Editors' Selection — Hokkaido
Photo: Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort
You want to experience a truly great sauna in Hokkaido, a single unforgettable moment to carry home from your stay. If that's what brought you here, we've prepared the answer. Our editorial team, who continually visit and investigate onsen and saunas across Japan, has narrowed down the vast expanse of Hokkaido to just 9 selections. Whichever you choose, your expectations will not be let down. All you need to do now is decide where to go.
Hokkaido Hakodate City
Hakodate's night view falling through the sauna room's window
A dry sauna in each men's and women's bathhouse. The crisp heat gently wraps around your skin, and even sitting quietly is enough to bring a sweat to the surface. The view from the sauna room is also excellent, and spending time gazing at the changing scenery while surrendering yourself to the heat is a luxury unique to this inn. It cannot be used from late night until early morning, so it is best enjoyed slowly from dusk through the evening.
Editors' comment
The large communal bath sits on the top floor of a hotel near the harbor, with dry saunas provided separately for men and women. Amid the dry heat, views of the city and sea open up from inside the room. Few saunas let you watch, uninterrupted, as the sun sets and lights come on one by one. After cooling down to the core in the cold plunge bath, head to the rooftop open-air space. The wind crossing the port town carries away the flush of heat, while city lights spread out below. Since the sauna isn't available from late night through early morning, plan your visit for the evening into night. A hot spring with continuously flowing source water can also be enjoyed alongside it.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Hokkaido Asahikawa City
No chiller used, Asahikawa's groundwater flows continuously as the seasons dictate
A large Metos stove operates powerfully, and regular auto-löyly fills the room with pleasant heat and plenty of moisturizing steam. The balance of temperature and humidity is excellent, with no feeling of stuffiness, allowing for high-quality sweating from deep within the body.
A cold plunge bath using generous amounts of Asahikawa's pure underground water. It is fed by natural free flow without a chiller, so the water temperature changes with the seasons. Its mellow, skin-adhering texture is a hallmark, and the pleasant bubbling effect works almost like a jacuzzi, gently and efficiently cooling your whole body.
Editors' comment
The cold plunge bath has no chiller. Since it's continuously fed with Asahikawa's groundwater as is, the temperature shifts with the seasons, meaning the same room delivers a different sensation of cold in summer versus winter. The mellow water clings gently to the skin, enhanced by jacuzzi-like bubble jets. On the heat side, a large Metos stove offers both automatic and self-service löyly. The mist sauna is thick enough to obscure your view, with cold water flowing along the seats and floor, keeping your head warm while your legs feel refreshed. Well suited for overnight guests looking to pair it with exploring the city of Asahikawa. Guests with tattoos are welcome.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Hokkaido Sapporo City
Six rooms designed with light and scent, connected to an open-air bath 60 meters up
An automatic löyly sauna in a space built entirely of cypress, wrapped in the fresh scent of wood. Hot steam is generated at regular intervals, creating an authentic Finnish-style experience that warms you to the core. In the calm atmosphere of warm lighting, the gentle heat leads you into deep relaxation.
A steam sauna defined by its pure white space and refreshing aroma. As your whole body is gently enveloped in dense white steam, you can slowly rest your eyes and mind while letting the heat warm you through. The pleasant fragrance and soft warmth create a blissful detox time.
A high-temperature sauna with especially intense heat, even by Jozankei standards. Its red-lit space evokes the energizing warmth of the sun. The powerful heat reaches deep into both mind and body, delivering a refreshing sweat and an overwhelming sense of renewal.
A mild sauna with a soft yellow space inspired by Hokkaido's grasslands. Its defining feature is a gentle, lingering warmth, making it easy to relax even for those who are not fond of intense heat. Feel the energy of the earth and unwind without noticing the passage of time.
An extraordinary darkened space wrapped in fantastical lighting and aromatic fragrance. While gently cooling down your overheated body, it lets you close your eyes and lose yourself in deep meditation. The sharpened senses in the stillness lead you to an unparalleled state of perfect relaxation.
A cool room bathed in deep blue, where light gently ripples like water. The visual impression alone conveys a sense of coolness as it slowly soothes your heated body. A refreshing aroma quiets the lingering heat, and your whole body is filled with the clean sensation of standing by the water.
