A few years ago, my then-boyfriend treated me to a spa treatment unlike any other. Osmosis, a spa in northern California, is one of the only spas in North America to offer cedar enzyme baths. Enzyme baths are used in Japan to remove toxins and promote inner peace. They are also, to most American eyes, a little peculiar.

Here's the setup: You don a yukata, drink some herbal tea, then go to a room with two giant tubs of cedar shavings and plant enzymes. After disrobing, you sit in a hollowed-out section of the tub before an attendant heaps the warm cedar-enzyme mixture over your body. At that point, with everything covered except your head, you're supposed to relax and unwind for 20 minutes.

The sensation was pleasant enough, but because I'm a worrywart, I kept worrying about cedar shavings slipping into my private crevices. And then I wondered if the cedar is recycled for multiple guests; could I have been sitting where someone else's stinky bottom was? What if someone had toenail fungus?! Instead of blissing out, I felt like a neurotic hamster being buried alive. Fun adventure, but I'm not sure I'll go back.