◯ Contact Us 【Name】Osaka Sauna DESSE 【Address】K’s Building Shinsaibashi 4F, 3-6-18 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture 【Tel】 06-4256-4137 [Email] sauna@desse.osaka [Instagram] barthe_world [Operating Company] Asahi Kogyo Co., Ltd. For more information about this release