Editors' comment
The sauna area, born from a 2024 renovation, divides roles by room. There's the Red Hot Sauna bathed in red light and high heat, the Steam Sauna wrapped in white vapor, and two cool rooms: one black, set with light and aroma in darkness, and one blue, evoking the shimmer of water. What stands out is that even the resting spaces after the cold plunge are part of the design. Additionally, the top floor's observation open-air bath Seiten, 60 meters above ground, and the basement's large communal bath share the same building. Water temperature isn't listed, leaving the quality of the cold as something to confirm on site.
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Hokkaido Higashikawa Town
Four rooms with distinct themes, and a cold plunge fed by groundwater from the Taisetsu mountains
A sauna enveloped in natural aromas, using herbs including rosemary harvested in town. It features a HARVIA stove from Finland, and self-löyly is available. The rich herbal fragrance and soothing steam surround your whole body and lead you into deep relaxation.
A mountain-themed sauna room with a stove design inspired by the cairn that serves as a landmark on the way to Mount Asahidake. Built in an authentic Finnish-style layout, you can enjoy self-löyly by pouring water over the heated sauna stones. Powerful heat and steam spread at once, thoroughly encouraging perspiration from deep within the body.
A meditative space with only subtle lighting, evoking a quiet forest at night. Step away from the noise of everyday life and take your time facing yourself in silence. The gentle heat and humidity created by self-löyly are comforting, allowing you to calm your mind and enjoy a blissful time immersed in a deep sense of presence.
A panoramic sauna room where you can work up a sweat while looking out at the beautiful rural scenery of Higashikawa spreading before you. You can enjoy natural light streaming through the large windows and the seasonal changes in the view outside. Along with the heat of self-löyly, you can savor a luxurious and heartwarming moment in a spacious, open setting.
Editors' comment
There are four sauna rooms, each with a different theme: one scented with locally harvested herbs like rosemary, one incorporating the stone cairns from Mount Asahidake's hiking trails into the stove's design as a mountain theme, one with large windows overlooking the fields of Higashikawa town as an observation room, and a dim, meditative room with subdued lighting. All allow self-service löyly. The cold plunge bath uses groundwater from the Taisetsu mountain range, recognized as one of Hokkaido's finest waters, and the same water can be drunk from a fountain inside the bathing area. The bath water is an artificial hot spring using Toron bathing minerals, so it's not suited for those seeking a natural hot spring. Well suited for those who want to spend a full day focused on heat and water, touring all four rooms.
Hokkaido Kushiro City
Lake Akan and Mount Oakan framed through a fully glazed dome ceiling
An authentic Finnish sauna crafted with careful attention to every detail, from lighting and fragrance to humidity and design. Monotone stone materials and a blacked-out ceiling create a simple, modern meditative space. A periodically activated mist function and aroma oils provide a soothing fragrance experience, and the curved seating lets you relax deeply in both body and mind.
A world-first dome-shaped sauna installed on the rooftop using insulated double glazing. The 360-degree all-glass design allows bathing while looking out over Akan’s majestic nature by day and the beautiful starry sky by night. With self-löyly using aroma water, you can adjust the humidity to your preference and enjoy an exceptional sense of immersion and deep relaxation, as if wrapped in nature itself.
A cold plunge bath luxuriously filled with Akanko Hyakunensui, a water source nurtured over many years by the forest of Akan. Its mild groundwater quality is a defining feature, gently yet firmly tightening a body heated by the sauna. The water feels exceptionally soft on the skin, offering a refreshing coolness that remains pleasant even in its coldness. Being surrounded by this superb water lets you experience the ultimate cool-down.
Editors' comment
The dome-shaped sauna on the rooftop is enclosed floor to ceiling in 360 degrees of insulated double-glazed glass. The moment you open the door, the sense of open, unobstructed view is unlike anything experienced in a typical sauna room. The temperature runs around 80°C with low humidity, the type where you build up a sweat slowly over time. The cold plunge bath uses Akan Hyakunensui, groundwater cultivated over a century by the Akan forest, at 17°C with a gentle feel on the skin. The indoor bath area also includes a dark, quiet Finnish-style sauna, which becomes the top choice for those seeking silence. Since the outdoor bath's view is hard to see unless standing, it's best to leave the scenery to the dome. A fitting choice to close out a stay by Lake Akan.
