Bit of Japan in Carbon Canyon

In a brush-covered bend in Carbon Canyon, tucked into the rustic northeast corner of Orange County, Leo Hayashi has converted a local institution into his beloved ryokan .

Hayashi is the owner of the 65-year-old La Vida Hot Springs resort, Carbon Canyon’s version of La Costa. It is an oasis for the harried of mind and the creaky of limb who want to get bathed, steamed and prodded into a state of blissful relaxation.

And, the old Spanish name notwithstanding, it is thoroughly Japanese.

“Places like this are very, very popular in Japan,” said Hayashi. “And now I think that Americans might like this type of resort, centralized on hot springs. After all, 20 years ago in America it was unthinkable for many people to eat sushi. Now it’s very popular. Americans are getting much more interested in this type of recreation.”

The facility, located within the northernmost city limits of Brea, is simple but thorough in its approach to relaxing the tense body. It is, said Hayashi, the local equivalent of the native ryokan , a type of traditional Japanese inn or hotel that features baths fed by natural mineral springs.

The amenities at La Vida can be had individually or in an entire indulgent sequence that can last nearly three hours, said Hayashi. Those deciding on the full treatment begin with a hot mineral bath, agitated by hydro jets, which usually lasts about 20 minutes (the water comes from a 100-year-old hillside spring at a uniform 114 degrees Fahrenheit). They then may step into a sauna for a quick five-minute steam and from there to a quiet room where they are swathed in towels to further sweat the pores clean. Finally, a one-hour massage, using both Swedish and Japanese shiatsu techniques, is offered, as well as a facial.

Elsewhere on the 36-acre resort are outdoor swimming pools, but Hayashi said these may not be open this summer because of the high cost of insurance.

Above the bath facility is a 15-room hotel, which Hayashi said is generally used by true devotees of such resorts.

“There are people who come here from all over,” he said. “They’re aficionados who travel all over going to places like this. They’ll mostly hear about us through word-of-mouth, and we’ve had people from as far away as Canada.” Hayashi’s local customers, who he said number between 50 and 100 a day on the average, are “mostly professional people, and mostly women. About 70% of the people who come here are female. They love it. They tell us the water smoothes out their skin.”

The water at the springs has been doing that for at least 100 years, said Hayashi. Histories, he said, make reference to local Indians bathing in the waters in the last century. The springs were “commercialized” 65 years ago when enclosed mineral baths were built for the Orange County enthusiasts of the 1920s. Hayashi bought the resort 15 years ago.

For those who get hungry after a full treatment at the springs, there is the La Vida Cafe next door. Leased from Hayashi, the cafe offers lunches and dinners six days a week and breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 6 a.m.

And, for visitors to the springs who get a bit homesick for America, the cafe features live music on the weekends: rock, blues and country and Western.

LA VIDA HOT SPRINGS AT A GLANCE

Where: 6155 Carbon Canyon Road, Brea.

Facilities: Separate facilities for men and women include mineral baths, sauna, towel wrap and massage. 15 hotel rooms. Reservations for baths or rooms recommended. Restaurant next door serves lunch and dinner, with breakfast on weekends.

Prices: Weekday prices--bath, $10; hydro bath, $12.50; bath and massage, $37.50; hydro bath and massage, $40; massage only, $30.50; hydro bath, massage and facial, $52.50. Weekend prices--bath, $10; hydro bath, $12.50; bath and massage, $40; hydro bath and massage, $42.50; massage only, $33; hydro bath, massage and facial, $55. Room rates from $32 to $39.