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Japan’s bathhouse-themed bar replaces hot water with unlimited alcohol

Elliot Hale Feb 17, 2026
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Styled like a traditional sento, this izakaya chain lines its walls with 13 working faucets that let you pour your own drink.

In my youth, I used to drink a lot of soda, perhaps to an unhealthy degree, and would often wonder about the feasibility of just hooking up a faucet in the house so I could have soda on demand. For some, the flitting idea is just that, but some people take that as a challenge to themselves, and one Japanese chain of bars has taken it a step further: creating a self-serve all-you-can-drink alcohol experience using faucets attached to a wall in Japanese bathhouse-themed bars.

Taishu Shusen Terumae is a popular izakaya pub chain with 20 locations throughout Japan, from Hokkaido in the north, through Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, all the way to Kyushu in the south. On February 6, 2026, they opened their latest branch in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in northeastern Japan.

Inside the bar, you’ll find 13 different faucets lined up along the wall, styled to look like the washing stations you’d see at a traditional Japanese public bathhouse (called a “sento”). However, instead of the hot water of a sento, these faucets dispense alcohol.

▼ Drinking straight from the source, tempting though it may be, is highly discouraged.

You just need to order the all-you-can-drink plan, grab a glass (or a bathhouse bucket, typically used when washing your body), and pour as much as you’d like. Being completely self-service, it means you never have to wait around to catch someone’s eye, or holler “sumimasen” (“excuse me”) across the room as is custom in many izakayas.

At the Sendai store, there are three plans starting at 398 yen (US$2.59) per hour, with the others being 698 yen and 998 yen per hour respectively. There are also three time limits of 60, 90, and 120 minutes. The cheapest option will you get you the basic selection of shochu-based drinks to choose from, while the 698-yen option gets you access to the premium faucets, containing bases like plum liquor and mojito, for which you will be given a special key to release your desired beverage. It also opens up the ability to order other drinks, such as whisky, cocktails, wine, and sours, for a more complete drinking experience.

If you want to go all in on alcohol for the evening, the 998 yen plan will give you unlimited draft beer through their smartphone ordering system, as well as some branded alcohol like Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky, and Ikkomon shochu, on top of both previous menus.

The bathhouse experience doesn’t just end at the faucets, though. The entire interior is designed to recreate the atmosphere of an old-school sento, which traditionally served as a communal gathering space in Japan. There are tiled walls, locker-style decorations, basket-style holders for your belongings, and a reception desk inspired by a bathhouse attendant’s stand.

Naturally, a good izakaya is never without food, and this chain is no different, with signature items sold at jaw-droppingly low prices during the early hours of operation, from open until 6:00 p.m., including fried chicken for 50 yen and mini Chinese soup dumplings for 35 yen.

▼ One skewer costs 70 yen, and if you order more than 20, they come in a sento bucket.

The company claims that these specials operate at an average cost ratio of 95 percent, meaning that they’re barely making a profit. For this company, the goal is to create an experience so surprising that you’ll want to tell everyone about it.

Whether you’re popping in for a quick drink, warming up before a big night out, or attempting to see if you can drink one of the faucets dry, Terumae offers a unique and playful experience at a very impressive value for money.

Store information
Taishu Shusen Terumae Sendai Kokubuncho-sen / 大衆酒泉テルマエ仙台国分町泉
Address: Miyagi-ken, Sendai-shi, Aoba-ku, Kokubun-cho 2-1-12, Setokatsu Biru 1F-B
宮城県仙台市青葉区国分町2-1-12瀬戸勝ビル1F-B
Open: 4:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. (Mondays–Thursdays), 4:00 p.m.–5:00 a.m. (Fridays and days before holidays), 12:00 p.m.–5:00 a.m. (Saturdays), 12:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. (Sundays and holidays)
Website

Source and Images: PR Times
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