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Kamenoi Hotel Nachikatsuura

Water profile

Kamenoi Hotel Nachikatsuura

Spring chemistry and what it does, with the research behind it.

SimpleSodium Chloride spring

A blended spring drawing from two wells — Hamayu and Taki-no-Yu — mixed in the hotel's basement pit before reaching the baths. Classified as an alkaline simple thermal spring (pH 8.6 at the wellhead), it sits squarely in the Japanese 'beauty-water' family — soft, slippery, and gentle on the skin. A faint hydrogen sulfide note and a whisper of sulfur on the tongue come through behind a chloride-led, lightly mineralized base. A hypotonic low-temperature source (33 °C) that is reheated for bathing.

Good for

Smooth skin

Bicarbonate and alkalinity gently lift dead keratin while silica hydrates, leaving skin smooth. This is the basis of the beautifying-water (bijin-no-yu 美人の湯) reputation.

dry, rough skin

Recovery

Warmth and buoyancy lower stress markers and improve sleep; habitual bathing is linked to lower rates of depression.

fatigue, stress

Full composition

The bar is each ion's share of charge (mval%) within its group; over 20% names the spring. Gases, silica and trace metals are measured by mass only.

Cationsshare of charge (mval%)
  • Sodium82.0mgP25 national
  • Calcium16.5mgP35 national
  • Potassium1.3mgP15 national
  • Magnesium0.20mgP14 national
  • Aluminum< —mg
  • FeTotal< —mg
  • Hydrogen< —mg
  • Manganese< —mg
Anionsshare of charge (mval%)
  • Chloride138mgP46 national
  • Bicarbonate17.7mgP11 national
  • Sulfate12.6mgP24 national
  • Fluoride4.3mgP74 national
  • Carbonate4.8mgP34 national
  • Hydrogen sulfide0.20mgP40 national
  • BO2< —mg
  • HSiO3< —mg
  • Hydroxide< —mg
  • Thiosulfate< —mg
Non-dissociatedmeasured by mass
  • Metasilicic acid25.4mgP9 national
  • Metaboric acid0.90mgP12 national
Dissolved gasesmeasured by mass
  • Free carbon dioxide< —mg
  • Free hydrogen sulfide< —mg
Trace metalsmeasured by mass
  • Arsenic< —mg
  • Cadmium< —mg
  • Copper< —mg
  • Mercury< —mg
  • Lead< —mg

Measured at the source

pH
8.60
Alkaline
Source temperature
33.0°C
Low temp.
Tonicity
0.30g/kg
Hypotonic

Evidence

  1. Maeda M. 温泉の医学的効果とその科学的根拠. J. Hot Spring Science 70:197–207, 2021.
  2. Naito Y et al. A Hot-Spring Water Improves Inflammatory Conditions in an Atopic Dermatitis Model. Biomedicines 13(11):2707, 2025.
  3. Li H et al. Bicarbonate Ionized Water Bathing Enhances Natural Killer Cell Activity. Scientific Reports 14:51851, 2024.
  4. Takeda M et al. Hot spring bathing practices have a positive effect on mental health in Japan. Heliyon 9(9):e19631, 2023.

Educational, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, consult a physician before onsen therapy.