Japanese bathing has a set order. Once you know it, every hot spring, bathhouse and sauna in the country works the same way. Tattoos included.
男Men
女Women
Look for these two characters on the entrance curtains. The colors vary, so read the kanji rather than the color.
Five places to take a bath
They share the same bathing rules, but they differ in price, what's provided and how strict they are about tattoos.
Onsen ryokan
温泉旅館
A traditional inn built around its own hot spring. Staying the night gets you the baths, often at any hour.
Day-trip onsen
日帰り温泉
A hot-spring bath you can visit without staying. It's usually in a resort town, and many have outdoor pools.
Sento
銭湯
The neighborhood bathhouse. It's cheap, it's everyday life for locals, and it's usually the most relaxed about tattoos.
Super sento
スーパー銭湯
A large leisure bath complex with many pools, saunas, restaurants and nap rooms. It's popular with families.
Sauna
サウナ
A sauna-first venue, usually in a city. You alternate hot room, cold plunge and rest until you feel what locals call totonou.
Your first visit, step by step
This is the order at almost every bath in Japan. Most mistakes happen in steps 5 and 7: people skip washing, or they let the towel touch the water.
Arriving
Take your shoes off at the entrance
Put them in a shoe locker (下足箱). Many lockers lock with a wooden or plastic key. Keep that key, because some places exchange it for your changing-room key.
Pay
There are three common ways. At a sento you pay a person at the counter. At many day-trip onsen you buy a ticket from a machine and hand it over. At a super sento you often get a wristband with a barcode, and everything you buy inside goes on it until you pay on the way out.
Tip: if the tattoo question worries you, ask here, before you pay. The phrases below will help.
Find your side
Men go through 男 and women through 女. At ryokan the two sides often swap overnight so guests can try both baths, so read the curtain every time.
In the changing room
Undress completely
Put your clothes in a basket or locker. No swimsuits and no underwear. Everyone is naked, and nobody is looking.
Take in with you: only the small towel. The large towel stays in the locker for later.
In the bathing room
Wash first, sitting down
Sit on a stool at a shower station and wash your whole body and hair with the soap provided. Rinse off all the soap. Then rinse the stool and bowl for the next person.
Why it matters: everyone shares the same water. Washing first is the one rule no bath will bend.
Pour some water over yourself
Scoop a few bowls of water from the bath and pour it over your feet, then your legs and body. This is kakeyu. It gets your body used to the heat and shows people you've washed.
Get in slowly, and keep the towel out
Lower yourself in gently. The small towel never goes in the water. Fold it on your head, or leave it on the side. Tie up long hair so it stays out of the water too.
Soak, don't swim
Sit, relax and talk quietly. Most baths are 40–42°C, so 5 to 10 minutes at a time is plenty. Get out, cool down, and go back in as often as you like. Try the outdoor bath (露天風呂) if there is one.
Optional: the sauna loop
Do sauna → cold plunge (水風呂) → rest outside, and repeat two or three times. Sit on a sauna mat or your towel. Rinse off your sweat before the cold plunge, and get in slowly.
Finishing
Rinse — or don't
At a mineral hot spring, many people skip the final rinse so the minerals stay on their skin. At a sento, rinsing off is normal. Either is fine.
Dry off before you go back to the changing room
Wring out the small towel and wipe yourself down while you're still in the bathing room, so you don't drip on the changing-room floor.
Rehydrate and rest
Drink some water, or try the classic bottle of milk from the vending machine. Super sento and ryokan have lounges for resting. Most people stay one to two hours in total.
Manners at a glance
Nobody expects perfection from a first-timer. These are the things regulars actually notice.
✓Do
Wash thoroughly before your first soak.
Keep your voice low. A bath is a quiet space.
Rinse your stool and bowl when you leave a shower station.
Tie up long hair.
Wipe down before going back into the changing room.
Follow the posted rules of that bath, even if they differ from another one.
✕Don't
Put your towel in the bath.
Wear a swimsuit, except in zones marked for swimwear.
Take photos or use your phone in the changing or bathing rooms. Some saunas allow phones, so check the signs first.
Swim, splash or dive, or wash inside the bath itself.
Hold a shower station with your things while you soak.
Bathe after drinking heavily.
What to bring
If you don't have something, you can nearly always rent or buy it at the counter. A small towel costs about ¥100–300.
Onsen ryokan
Day-trip onsen
Sento
Super sento
Sauna
Towels
Provided
Often rent or buy
Bring or buy
Often included or rent
Usually provided
Soap & shampoo
Provided
Usually provided
Often bring your own
Provided
Provided
Lounge wear
Yukata in your room
—
—
Often provided
Often provided
Hair dryer
Yes
Yes
Coin-operated
Yes
Yes
Typical price
With your stay
¥500–1,500
¥500–600 (Tokyo)
¥800–2,500
¥1,500–4,000
Tattoo policy
Varies by inn
Varies
Often relaxed
Often strict, some allow covers
Often relaxed
If you have tattoos
Many Japanese baths have long refused tattooed guests, because tattoos are associated with organized crime. Since 2016 the Japan Tourism Agency has urged baths to find ways to accommodate visitors, and more of them say yes every year. Our map sorts every bath into one of four answers.
Come as you are
Tattoos of any size are fine. No cover needed.
Cover it up
Allowed if a skin-colored patch hides the tattoo. There's usually a size limit.
Book a private bath
Not in the shared baths, but you can use a private bath or a room with its own bath.
Pick another bath
Tattoos aren't accepted, even with a cover. Staff will ask you to leave if they notice.
Cover patches have size limitsA common rule is “one or two patches of the bath's own size.” Many baths sell them at the counter for ¥200–400. If a patch can't fully hide the tattoo, the bath counts it as not covered.
6.5×10.5 cm8×10 cm10×15 cm11×20 cm
Private baths are the easy yesLook for 貸切風呂 (kashikiri-buro, a family bath you book by the hour) or a ryokan room with its own open-air bath. Nobody else sees you, so tattoos rarely matter.
Ask before you payPolicies change, and each branch of a chain can have its own rules. Show the phrase card below at the counter. A clear answer up front beats being asked to leave halfway through.
If the answer is no, just say thanksStaff are following house rules, not judging you. Thank them and head to the next bath on the map. There's almost always a tattoo-friendly option nearby.
Swimwear zones are differentSome resorts have mixed pools where swimsuits are required. There, a rash guard or long sleeves usually count as covered. The naked baths have their own rule.
Sento and saunas are often your best betNeighborhood bathhouses and city saunas tend to be more relaxed than big leisure complexes. Check each one on the map, though, because it's not a guarantee.
Phrases to show staff
Tap Show to fill the screen, then turn your phone toward the staff member.
Signs & words you'll see
You'll see these on doors, maps and price lists.
Staying safe in hot water
Japanese baths are hotter than most people expect. Keep these in mind.
Hydrate before and afterYou sweat more than you notice. Drink water before you go in and again when you come out.
No bathing after drinkingAlcohol and hot water together cause fainting. Wait until you've sobered up.
Stand up slowlyDizziness when you get out is common. Sit on the edge for a moment before you stand.
Short soaksSoak 5–10 minutes at a time. Stay shorter at 42°C and above, and shorter still for children and older guests.
Health conditionsIf you have heart problems or high blood pressure, or you're pregnant, check with a doctor and skip the hottest baths and the cold plunge.
Read the spring's noticeEvery onsen posts an analysis of its water. Strongly acidic or sulfur springs can sting cuts and discolor silver jewelry, so take your jewelry off.
