Spas are for healing, nursing homes are for caring, language schools are for communicating, amusement parks are for amusing and pensions are for carefree retirement. This is how things ought to be. It is not how things are in modern-day Japan.

Spas kill people. Last week there was a devastating explosion at Shiespa, the popular women-only luxury spa in the fashionable Shibuya district. Three people died in the blast. The operators of the facility are under investigation for suspected negligent practices. The facility is said to have been lacking devices needed to detect flammable methane gas.

Shiespa is typical of the many multiservice bathhouses cropping up in and around the Tokyo area. These are places where business-savvy but care-worn people, especially women, go to relax and refresh. Chic eateries and watering holes are available on-site. You can stay overnight if you wish. If a quick siesta is more your style, that is also an option. Shiespa seems to have been equipped with everything. Except safety devices.