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Hokkaido Shari Town
The drift-ice sea, framed through two rooms of curves and straight lines
A sauna room featuring a straight-line design inspired by drift ice. Through the large windows, you can take in sweeping views of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Shiretoko mountain range, and in winter, an endless expanse of drift ice. The sounds of Shiretoko's nature quietly fill the room, while regular auto löyly generates powerful heat and just the right level of humidity. In this comfortable space with no stifling sensation, you can enjoy an overwhelming sense of immersion, as if becoming one with nature, while encouraging deep sweating.
A sauna room characterized by a wavy design reminiscent of a wooden cave. Through the large windows, you can take in sweeping views of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Shiretoko mountain range, and in winter, an endless expanse of drift ice. The sounds of Shiretoko's nature quietly fill the room, while regular auto löyly generates powerful heat and just the right level of humidity. In this comfortable space with no stifling sensation, you can enjoy an overwhelming sense of immersion, as if becoming one with nature, while encouraging deep sweating.
Editors' comment
There are two sauna rooms. UNEUNA, with sinuous curves like a wooden cave, and KAKUUNA, with straight lines evoking drift ice. Both face large windows opening onto the Sea of Okhotsk and the Shiretoko mountain range, with the view filling with drift ice in winter. UNEUNA is built with 3D-shaped domestic hinoki cypress, and on the day of our research measured 90°C. When the automatic löyly activated, the perceived temperature jumped instantly. The cold plunge bath sits right in front of the room, 90cm deep at 15°C. After submerging fully, head up to the rooftop TOKONOU terrace. Even in late July, it was 23°C during the day, and sinking into a chair, only the sea breeze brushed the skin. A fitting starting point for a trip through eastern Hokkaido for those who want to remember the scenery itself.
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Hokkaido Nakashibetsu Town
A forest ryokan with an onsen source where the Shibetsu River itself becomes the cold plunge
A signature sauna of the inn, available in both the men’s and women’s baths. Inside, source water continues to cascade down like a waterfall, and the heat instantly turns into steam that rises through the room. Without anyone pouring water, it remains in a constant state of löyly. The soft air, rich with moisture, wraps the whole body, and the more you breathe, the deeper the warmth reaches your core. Through the large window, the Shibetsu River flows by, letting you take in the view of the clear stream all to yourself while yielding to the heat.
A dry sauna in the men’s indoor bath named after the hotel’s symbol, the Blakiston’s fish owl. A convection-style stove piled with sauna stones slowly bakes the room, and the steam rising through löyly pushes the heat deep into your body with every breath. True to its dark-night name, it is a calm, stripped-down space with no unnecessary light or sound. As you close your eyes and surrender to the heat, your awareness gradually sinks inward.
A wood-burning sauna converted from a trailer, located in the men’s open-air area. The heat rising with the crackle of burning firewood feels somewhat wild, wrapping around the body with a depth and fluctuation that electric heat cannot match. Self-löyly is possible, and each time water is poured onto the stones, white steam swells at once, mixing the scents of wood and fire. In this small box set outdoors, time flows as an intense encounter with nothing but the presence of the forest and the heat of the flames.
Editors' comment
In this sauna, hot spring source water cascades down the interior like a waterfall. Even though the thermometer reads around 70°C, the humidity is high, making the heat feel far more intense than the number suggests. Beyond the large windows, the Shibetsu River flows by. The seating is spacious enough to sit cross-legged, and wooden pillows are even provided. Once you've built up heat, instead of a chilled onsen-water plunge, you can step directly into the river right beside the outdoor area. It feels roughly 13°C, and with the current pulling at your skin, a sharp cold runs through your entire body. Chairs line the riverbank right where you emerge. Outdoors, there's also a trailer-style wood-fired sauna. A fitting finale for a road trip around eastern Hokkaido.
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Hokkaido Noboribetsu City
A 110°C Oni Sauna facing a waterfall, with a cold plunge fed by mountain stream water
A super-high-temperature sauna installed in Onigumo no Yu, themed around the oni, Noboribetsu's symbol, and boasting intense heat. Auto löyly fills the room with powerful, premium steam, instantly bringing a fierce sweat from your entire body. Surrounded by rugged rock surfaces that evoke an oni's lair, this weighty and stimulating sauna experience can only be enjoyed here. *Available to women on odd-numbered days and men on even-numbered days.
