Honoka Onsen

Honoka is a large day-use bathhouse in Tomakomai, one of several branches in a small Hokkaido day-use spa chain. The baths are split by gender, and each side gets its own outdoor bath, a jacuzzi, a hot sauna and a cooler meditation sauna, plus a cold plunge, all fed with salty spring water said to warm you through, ease tired muscles, and get the blood moving. Beyond the baths there are two ganbanyoku (岩盤浴, heated rock-bed) rooms, one lined with Himalayan salt and one with black stone, open to guests from middle-school age up. A restaurant with sea-facing seating, a couple of rest areas, and free parking for 230 cars round it out, so it works better as a few-hours stop than an overnight stay.