JAPAN'S BEST-DESIGNED SAUNAS8 saunas
Stay at a hot spring hotel or ryokan with a sauna
Hotels and ryokan in hot spring towns, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, where the sauna is part of the stay.
“Sea” and “Sky” saunas facing the Sea of Japan, in a Taisho-era annexe
A city-centre ryokan's baths and saunas, with Karurusu Onsen water
A hot-spring hotel sauna with a cold bath of Jozankei groundwater
Two cold baths: river underflow and hot spring water
The first auto-löyly sauna in Yunokawa Onsen
A moor hot spring, and a sauna walled with birch rounds
Hot spring and sauna surrounded by mountain nature
Hot spring and sauna on an island by the sea
Planning a visit
Hours, cold baths and tattoo rules for these 8 saunas
| Sauna | Area | Hours | Cold bath | Tattoos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryuguden Sauna (Kameya) | Yunohama | Check-in to 22:00 and 6:00–10:00 (men's and women's sides… | — | — |
| ONSEN RYOKAN Yuen Sapporo (baths and sauna) | Sapporo | 15:00–25:00 and 6:00–10:00 (hotel guests only) | — | Allowed with a cover — guests whose tattoos can… |
| Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione (sauna) | Jozankei | — | Jozankei groundwater, 13–14 °C, 1.1 m deep | — |
| Noboribetsu Manseikaku (sauna) | Noboribetsu | — | River underflow 13–15 °C (no chiller), hot spring… | — |
| Yunokawa Onsen Hanabishi Hotel (löyly sauna) | Hakodate | — | Outdoors (spring 18–21 °C, autumn 14–17 °C) | — |
| Hokkaido Hotel (moor hot spring and sauna) | Obihiro | — | Underground water from the Satsunai River | — |
| Rakan no Yu, Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel | Takeo | 15:00–24:00 on the day of stay, 6:00–10:30 the next morning | Takeo Onsen spring water chilled to 16–17 °C | — |
| Ryujin no Yu, Ryukyu Onsen Senagajima Hotel (sauna) | Tomigusuku | 6:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00); day visit ¥2,000 for adults | Around 17 °C | — |
From each official website. “—” means the official information we checked does not say.
Questions visitors ask
Which saunas in this collection stay open after midnight?
ONSEN RYOKAN Yuen Sapporo (baths and sauna) (15:00–25:00 and 6:00–10:00 (hotel guests…), Rakan no Yu, Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel (15:00–24:00 on the day of stay, 6:00–10:30…), Ryujin no Yu, Ryukyu Onsen Senagajima Hotel (sauna) (6:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00); day visit…).
Can I go in with tattoos at the saunas in this collection?
ONSEN RYOKAN Yuen Sapporo (baths and sauna): Allowed with a cover — guests whose tattoos can be covered with stickers may use the…. For the others, check the official website or ask before you go.
Which saunas in this collection have a place to rest outdoors?
Jozankei Manseikaku Hotel Milione (sauna), Noboribetsu Manseikaku (sauna), Rakan no Yu, Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel have an outdoor rest area, according to their official websites.
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