Spa World

A huge onsen, water park, and entertainment hotel complex in Osaka. There are two entire floors of themed onsens: the European 4th floor and the Asian 6th floor. Each floor is assigned to one gender for a whole month, then they switch (in May 2026, men bathe in the "Europe" area, and women in the "Asia" area), and then they switch again. Each floor has about two dozen different baths for every taste and color (literally about color too!): hot, cool, cold, carbonated, herbal, with hydromassage, loungers — everything or almost everything is available. Each hall is themed after a country, whether ancient Rome and Greece, Portugal, Persia, or Singapore. Beautiful! Each floor has a large relaxation area, unlimited free towels, and clothing for walking around the common areas. In the European zone, after renovation, a German area appeared with a huge sauna amphitheater and a rich outdoor bath area: three cold baths (18, 15, and 8 degrees Celsius) and three hot baths (39, 42, and 47 degrees Celsius), utaseyu (waterfall bath), and barrels. The Finnish sauna and mizuburo (water bath) remain in their places. In the Greek hall (yes, in the Greek hall!) there are powerful herbal baths whose aroma can be smelled from neighboring halls. In the Asian zone, there were already good stone rotenburo (outdoor baths), also with a stage where you could listen to rakugo (comic storytelling) if you happened to come on a holiday, but now a tea area has also opened there (and judging by the advertisement) with cool lighting. On the 8th floor is a common water park area in swimsuits: a circular pool, various slides, a children's area for toddlers, a large warm bath to chill out. On the rooftop terrace, there is an infinity bath with a view of Tsutenkaku Tower and the city in general. The terrace used to be paid but is now open for free (only the sauna on it and drinks at the bar are separately charged). On the 3rd floor, there is a ganbanyoku (hot stone spa) and a food court, next to which a new paid play area for children has just opened (with separate tables for parents on the side so they can watch their kids while eating and drinking). There are also various karaoke and other activities. Spa World still probably offers the most diverse onsen experience at least in Osaka and is definitely a must-visit place if you have plenty of free time and money (I have never managed to visit here for less than a full day and spend less than a couple of man yen for a family considering tickets, food courts, ice cream, games, and other expenses). 2026.05.01