Your First Onsen

Shoes come off at the door

A step up and a wall of small lockers, just inside the entrance. Your shoes go in one and you keep the key. Everything past that step is floor people walk on barefoot, so if you cannot tell where the line is, look at where everyone else's shoes have stopped.

Paying works one of two ways

Older places take a fixed fee on the way in, at a ticket machine or a counter. Many now hand you an electronic wristband instead: you carry no money inside, tap it for a drink, a meal or a locker, and settle everything at a machine on the way out. Entry is a fixed price either way, so the wristband is not a meter you need to keep an eye on.

Pick the right curtain

Two doorways, two curtains, and the only thing that decides it is the character on them. Blue for men and red for women is a common convention rather than a rule.

You might also see them as otoko-yu (男湯) and onna-yu (女湯), and rarely as tono (殿, lord) for men and hime (姫, princess) for women. Same two doors.

Everything comes off

Clothes and phone go in the locker. No swimsuit, no underwear, no shorts. Turn up in swimwear and you will be sent back out. Glasses are fine if you want them, they will just fog up.

Two towels, and only one comes in

You usually end up with two. The big one stays in your locker, waiting for you at the end. The small one, about the size of a hand towel, is the only thing you carry into the bathing room, and in there it does three jobs: you can wash yourself with it, you wipe the sweat off your face, and you can lightly cover yourself while moving between baths. Its most important job comes at the very end, on the way out.

Wash before you get in

Sit down on the low stool, soap yourself properly, and rinse every trace of it off. This is the rule people break and the one that matters most. The bath is for soaking in, not for getting clean in.

Get in, and keep the towel out of the water

Before you step in, you might want to tip a bowl of the bath's own water over your shoulders and legs, to let your body get used to the heat. Then in you go. Fold the small towel on your head, or leave it on the stone at the edge. Then just relax. This is the part you came for.

Stay as long as it feels good, then move on

Ten minutes at a stretch is the usual advice, and your body tells you anyway: once your forehead starts to sweat, it is time to get out for a bit. Cool off on the stone rim or in a chair, drink some water, then try the next bath. A visit is a loop rather than one long soak, and at a super sento there is plenty to loop through: the indoor bath, the open-air one, the sauna, and the mizuburo (水風呂) cold plunge that resets you between the hot ones. An hour or two goes quickly.

Dry off before you walk out

This is the small towel's real job: wring it out and wipe yourself down while you are still in the bathing room, so the changing room floor stays dry. Most people do not rinse off in the shower at the end, since the minerals go on working on your skin after you leave. If your skin is sensitive or the water is very heavy on minerals, rinse off with plain water. Then get dressed and head for the rest area.

The rest area is part of the visit

Almost every super sento has one: massage chairs, often a tatami corner and a shelf of manga. Get a small bottle of milk or coffee milk from the machine, which is what people drink here once they are out, and sit until you have stopped glowing. Many complexes have a massage room too: you book it at the front desk on your way in, which takes a minute, and it is a treat once the bathing is done. If you are hungry, the restaurant inside is usually good. And nothing says you cannot go back in for one more soak afterwards.

No phone, no photos

Leave it in the locker. Everyone in the room is naked, and a camera is the fastest way to be asked to leave.

Do not swim, and keep your voice down

No swimming, no diving, no ducking under, no splashing. If you are talking, keep it quiet so you do not disturb anyone.

Tie long hair up

Hair in the water is the same problem as a towel in the water. Put it in a bun or a clip before you get in, or wrap it in your small towel. The front desk almost always sells hair ties if you have forgotten one.

Not if you are unwell

Stay home with a fever or a stomach bug, and never go in drunk: many places turn away anyone visibly intoxicated, and hot water plus alcohol is behind most bathing accidents in Japan. Women are expected to skip public baths during a period. And if you are older, pregnant, or have blood pressure or heart trouble, official guidance is to avoid the hottest baths, above 42°C, and keep the water below your shoulders.

If you have tattoos, check first

Here the advice above works against you. Super sento are usually not tattoo-friendly: they set their own door policy, and most of them turn tattooed guests away. Neighborhood sento and mountain ryokan tend to be far more relaxed about it. So check the specific place before you go, cover small pieces with a waterproof patch, or book a private bath (kashikiri-buro, 貸切風呂) and skip the question entirely.

The tattoo guide: policy map, cover stickers, and the phrases to ask with