Saturday, December 20, 2025 - A couple in Japan have died after becoming trapped inside a private sauna room when a fire broke out at a spa facility in Tokyo.
The victims were identified as Yoko Matsuda, a 37-year-old
nail artist, and her husband, Masanari Matsuda, 36, who operated a beauty
salon. The pair had booked a private sauna room at Sauna Tiger in Tokyo’s
Akasaka district, according to local media reports.
They were discovered collapsed on the floor of the sauna on
Monday, with their heads positioned near the door. Both were rushed to
hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
Police are investigating whether a faulty door handle may
have prevented the couple from escaping the sauna as the fire spread.
Investigators also disclosed that the sauna’s emergency
alarm system was not operational. According to police, the alarm, which
included an emergency button inside the room, had allegedly been switched
off for around two years.
A burnt towel was reportedly found inside the sauna, leading
investigators to suspect the fire may have started after the towel came into
contact with the hot sauna stones
Police further noted that the protective cover of the
emergency alarm button had been removed, suggesting the couple repeatedly
pressed it in an attempt to call for help.
“When staff were questioned about the alarm system, they
stated it had not been switched on since around 2023,” police said.
The Minato Public Health Centre told The Asahi Shimbun that
Sauna Tiger opened in July 2022 and was last inspected in April 2023, adding
that “no major deficiencies were found in the equipment” at the time of
inspection.
In a statement published on its website, Sauna Tiger
expressed condolences to the victims’ family.
“We offer our deepest condolences and our heartfelt
sympathies for the deep grief and pain that cannot be expressed in words,” the
statement read.
The facility said it was treating the incident “very
seriously” and was “cooperating fully with the investigations by the fire
department.”
Sauna Tiger also announced it would be “closed for the time
being” and said refunds would be issued to customers with existing
reservations.
The incident has renewed concerns over safety standards in
private sauna facilities, which have surged in popularity since the COVID-19
pandemic. Authorities say the growth in demand has coincided with a rise in
sauna-related accidents, prompting calls for stricter regulation.
In a similar case in 2017, a mother and daughter were found
dead in a sauna in Prague after a door handle reportedly broke off, trapping
them inside for more than an hour as temperatures rose to fatal levels.
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