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Our four must-visit saunas in Japan for total relaxation

Elliot Hale Oct 25, 2024
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Is the daily grind getting too much? Don’t sweat it—or rather do! These four saunas will revitalize your weary mind and body.

Bathing in Japan has been an integral part of Japanese culture for centuries, with many people relying on local public baths, or sento, for their everyday washing needs. While this tradition is in decline, a new form of bathing—super sento—has emerged.

Super sento offer a variety of baths—jacuzzi, electric, and outdoor, to name a few. They can often feel more like a theme park, where you can enjoy different bathing experiences, instead of simply being a place to wash and talk with your friends. More often than not, these facilities also include saunas, something our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa has found to be essential in order to cope with the vicissitudes of life and the toll of traveling for work. A quick visit to a super sento and a few minutes in a sauna can make all of his stress melt away, leaving his mind clear and his body refreshed.

Throughout his time as a reporter, he has visited a multitude of different locations, and while he professes he’s not a sauna enthusiast traveling the country for the purpose of visiting saunas, he’s still managed to stop by some places with great baths just by chance. So, he has decided to make and share his personal Top Four list in that hope that others can find a sauna that suits them.

Maihama Eurasia

When someone mentions Maihama in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, the first thing that comes to mind is, without a doubt, Tokyo Disneyland. However, just a few minutes’ walk from the theme park is a super sento with a sauna selection that’s on a completely different level to others in the area. While the bath area is already spacious enough, there’s a hidden paradise for sauna lovers inside, featuring a Finnish sauna, a Kelo sauna, and a steam bath caldarium.

People should no doubt be familiar with traditional Finnish saunas, but maybe less so with the other two. Kelo saunas utilize Kelo logs, which have excellent insulating properties and retain a subtle aroma, to create a unique atmosphere where you can feel the calming embrace of nature. The caldarium’s walls, floor, and benches are heated to warm your body through radiant heat, while aromatic steam fills the room.

Although the location is near Disneyland, it’s a bit farther from the station, making it a lot less crowded, with most users being hotel guests. However, during Disney’s peak periods, Seiji can see it getting quite packed, although he feels that given the high quality of its facilities, it wouldn’t be strange for it to be crowded year round.

JFA YUME Field Makuhari Onsen Yura no Sato

Beyond the open-air bath, there’s nothing but sky and sea. That was Seiji’s impression of this super sento in Mihama, Chiba Prefecture, just across the bay from Tokyo Disneyland. The reclining chairs and loungers next to the bath created the ultimate relaxation spot, with the wind cradling his body.

Even though there were many guests, the sauna room was still spacious enough that it never felt crowded, even during peak hours in the evening. The experience was made even better by the sauna using an automatic system to create a breeze that perfectly mixed the hot steam and the air in the room.

TimesSPA RESTA

Another hidden gem can be found in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Even though Karumaru, one of the Kanto region’s best saunas, is also in Ikebukuro, Seiji prefers the less crowded TimesSPA RESTA. For being right in the heart of Tokyo, both the sauna rooms and the open-air baths are remarkably spacious.

However, it’s in the women’s baths that this super sento really shines.

As he isn’t allowed access to the women’s baths, reviewing them can be difficult for Seiji, but from what he could deduce from the pictures he’d seen, the women’s outdoor bath was a cut above the men’s, offering a lovely view of the sky, and it was equipped with a Finnish sauna.

With a larger-than-average percentage of female clientele, and most popular saunas in Tokyo being male-only, Seiji feels that this super sento would no doubt be a priceless treasure for women who love saunas.

Daiichi Takimotokan

Leaving the area around the capital and shooting all the way up north to Hokkaido, this last super sento sits on the doorstep of Noboribetsu’s Jigokudani, or Hell Valley. Not only was the sauna amazing, but the entire bathing experience was beyond exceptional. Seiji had no choice but to name this place the Paradise of Baths.

The baths source water from five different hot springs and spread it out over a vast two-storey bathhouse, truly being a feat for a hot spring heaven. The outdoor bath was also spectacular.

The view of the valley from the bath was simply breathtaking. Of course, the sauna facilities were impressive, but it was the combination of the cool Hokkaido air and magnificent scenery after his sauna session that truly captivated him.

On top of all of that, there was even a bar service available, which meant you could relax with a drink of alcohol while soaking in the bath. Of course, sauna users shouldn’t drink alcohol before going in, but the service is available for anyone. Seiji cannot recommend this place enough to anyone who wants to forget the time and unwind.

Although Seiji has visited many other great saunas and has countless others he would love to recommend, it was these four that left the most vivid impression on him. So, the next time you feel overwhelmed by daily life or need a break from your jam-packed sightseeing schedule, sweat away your troubles in one of these amazing saunas or head over to Osaka’s massive, tattoo-friendly hot spring theme park.

Location information

Spa & Hotel Maihama Eurasia / Spa＆Hotel舞浜ユーラシア
Address: Chiba-ken, Urayasu-shi, Chidori 13-20
千葉県浦安市千鳥13-20
Open: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. (bath cleaning time 2:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m.)
Website

JFA YUME Field Makuhari Onsen Yura no Sato / JFA夢フィールド幕張温泉湯楽の里
Address: Chiba-ken, Chiba-shi, Mihama-ku, Mihama 26
千葉県千葉市美浜区美浜26
Open: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. (last entry 11:00 p.m.)
Website

TimesSPA RESTA
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashiikebukuro 4-25-9 Times Station Ikebukuro 10~12F
東京都豊島区東池袋4-25-9 タイムズステーション池袋10階～12階
Open: 11:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (Sundays and consecutive holidays until 10:30 p.m.)
Website

Daiichi Takimotokan / 第一滝本館
Address: Hokkaido, Noboribetsu-shi, Noboribetsu Onsen-cho 55
北海道登別市登別温泉町55番地
Open: 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (for non-hotel guests)
Website

Top Image: PR Times
Insert Images: PR Times (1, 2, 3, 4)
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