Onsen Culture: What To Know Before Bathing In Japan

Bathing culture isn't something we're used to as Americans—our idea of a spa day is usually at-home masks or to splurge on treatments at a fancy spa. There's not much in-between for us; not much casual spa options for the days you want to unwind but not spend a fortune. 

Queue: The Japanese Onsen

Outdoor Onsen boasting magnesium-rich waters! Tamanoyu Onsen, Uno Port 

On my recent trip to Japan, I visited an onsen every other day (for two weeks!), and was surprised about certain expectations and behaviors around bathing rituals. An onsen is a bath built around a natural spring and each onsen boasts different mineral content and healing properties, so every visit is a unique one. Price of entry averages around 1500 Yen (about $15 USD) with the ability to add on treatments a la carte at an extra cost. While on my onsen stint, I saw a few foreigners going into the baths not knowing what to do and getting evil-stared by locals because of it. So, for my fellow foreigners traveling to Japan and wanting to bathe in an onsen, here's what you should know:

Everyone Is Butt Naked

I frequent Japanese and Korean style spas at home in California, so this wasn't a surprise to me, but I did see a few foreigners go into the baths wearing swimsuits and looking highly confused. It's considered unsanitary to wear your bathing suit into the baths because of how pure the water is, it being natural spring water pumped from deep within the earth. 

Shower First! 

Speaking of unsanitary, it's very important you soap and shower before getting into the baths! Again, the waters are pumped from natural springs deep within the earth, so going in without washing off your dirt from the day is considered rude to other bathers. 

No Tattoos

I'm not entirely sure what the reasoning behind this is, but every onsen I visited asked that those with tattoos please refrain from using the baths and that if caught with a tattoo, they would be immediately dejected from the premises. But, I went to one onsen with a friend who has a small tattoo, and they just requested he purchase a bandage to cover it so the other bathers wouldn't see. So I guess if your ink is small enough, just hide it from the other guests. Always check with the onsen to see how closely they adhere to this rule—I noticed at more popular onsens, like Spa World in Osaka, they were quite strict about tattoos.

Lay-down baths.

Rose flower bath. 

Shower, Soak, Steam, Scrub, Soak, Sauna, Soak

In that order. Onsens typically have many different soaking options, and you can easily spend hours there. One onsen I visited had individual clay pot tubs, a warm bath, an extremely hot bath, three outdoor baths, a lay-down bath, and a rose petal bath. Another one I visited had an herbal soak, fruit water bath, and geranium foot bath... the options are endless! In-between soaking, make sure to visit the salt steam room where they provide a pile of sea salt in the steam room for you to exfoliate. Many bathers spend a lot of time in the dry saunas, to the point that they usually have T.V's playing local programming! 

Come Empty Handed

Dinner after bathing at the Tamanoyu Onsen in Uno Port.

Onsen's provide EVERYTHING you need; shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels, robes, combs, face wash, toner, moisturizer, body lotion, hair dryers, cotton swabs... you can even eat lunch and dinner there and take a nap if you please! You can come with whatever products you're dedicated to, but showing up empty handed adds to the stress-free atmosphere because you don't have to worry about bringing or forgetting anything.

Shhhhhh! Leave Chatter At The Door

This includes your phone, too! Onsens are for relaxing, so chatter is kept to a minimum. Though it is also a social event and you'll see many friends and family going together, they keep conversations to a whisper. Also, they don't allow pictures. Bringing your phone is very tempting, especially when every onsen is absolutely beautiful, but since everyone is nude, putting your phone away is out of respect. (But if it's empty, there's no harm in snapping a pic, right 😉). 

Salt room at Spa World, Osaka. Fell asleep here for 30 mins! 

Reset & Relax

There's a reason why onsen's are a dime a dozen and why Japanese go on a weekly basis; it's incredibly relaxing. There's nothing better than soaking in mineral-rich water from the earth's core and being disconnected from your stressors, even for a few hours. So, sit back, relax, and ease your mind. 

let it begin with me

I used to be so simple, you know. Washing my face with Cetaphil and moisturizing with Aveeno. Now I have an 8-step nighttime regimen that includes copious spritzes of rosewater and a rose quartz facial massage. How did I get so bougie? Is it worth it? What's the point? (To answer: I lived in Paris, yes, and self-care) 

My gradual upgrade in skincare has roots in having grown up with problematic skin. I had eczema, I was allergic to damn-near everything, I had bad breakouts, and, as a young girl, it really took a toll on my self-esteem. The day I realized I could do something to help and heal me, instead of being privy to my body's reactions, was as empowering as seeing women of color in a normally disenfranchised space. It started with trying out different face washes from the drugstore, new moisturizers, toners, make-up removers, and so on. I had such a time reading the back of bottles at the drugstore. Being 15 years old thinking "wow, the stuff in here will do that for me?". In retrospect, I was really becoming a polarizing figure in consumerism and falling for the industry set standard of beauty, but at the time, there was nothing more thrilling than feeling like I could be better. Eventually, none of these products did much for me. They were empty promises, and so I switched over to natural goodies. I began to moisturize with coconut oil, do essential oil blends, using African black soap, raw shea butter, you know the deal. It helped my skin tremendously. My eczema waned, and the act of self-care was a ritual that brought me a lot of peace. My beauty rituals became self-prescribed therapy on the road to self-love.

Through my travels, I got a taste of what drives us to these beauty rituals—from an unattainable need to be anyone else but who we are, to being products of colonialism, to just having a deep respect for the human body—which has brought me to a place of almost-peace. You know, where I love who I am but at the same time I wish my skin was clearer, my nose was smaller, and my lips didn't get so dry. So, this is where I want to meet full-on-peace with my beauty. Where I look at all the glory it brings around the world, and shift my lens from "I need to be better" to "I am at my best". May my beauty habits be dedicated time slots to the enjoyment of being me. A time when I owe nothing to no one and focus on the well-being of my God-gifted body.