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Kakunodate Hot Spring

Water profile

Kakunodate Hot Spring

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

ChlorideCalcium-Sodium Chloride-Sulfate spring · +Sulfate

A calcium-led sodium chloride spring with sulfate adding a quiet, settled body — the certificate prints it as a Ca·Na−Cl·SO₄ blend. The wellhead is hot (49.2 °C) and cooled to a comfortable 42 °C at the bath, while pH 8.7 puts it firmly in the alkaline range with the slippery 'beauty-water' feel that locals associate with smoother skin. Dissolved solids land at 5,423 mg/kg — moderately mineralized, enough to leave a faint salty tang on the lips and a thin mineral film as you towel off. The bath is served straight from the source: no dilution, no reheating, no recirculation, only a chlorine-based disinfection step kept in for hygiene.

Good for

Warming

Salt forms a film on the skin that slows heat loss, so the warmth lingers long after the bath (the classic heat-keeping water, nettō 熱の湯).

cold sensitivity

Circulation

Skin-absorbed CO₂ and hydrogen sulfide relax the vessel walls; carbon-dioxide springs can raise peripheral blood flow several-fold.

tired legs

Aches & joints

Warmth eases stiffness and raises the pain threshold. Radon and sulfate springs show the strongest evidence for joint and muscle pain.

stiff shoulders

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

Cuts

Mineral-rich chloride, sulfate and sulfur waters have a long-recorded soothing effect on minor cuts and slow-healing skin.

minor wounds

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%)
  • Calcium999mgP95 national
  • Sodium858mgP83 national
  • Strontium6.7mgP92 national
  • Potassium4.4mgP33 national
  • Lithium0.60mgP61 national
  • Magnesium0.10mgP11 national
  • Aluminum< —mg
  • Copper< —mg
  • Iron (II)< —mg
  • Iron (III)< —mg
  • Manganese< —mg
  • Ammonium< —mg
  • Zinc< —mg
Anionsshare of charge (mval%)
  • Chloride2,318mgP89 national
  • Sulfate1,173mgP97 national
  • Carbonate6.8mgP41 national
  • Fluoride2.4mgP62 national
  • Bromide2.9mgP75 national
  • Bicarbonate0.50mgP1 national
  • Hydrogen phosphate< —mg
  • Hydrogen sulfide< —mg
  • Iodide< —mg
  • Nitrate< —mg
  • Thiosulfate< —mg
Non-dissociatedmeasured by mass
  • Metasilicic acid34.7mgP16 national
  • Metaboric acid15.4mgP69 national
  • H2SO4Free< —mg
  • Metaarsenious acid< —mg
Trace metalsmeasured by mass
  • Arsenic< —mg
  • Cadmium< —mg
  • Chromium< —mg
  • Mercury< —mg
  • Lead< —mg

Measured at the source

Source temperature
49.2°C
Tonicity
5.42g/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. Kario K et al. Hemodynamic Effects of Hot Spring Bathing. Hypertension Research 46(3):711–720, 2023.
  3. Tei C, Kihara T. Waon Therapy for Chronic Heart Failure. J. Cardiology 53(2):214–218, 2009.
  4. Coavoy-Sánchez SA et al. Hydrogen sulfide and dermatological diseases. Int. J. Dermatology, 2019.
  5. Naito Y et al. A Hot-Spring Water Improves Inflammatory Conditions in an Atopic Dermatitis Model. Biomedicines 13(11):2707, 2025.
  6. Toriyama T et al. Carbon dioxide foot bathing on critical limb ischemia. International Angiology 21(4):367–373, 2002.
  7. Donaubauer AJ et al. Serial radon spa therapy on pain in musculoskeletal disorders. Frontiers in Immunology, 2024.
  8. Verhagen AP et al. Balneotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews CD000518, 2015.
  9. Li H et al. Bicarbonate Ionized Water Bathing Enhances Natural Killer Cell Activity. Scientific Reports 14:51851, 2024.
  10. Takeda M et al. Hot spring bathing practices have a positive effect on mental health in Japan. Heliyon 9(9):e19631, 2023.

How the water is handled

Water treatment

Lightly treated
from Article 18 disclosure
  • Added water
    No
  • Reheated
    No
  • Recirculated
    No
  • Disinfected
    Yes
    塩素系薬剤
  • Bath additives
    No

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