Our Story
From Japan to Midway
A partnership rooted in Japanese bathing culture — and a vision for what comes next.
How Soho Saunas began
After operating onsens across Japan through Honokanoyu, Shane Inoue partnered with Midway entrepreneurs Scott and Natalie Paul — who had experienced Shane's bathing facilities in Japan and believed the Wasatch Back — Park City, Heber, and Midway — deserved a place dedicated to the same spirit of rest, cleanliness, and restoration.
Together they opened Soho Saunas at Soldier Hollow, where mineral water from Midway's hot springs flows beneath open mountain sky.
Shane Inoue
Co-Owner & President, ONZEN LLC
Operated onsens across Japan before bringing Honokanoyu's philosophy of cleanliness, respect, and unhurried restoration to Soldier Hollow.
Scott & Natalie Paul
Co-Owners, ONZEN LLC
Midway entrepreneurs who saw what Japanese bathing culture could offer Park City, Heber, Midway, and the wider Wasatch Back — and helped build Soho Saunas to share that experience.
“In Japan, we have a philosophy that there is a god in all things, and we treat everyone and everything with respect. There is a saying that our guests are our gods. At Soho Saunas, that spirit of care guides everything we do.”
Japanese Bathing Culture
Clean first. That is the rule.
Before you enter a sento, an onsen, a sauna, or a cold plunge, you wash — thoroughly and completely. You rinse away the day. You arrive at the water clean.
This is not a suggestion. In Japanese bathing culture, cleanliness is the most important thing. The heat and cold come second. Rest comes third. Everything else follows from that foundation.
At Soho Saunas, we hold to the same standard. Wash before you soak. Enter the water with respect.
Wash before you soak
Remove the day before you enter the water
At a sento or onsen, the washing area comes first. You sit, rinse, and cleanse your body from head to toe — only then do you step into the shared bath, the mineral soak, or the cold plunge.
This ritual is practical and spiritual at once. You leave the outside world behind. You enter the water as clean as you can be.
At Soho, the same order applies. Shower and cleanse before your session. The sauna, the cold plunge, and our mineral tubs are for soaking — not for washing.
A lifestyle, not a health routine
Less about optimization, more about living well
Japanese bathing culture is not about tracking heart rate, chasing records, or turning rest into another thing to improve.
It is woven into ordinary life — the evening bath before sleep, the morning soak before the day begins, the unhurried visit to the neighborhood sento. A rhythm, not a special occasion.
Heat and cold have their place. So does stillness. But the point is not to become healthier. The point is to live well — clean, calm, and present.
After you are clean
Then come the sauna, the plunge, and the soak
Once you have washed, you move between warmth and cool at your own pace. A hot soak opens the body. Cold water brings clarity. Rest between rounds.
There is no protocol to master and no score to hit. Repeat when it feels right. Stop when you are ready.
This is the cycle guests experience at Soho — sauna, cold plunge, mineral water, and stillness — always beginning from a place of cleanliness.
Three forms of respect
In Japan, all things are treated as sacred. That spirit shapes how we bathe — and how we show up for one another.
Respect the facility
Being clean is how you honor the water, the space, and the care that keeps it ready. Leave showers tidy, surfaces clear, and the environment as you would want to find it.
Respect other guests
Make things look nice for the person who comes after you. A clean, orderly space is a quiet way of saying you see them — and that their experience matters too.
Respect yourself
Wash thoroughly. Soak without rushing. Give yourself permission to rest — not to optimize, but to be clean, calm, and at ease in your own body.
This is the spirit of Soho
We adapted Japanese bathing culture for Midway's mountains — but the heart of it stays the same. Arrive clean. Move slowly. Treat the facility, your fellow guests, and yourself with the same quiet respect.
Phase 2
ONZEN
A completely private Japanese wellness center
Soho Saunas is Phase 1 — shared and private sessions in a calm, communal setting. ONZEN is Phase 2: your own room, your own time, and no sharing the waters with strangers.
Each ONZEN unit is designed as a complete Japanese bathing experience — wash area, indoor and outdoor onsen, cold plunge, and sauna — with total privacy from arrival to departure.
Your Private Room
Washing area, indoor and outdoor onsen, cold plunge, and sauna — complete privacy from arrival to departure.
Japanese-Inspired Design
Built around the same principles as Soho: cleanliness first, unhurried pacing, and mineral-rich water in a natural setting.
Expansion at Soldier Hollow
ONZEN will expand the ONZEN LLC vision at Soldier Hollow — alongside Soho Saunas and future Soho Cafe plans.
*Tattoos allowed