Japanese bath/hot spring etiquette…?

Posted on March 12th, 2010 by admin

Well basically…
What do you do?
I’m going to be staying in a ryokan, but I don’t want to make a fool out of myself ^_^
Do you go in fully naked?
How would people react if I wore a swimming costume?
If you do go in naked, at what point do you lose the towel?
Thanks muchly =)

1)Take off all your clothes in the changing room and place them into a basket together with your bath towel. Coin lockers for valuables are often available.
2) Japanese hot springs are enjoyed naked. Swimming suits are not allowed in most places. However, it is the custom to bring a small towel into the bathing area, with which you can enhance your privacy while outside of the water. Once you enter the bath, keep the towel out of the water.
3) Before entering the bath, rinse your body with water from either a tap or the bath using a washbowl provided in the bathing area. Just rinsing your body is usually sufficient unless you are excessively dirty, in which case you want to use soap.
4) Enter the bath and soak for a while. Note that the bath water can be very hot (typical temperatures are 40 to 44 degrees). If it feels too hot, try to enter very slowly and move as little as possible.
5) After soaking for a while, get out of the bath and wash your body with soap at a water tap, while sitting on a stool. Soap and shampoo are provided in some baths. Like in private Japanese bathrooms, make sure that no soap gets into the bath water. Tidy up your space after you finished cleaning your body.
6) Re-enter the bath and soak some more.
7) After you finished soaking, do not rinse your body with tap water, for the minerals to have full effect on your body.

9 Responses

  1. itssocial Says:

    never spit
    References :

  2. askawow47 Says:

    you cant put swinning suits.
    yea fully naked!!
    you can cover your private parts with towel. (just front of your body)
    but i think nobody cover their private parts in japan.
    and you have to wash your body first! dont jump into the hot tub please!
    References :

  3. tonalc1 Says:

    I’m not familiar with ryokan, but have stayed in places with public baths.

    It’s perfectly acceptable to wear your provided robe and slippers from your room to the bath. When you get to the bath, put your shoes on the shelves. Get a towel.

    When you get to the locker/changing room, take off your robe (or clothes, if you’ve worn them) and put them in the locker.

    Use the towel to "discreetly" cover yourself, holding it in front of you. Don’t worry about being naked. Go to the small washing stations and scrub yourself really clean while sitting on the small stool.

    Only then do you go into the bath (after hanging up your towel). Soak deliciously.

    Japanese attitudes toward nudity are very different from Western ones; you will soon feel comfortable. Enjoy!
    References :

  4. Selena Says:

    1)Take off all your clothes in the changing room and place them into a basket together with your bath towel. Coin lockers for valuables are often available.
    2) Japanese hot springs are enjoyed naked. Swimming suits are not allowed in most places. However, it is the custom to bring a small towel into the bathing area, with which you can enhance your privacy while outside of the water. Once you enter the bath, keep the towel out of the water.
    3) Before entering the bath, rinse your body with water from either a tap or the bath using a washbowl provided in the bathing area. Just rinsing your body is usually sufficient unless you are excessively dirty, in which case you want to use soap.
    4) Enter the bath and soak for a while. Note that the bath water can be very hot (typical temperatures are 40 to 44 degrees). If it feels too hot, try to enter very slowly and move as little as possible.
    5) After soaking for a while, get out of the bath and wash your body with soap at a water tap, while sitting on a stool. Soap and shampoo are provided in some baths. Like in private Japanese bathrooms, make sure that no soap gets into the bath water. Tidy up your space after you finished cleaning your body.
    6) Re-enter the bath and soak some more.
    7) After you finished soaking, do not rinse your body with tap water, for the minerals to have full effect on your body.
    References :

  5. darryl r Says:

    from my experience you can wear a towel but when in the hot bath you take the towel off. most places will also supply robe than you can yake of before going in the bath
    References :

  6. thumba Says:

    Let us go step by step here.
    1. The public bath cost 390 yen in Osaka plus 100 Yen if you are using the sauna.
    2 In the public bath you would need your own towels , soap, Shampoo,rinse etc.
    3.You undress in the dressing area.
    4. You enter the bath area naked.
    5. First thing you do is wash your private parts before you do anything else.
    6 You soap and rinse yourself outside the bath.
    7 You enter the bath just to soak yourself .
    8 Do not put your towel in the bath where you are soaking
    yourself.
    9. Dry yourself with the wash towel and then enter the dressing area .There you can dry yourself with your bath towel .
    That’s about it.
    Now this goes for the hot springs . The etiquette is the same.
    In the hot spring you are usually provided with towels,soap, Shampoo ,rinse etc.
    References :
    self

  7. fawkesphoenix Says:

    Skip the swimming costume, you’re going to have to go in the buff.

    You will remove your clothes in an outer locker room, and enter the bath with your "modesty towel" and any personal toiletries you choose to bring. The modesty towel is about 1/4 the size of a standard bath towel. If you feel embarassed, just drape it over your more personal bits.

    Be sure to wash yourself before entering the bath. There will be individual wash stations with soap and shampoo provided. You’ll be facing a wall, so you’ll have some privacy. Then you can proceed to the bath with your modesty towel. Once again, you can cover yourself until you’re under the water if you feel shy. Keep in mind, it will only be people of your same gender in there. Occasionally you get very young boys on the women’s side with their mothers.

    You’re going to love it- the onsens are probably the thing I miss the most about Japan!
    References :

  8. sellatieeat Says:

    okay so what you would wear is the bathrobe tat is given to you in your room.
    you wear that to the bath house.
    then there is another room for you to change. There are baskets for you to put your clothes and room key.
    japan is all about the honor system so you don’t really have to worry about people stealing things but just in case dont put like really expensive things in taht basket.
    then there is another room where the hot bath is.
    when you enter, there are usually showers on the side and a huge hot pool in the middle.
    so you should go shower yourself first. then you can enter the hot tub. don’t wear any bathing suits. the japanese people will yell at you if you do.
    but you can bring a small towel like a facetowel but tats about it.
    References :

  9. monosugoi_103 Says:

    Get naked.
    Hop in.

    Heh.
    Just kidding.

    Your supposed to scrub yourself before entering the water.
    That is all that I think you will need to know.

    =]]]
    References :

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