salt's cation — pairs with chloride to make the water salty.
Chloride Cl⁻
table-salt anion — coats the skin and holds heat in.
Known good for
Warmingcold sensitivity
Aches & jointsstiff shoulders
Smooth skindry, rough skin
A blend of four wells — Yunosato No.1 through No.4 — sampled from the mixing tank and piped to the main hall, wooden tubs and sand-rinse baths of the Genroku bathhouse. It is a sodium chloride spring, hypotonic and neutral, moderately mineralized at 4,345 mg/kg with a faint salt tang on the lips. The standout figure is metasilicic acid at 211.6 mg/kg — silica in that range leaves a thin moisturizing film and puts the water squarely in Japan's beauty-water family.
Sampled at mixing tank·Analyzed Nov 25, 2019·株式会社 東洋環境分析センター·Cert no. oZ1903034-001
377. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Kagoshima (pt.1, main bath) ★★★
Stayed overnight with meals included. The main highlight of the place is the epic indoor onsen on two floors with a bridge, designed like something out of an RPG game such as Baldur's Gate or something like that. The photos on Booking looked very impressive, and it turned out to be just as impressive in person. On site, both from the appearance and from the signs, it was also clear that three kinds of water are used in different baths. Through this same area you can also go to the sand bath.
1. Indoor epic bath area. The air is easy to breathe, and there is no chlorine smell. The space is very roomy, but at the same time the atmosphere is very cozy and there is no super-sento feeling. In the morning there were very few people, and at one point I actually ended up with the largest kashikiri of my life. There are three shower areas, and different washing products are also laid out in different areas.
1.1. First floor.
1.1.1. Main bath with a picture-postcard-style Asian roof and a flower in the center. Around the flower in the middle there is an area with bubbles and seats. The water is clear, slightly cloudy. Temperature 40.
1.1.2. Small oval bath in the corner, water clear light brown, temperature 38.
1.1.3. Triangular bath with girls on the wall. The water is cloudy brown, temperature 38.
1.1.4. Small rectangular bath at the edge. The water is clear, temperature 38.
1.1.5. Cold bath.
1.1.6. Sauna.
1.2. Second floor.
1.2.1. Small indoor bath in stone, water clear, temperature 40.
1.2.2. First half of the outdoor stone bath, water clear, temperature 41-42. If you lie down, the view disappears behind the bushes, but overall it is pleasant.
1.2.3. Second half of the outdoor stone bath, water clear brown, cold.
1.2.4. Outdoor bath with four utaseyu. The water is cloudy green, with a slightly off-smelling onsen scent, temperature 35.
1.2.5. A little house between the parts of the stone bath, just for chilling, no water.
1.2.6. Outdoor sauna in a sphere.
From photos online, the women's onsen area is done in a similar style and architecture, but from the photos it seemed to me that the indoor part is a little simpler.
09.01.2025 10.01.2025
377. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Kagoshima (pt.2, sand onsen and extra onsen) ★★★
2. Sand onsen. You need to sign up at a separate reception desk, it is in front of the entrance to the main bath area. The price is 1540. They give you a yukata, and you enter from the changing room through the second-floor area of the main bath. There is plenty of space inside, and it seems you can usually go straight to being buried right away. Breathing inside is normal. After being buried, your heels get nicely heated, and you sweat a lot.
3. The extra onsen is a standard hotel-type one, and there are very few people in it because it competes with the main onsen. Breathing is good. One bath is divided into two parts:
3.1. A bath with clear water, temperature 40.
3.2. A bath with clear water with fine brown lime sediment, temperature 42.
09.01.2025 10.01.2025
377. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Kagoshima (part 3, about the hotel overall and the conclusion) ★★★
The room was in a Japanese style with tatami and had a great view of the water. I was greeted by a very colorful sunrise in the morning. The hotel itself is large, with plenty to walk around and see, an indoor area separate from the main building, a museum on the grounds, and a pool. In the end I did not even manage to see everything, because I was focusing as much as possible on the onsen. The kaiseki dinner was tasty across the board, they honestly gave a double portion, and breakfast was a fairly standard buffet.
If I had to break down the place by points:
- an epic, unique indoor onsen;
- three kinds of different water, both visually and according to the signs;
- its own sand bath;
- Japanese-style rooms with a view of the water;
- a pool;
- good food at dinner.
Overall, this place is a must-visit when going to Ibusuki. At the time of my visit, the indoor bath of this onsen was definitely one of the best indoor baths I have visited.
09.01.2025 10.01.2025
