Onsen Baths and How to Take Them

The Japanese archipelago lies on top of fault lines, so it is subject to all kinds of volcanic activity.  The people of this country have managed to harness that geothermal activity, and use it to heat up water for hot-spring baths, known as onsen (温泉, lit. 'warm water').  Onsen are differentiated by the kinds of minerals their waters are infused with, and what health benefits they are meant to possess.  Soaking and indulging in this kind of bath is an integral part of Japanese life and culture, and one I myself have been hooked on whenever I go there.

Really, wherever there's water and a way to heat it, just about any place can serve as a good bath.  Even a private bath room in a regular home can be used in such a style.  Full-scale onsen are often encountered at ryokan inns or other hotels, and as stand-alone public baths known as sento (銭湯, sentō, lit. 'coin bath').  Some baths are placed outside in the open air, and in such cases are known as rotenburo (露天風呂, lit. 'open-air pool').  The layouts of different onsen may vary, but at a common level, are laid out something like this:

Public baths are used while naked, and are separated by gender for obvious reasons.  This precludes wrapping a towel around yourself, although there are often small washcloth-style towels, called tenugui (手拭い, lit. 'hand wipe'), which may be used, among other purposes, for some level of modesty while walking about.  There are a few onsen, mainly in rural areas, which offer mixed-gender baths.  (And yet, Japanese women, who tend to be more sensitive about sexual advances, prefer to avoid mixed baths altogether.)

In order to keep the water sanitary for everyone else, people who have any open cuts wounds are advised not to bathe in an onsen.  Also, especially for foreign visitors, it is important to note that many onsen do not allow customers with tattoos on their bodies to use the facilities.  This may have to do with deterring Yakuza mobsters who, as a stereotype, wear large-scale tattoos themselves.  If this affects you, you would do well to find out in advance whether or not your desired onsen will accept tattooed customers.  According to a survey conducted in 2015, just over half of onsen owners said they had a policy of turning away customers with tattoos, although acceptance of foreigners with small tattoos has slowly been rising in recent years. [1]  Onsen that are willing to allow guests with smaller tattoos may provide patches to cover them up with.

So with all that set up, there are a few customs you should observe during your onsen bath.  Here are the steps to take in doing so:

1. Enter the appropriate changing room.  The doors or curtains leading to the mens' side are marked by English words, the kanji "男", and/or the colour blue.  Likewise, for the ladies' side, look out for the kanji "女" and/or the colour red.
2. Inside the changing room, remove all your clothes and belongings and store them, either in a locker or a basket, whatever is provided.  If there are lockers, take the key and pull the cord onto your wrist or ankle.
3. Enter the bath room.  Before you to into the main bath, you must rinse yourself off first, since the bath is shared by many people.  Many onsen these days will have shower stations lined low along the walls.  It is enough just to wash yourself with water, but many people, especially younger bathers, choose to use the body wash, shampoo, and other amenities that may be provided.
1. In older onsen, there may only be a tap or a basin of water to rinse with.  Simply fill up a bucket of water and pour it over your head.
4. Once you're cleaned up, enter the bath itself.  The temperature of the bath will be hot, anywhere from 35 to 45 degrees Celsius (95 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit), so you may not be able to stand it for too long.  Up to five minutes at a time should be enough.  It helps if you soak your hand-towel with cold water and lay it atop your head, and if you do not move around.
5. Exit the bath and rinse yourself again at one of the showers.  If you did not already wash yourself fully, now would be a good time to do so.
6. If you wish, re-enter the bath for another soak.  If the facilities have multiple baths, such as an indoor and an outdoor one, now would be a good time to try out the other ones.
7. After finishing your last soak, do not rinse yourself off.  This will keep the minerals of the water within your body.
8. Return to the changing room, dry off, retrieve and put on your clothes.

If you are enjoying a bath as part of a stay at a ryokan, you will usually take a bath right before dinner.  These dinners, served either in your room or a communal dining room, will often feature many Japanese-style dishes using local and seasonal ingredients.  It is not recommended to use the bath after eating, but some people like to use them again right before bed and/or after waking up in the morning.

Now that you know how to take a bath at an onsen, you may want to learn the best places to experience them.  I shall address them with a list of the top ten onsen resorts in Japan, next time on Sekai Ichi!

[1] Ryall, Julian (6 November 2015). "Japanese owners of famous 'onsen' hot springs soften their stance on tattoo ban to appease foreign visitors". Archived from the original on 17 January 2016.