Hanayama Onsen Yakushi-no-yu

花山温泉薬師の湯はなやまおんせんやくしのゆ

A carbonated, iron-rich spring overlooking Wakayama city

Lodging

Kansai·Wakayama

073-471-3277 hanayamaonsen.com

Contact form

Day Use

Yes

08:00–22:00

8:00 AM to 10:00 PM (last admission at 9:00 PM)

¥1,300

Weekdays Morning / 8:00–17:00: Adults 1,300 yen (Children 600 yen) Evening / 17:00–22:00: Adults 1,000 yen (Children 500 yen) Holidays Morning / 8:00–17:00: Adults 1,500 yen (Children 700 yen) Evening / 17:00–22:00: Adults 1,200 yen (Children 600 yen)

Bathing & Water

Natural onsen water

Uses natural hot spring water

Outdoor BathYes

Open-air outdoor bath

Indoor BathYes

Enclosed indoor bathing area

SaunaYes

Sauna room of any kind

Cold BathYes

Cold water plunge bath, typically used after sauna

Bathing Arrangements

Private BathNo

A private bath you can reserve for yourself or your group

Room OnsenNo

Private onsen bath in guest rooms, for overnight guests only

Mixed BathingNo

Shared bathing area for all genders

Policies & Services

TattooWith Conditions

Allows entry with visible tattoos

Small with stickers ok

KidsYes

Welcomes children and families

DiningYes

A restaurant or dining room open to visitors, not only meals for overnight guests

WashingYes

Shower, wash stations, soap and shampoo provided

TowelsYes

Towels to rent or borrow at the desk

ParkingYes

On-site or nearby parking available

Water treatment

Pure source water· 源泉かけ流し (gensen kakenagashi)

from Article 18 disclosure

Added water
No
Reheated
Yes
Recirculated
No
Disinfected
No
Bath additives
No

花山温泉

Hanayama Onsen

Operated by · 花山開発株式会社

Drinkable

炭

Carbonated

+ Iron-bearing · Chloride

Color: brown and clear (with a faint yellow-brown sediment)
Taste: salty with a bitter edge
Odor: a faint metallic iron note

Calcium-Magnesium Chloride spring

Iron-richCO₂-richHigh silica

Composition fingerprint17.1 g/kg dissolved · Hypertonic

Ca²⁺40

Mg²⁺39

Na⁺20

Cl⁻82

HCO₃⁻18

◀ CationsAnions ▶

Calcium Ca²⁺: settling and calming; can leave a white mineral bloom.
Chloride Cl⁻: table-salt anion — coats the skin and holds heat in.

Known good for

Circulationtired legs
Ironanemia (drinking)
Warmingcold sensitivity

A sodium-calcium-magnesium chloride strong-salt spring (formerly classified in the old saline-iron style). With 17.1 g/kg of dissolved solids it is richly mineralized and hypertonic, leaving a mineral film on the skin. It is iron-rich at 50 mg/kg, oxidizing to a brown tint with a characteristic sediment and carrying a faint metallic note. It is also an unusual carbonated spring, with free CO₂ at 2,631 mg/kg producing fine bubbles that cling to the skin. The source emerges cool at 25 °C, so it is reheated for bathing via a heat exchanger.

Sampled at wellhead·Analyzed Nov 20, 2017·日本水処理工業株式会社·Cert no. No.17R-0018

Explore the water

Views

City

Highlights

Lukewarm Bath

Steam Sauna

Drinking Spring

Programs

About

Hanayama's water is a carbonated, iron-rich spring: cloudy and faintly fizzy, it turns a soft rust brown once it meets the air. It isn't recirculated or chlorinated, the tubs are simply refilled with fresh spring water. The bathing hall has a hot main bath, a cooler low-temperature bath, an outdoor bath, a cold plunge, and a steam sauna, so you move between temperatures rather than just soaking in one tub, and there's also a small fountain where you can drink the spring water itself. The inn sits on a hillside east of Wakayama city with the whole city spread out below, and the spring is said to have been used for well over a thousand years.

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5.0

2 reviews

Slava

5 months ago

A unique establishment with unique water. Huge orange deposits that are removed once a month. Definitely recommended to visit in Wakayama. The recommended way to bathe is to alternate between the hot spring (41°C) and the pure source (25°C) twice for 5-10 minutes each time. There is a drinking water source and a small museum of deposits (yu-no-hana). The manager is very passionate about onsen, and you can have a chat with him.

Sergey M

1 year ago· edited

325. Hanayama Onsen Yakushi No Yu, Wakayama ★★★ I went for a day trip. Listed hours are 08:00 to 22:00, for 900 to 1150. It is 15 to 30 minutes from Wakayama Station. Toreco cards are issued for the onsen. The onsen is famous for its distinctive water and appearance. The bath photos from the internet match. 1. Indoor area. It looks like an onsen on an alien ship, just fantastic. A very strong smell of rotten clay around the baths and from the water, very unusual. 1.1. Bath with orange water, temperature 41.5. 1.2. Small bath with orange water, temperature 38. 1.3. Small bath with orange water, temperature 26. 1.4. Bath with clear water and jets, temperature 40. 1.5. Bath with clear water, temperature 41. 1.6. Cold bath. 1.7. Sauna. 2. Outdoor area. A view of the back yard, more or less. Bath with orange water, temperature 39. A very cool onsen with unusual water, appearance, and smell. It is not far from the station. The smelliest onsen I had visited at the time of writing this review. A top place, highly recommended. 03.01.2025