A medium-temperature sauna in Onigumo no Yu designed for meditation and relaxation. Self löyly and self whisking are possible, and the pleasant aroma of Hokkaido-grown vihta gently fills the room. With the sound of a quietly flowing waterfall in the distance and the warmth of wood surrounding you, it offers a premium meditation time that feels as if your body and mind are slowly and gently unraveled. *Available to women on odd-numbered days and men on even-numbered days.
A newly installed, gentle medium-temperature self löyly sauna in Rindou no Yu. It warms the body deeply and gradually, and because it is not stifling, it is ideal for sauna beginners and anyone who wants to enjoy it at a relaxed pace. Self löyly maintains a comfortable level of humidity, and the quality steam is designed to wrap the body in soothing warmth. *Available to women on even-numbered days and men on odd-numbered days.
Editors' comment
The Oni Sauna in the outdoor area reaches 110°C. When the automatic löyly activates, humidity rises and a piercing heat envelops the entire body. Through the window in front, a waterfall and garden come into view. Once you've sweated to your limit, a cold plunge bath awaits, fed continuously by mountain stream water sourced from the foothills of northeastern Noboribetsu. On the day of our research, it measured around 12°C, mellow in feel, with enough room for ten people. Outdoor rest areas are set on a wooden deck right beside the waterfall. The indoor baths let you tour three types of continuously flowing hot spring water: sulfur, salt, and iron springs. Note that Onibi no Yu, home to the Oni Sauna, operates on an alternating schedule for men and women by day. This makes it well suited to trips planned around a specific day.
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Hokkaido Shari Town
Lie down, be struck. Four sauna rooms that change your posture
A sauna designed for lying down. You can fully let go and enjoy the heat in a relaxed posture without worrying about those around you. The steam created by self-löyly gently envelops your body and encourages a deep, gradual sweat.
A sauna characterized by a jet-black space with the entire room shaped like a triangle. With its orthodox Finnish-style setup, you can enjoy pleasant warmth through self-löyly. The dim interior creates a strong sense of immersion, allowing you to quietly face yourself without worrying about others' eyes on you.
A rare sauna in Japan where self-whisking with a vihta is possible. The room is equipped with a steam generator, giving it a pleasant humidity and a gentle heat texture. Since the temperature is kept mild, you can stay for a long time and fully enjoy the aroma at a leisurely pace.
Editors' comment
Neuuna is a room designed with lying down in mind, featuring wooden pillows placed on the benches. Even at 85°C, neither the pillows nor the benches become hot, allowing you to fully relax amid the scent of white birch. The whisking sauna runs around 70°C, where you can strike your entire body from head to toe with a vihta. The cold plunge bath is 120cm deep and around 16°C. Press the Wakka button, meaning water in Ainu, and water falls from above. In the outdoor garden, there are only 4 benches, leaving generous space where the scent of wood and earth lingers. Since the sauna operates on an alternating schedule for men and women, those who want to check out both the dark Kurouna and the firewood-heated Iglu should plan for at least one overnight stay.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Hokkaido Shari Town
A window set facing the sunset sinking into the Sea of Okhotsk
A sauna distinguished by its wild design using Japanese cypress logs. As its name suggests, you can enjoy beautiful sunsets over the Sea of Okhotsk from the window. It is equipped with a HARVIA convection stove, and self-löyly is available. Adjust the humidity and temperature to your liking and enjoy a relaxing sweat session in a quiet space surrounded by the scent of wood.
A modern-design sauna made with red cedar. Decorated with patterns inspired by the Sami people of Northern Europe, it creates a refined atmosphere. It uses an EOS stove and also allows self-löyly. While feeling the pleasant circulation of heat and steam, you can spend a deeply relaxing time in silence.
Editors' comment
The sauna room's window faces toward where the sun sets over the Sea of Okhotsk. YUUMI SAUNA, built from hinoki cypress logs, uses a HARVIA convection stove, while SAAMI SAUNA, featuring Sámi patterns on red cedar, uses an EOS stove; both allow self-service löyly. You can decide the wood scent and humidity yourself and stay seated until the sun goes down. The cold plunge bath is outdoors, with water temperature varying by season. Chairs for outdoor rest sit right beside it. Afterward, enjoy the highly warming chloride spring. All guest rooms also offer ocean views. Well suited for an overnight stay timed to return to the inn as the sun sets, during a trip around Shiretoko.
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Chosen by our editors from facilities that have granted us publication permission. We do not rank them.
Every place visited in person, chosen after soaking in it myself.
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