天然温泉 花咲の湯

Hanasaki no Yu is a large day-use bathing complex in Ageo with about a dozen different baths. Outside there's an open-air bath fed straight from the source, a tsubo-yu (つぼ湯) jar bath, a strong carbonated bath, and a lie-back bath where you soak from the waist down in the open air. Indoors are a fine-bubble bath, an electric bath with three settings (push, knead, and tap), a jet and hand-jet bath, and a cold plunge. The water is a natural hot spring, brownish and mild, without a strong mineral smell. A löyly sauna releases steam at intervals to keep the humidity steady and sits next to the cold bath, and the ganbanyoku (岩盤浴) rock-sauna area, three rooms and seven types in all, is open for as long as you want to stay. The building has an Asian-resort look inside, with a restaurant (Lotus Cafe) and a relaxation salon for a full day at the baths.