HāTi

128. Hearty, Beppu A spa salon that offers enzyme baths using rice bran, but with tap water. You need to book in advance on the website. Price 3500. No stamp (!). Towels provided. You can find the entrance from the video on Google Maps. There were two staff members, we communicated through a translator. On the form they only asked for my name - the rest was apparently easier to skip due to the language barrier. Then they gave a translated instruction sheet explaining that the procedure is quite a strain on the body. They poured water. They didn't ask me to wash before the procedure, and took me straight to the changing room in the enzyme bath area. The bath has a strong smell of dried bread. Breathing is fine. There's a shallow body-shaped pit dug into the bath. They tell you where to put your head and feet. Then they bury your body with their hands, leaving the toes slightly exposed and the face uncovered. The enzymes are warm but not extremely hot. After about 10-12 minutes, a woman came, gave me cold water through a straw, and offered to continue for 5 or 10 more minutes. I chose 5 (but judging by the clock it ended up being about 7). After the shower, cold tea was available. Overall it was much easier to lie in than at Kaju, but still a noticeable strain on the body. I'd rate the difficulty at about 65-70% of Kaju. Hard to evaluate the skin effect since I went straight to onsens afterward, and I had a similar procedure yesterday. This is lighter than Kaju but still harder than the sand bath at Takegawara. If you're considering an enzyme onsen, it makes sense to go to Kaju, which uses actual onsen water. But if you're not sure about your stamina and want to try it out - this place is an option.