Onsen

Onsen is a Japanese term for a “traditional hot spring” bath.  Since the source of Onsen water is a natural one, it contains various materials which are beneficial for one’s health. Aside from the health aspect, onsen also provides a whole different bathing experience.

Several benefits you get from Onsen are:

1. After doing a long journey or trip in Japan and you feel very tired, soaking yourself in onsen might be the best thing you can do. Soaking your body in a hot, warm, normally 40-degree Celsius bath will help your tense muscle relax and stimulate a faster healing effect in the process.
2. Natural hot spring contains many beneficial materials that will nourish and help to rejuvenate your skin.
3. It lowers blood pressure and soothes the body and mind.

One thing to note is that the Japanese are renowned for their bathing habit which soaks their body in a hot water bath. Not only Onsen, but they also have Sento or public bath, a large man-made bath created for people to enjoy soaking their body in hot water when they do not particularly have a bath tube in their home.

While the step by step of enjoying Onsen and Sento is almost the same, the main difference is the source of water. As they both provide various bathing experiences for example bubble bath, stone bath, wavy bath, etc, the various beneficial minerals contained in onsen water are the main difference.

As for Ryokan or traditional Japanese inn, they are usually complemented with either of these. So make sure to do research in advance or to send an inquiry before staying to know if your goal is to enjoy an Onsen.

Even though many famous Onsen is most likely related to hotels or Ryokan, some places provide public entry for day trip customers whose purpose is only to enjoy Onsen. But once again, please inquire first whether they are open to the public or not.

Onsen is normally differentiated by gender male (男) and female (女). So make sure you do not enter the wrong section. While Onsen is usually open to the public, in some places, they provide a private onsen area which costs more but is very helpful when you want to enter the onsen with your family, close friends, or partner while having more privacy.

Tips and tricks that might be useful for you :

• Research whether it is an Onsen or Sento.
• Some places provide public entry for day trips while some are reserved for stay customers only when the Onsen is in a Ryokan or hotel.
• You're required to remove your shoes at a certain point, please pay attention.
• Put your belongings into lockers before entering the baths. Do note that some places provide free lockers but some places require you to rent.
• Please don't drink liquor before entering Onsen or Sento. As sometimes entering a hot bath while intoxicated could trigger certain health problems.
• Even though they provide you towels or you need to rent in some places, this towel's purpose is to dry you in the changing room.
• You can bring a small towel into the bathing area but please do not soak the towel into Onsen water. This towel can be used for wiping your body or removing excess liquid before going back to the changing room

• While entering the bath area naked is a must, please be aware that most Onsen or Sento, or most facilities in Japan are not tattoo-friendly. If you are tattooed, please inquire first because tattoos have a very bad image in Japan as they are usually affiliated with bad people or crime organizations.
• For female customers, tie your hair before soaking yourself in Onsen water. A floating strand of hair will cause inconveniences to others. And if you’re on your period, please avoid dipping into Onsen.

• Do not enter the Onsen water directly.
• Use the buckets provided and start pouring the onsen water from your hand, feet, and then the body to allow your body to adapt to the water temperature.
• As Onsen water normally ranges from 38-43 degrees celsius and depending on the weather and places, some Onsen also provides a higher temperature bath for people who enjoy hotter water.
• Normally people soak in Onsen for 15-20 minutes. A long duration of soaking in hot water can cause burned skin, dizziness, or even pass-out. So please do not push yourself when you feel discomfort.

• Although the Onsen seems like a small pool, do refrain from swimming. You may splash strangers and inconvenience others.
• Please do not cause a commotion inside the bath area.
• While it is actually better not to rinse Onsen water after soaking to provide better results, people with sensitive skin might get some exposure when exposed to some acidic Onsen water. If you feel discomfort, itch, or irritation in your skin please rinse thoroughly.
• If you bring a small towel into the bathing area, dry your body before entering the changing room
• Refrain from using your phone in the changing room or area near it unless emergency.
• Some Onsen water is safe to drink, but please inquire first to the staff since not all of Onsen water is safe to consume.
• Rehydrate yourself after soaking in Onsen.
  

When there is Onsen, sometimes they also provide Rotenburo (露天風呂) which is an open door hot spring bath where it has a great view of sceneries and surrounded by nature. Please note that sometimes the water temperature of Rotenburo might be lower because it’s exposed to the open air and depends on the weather.

In modern days, Onsen has also been following the trends and evolving. From a normal hot water soaking, some places even developed several advanced Onsen which furthermore beneficial for one health and enjoyable.

They put things such as collagen or milk to further enhance the experiences of ultimate leisure bathing. They even modify some normal Onsen into static-electric therapy baths or even hot stone onsen therapy.

In general, people would simply bathe to wash off the dirt. But entering Onsen and enjoy soaking in hot water does feel very different. Not only it is very good for health but also gives a very pleasant feeling, a whole new way and experience to enjoy bathing.