Ehime Imabari City

Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu

Imabari’s Shimanami Onsen, distinguished by its jet-black sumi sauna and tea löyly

Natural Hot Spring
Aufguss available
Self löyly available
Auto löyly available
Finnish sauna
Sauna Available

Ehime Imabari City

Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu

Imabari’s Shimanami Onsen, distinguished by its jet-black sumi sauna and tea löyly

Natural Hot Spring
Aufguss available
Self löyly available
Auto löyly available
Finnish sauna
Sauna Available

About Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu

"Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu" is a hot spring and capsule hotel complex in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. It is conveniently located just a 2-minute walk from JR Imabari Station. The highlight of the men’s bath is the jet-black "sumi sauna," which blends Nara ink and shibu ink, along with an open-air sauna cabin where you can enjoy self-löyly with Japanese tea from Shingū Village. The women’s bath features the "mikan sauna," decorated with Tobe ware, and an auto-löyly sauna. Both baths are designed to blend Ehime’s local materials and craftsmanship into the facility. The spring water is a calcium-sodium chloride hot spring, and the facility also offers one of the largest high-concentration carbonated baths in western Japan, as well as Japan’s first carbonated electric bath. It is a representative hot spring facility at the gateway to the Shimanami Kaido.

Hot SpringONSEN

Bath

A calcium-sodium chloride spring that bubbles up in Imabari City. Because it is a hypertonic hot spring, its mineral components are easily absorbed into the body, and the salt that adheres to the skin helps prevent sweat from evaporating, producing excellent warmth retention. Thanks to the properties of a chloride spring, also known as the "bath of heat," it is less likely to leave you cold after bathing and may help improve sensitivity to cold. It is used in multiple baths, including the beauty bath rock bath (semi-open-air) and as the base water for the high-concentration carbonated bath, and its mildly alkaline nature feels gentle on the skin, contributing to the smooth feel after bathing.

SaunaSAUNA

sumi sauna

A stadium-style sauna that blends Finnish smoke sauna tradition with Japanese design. The interior, wrapped in jet-black walls finished with a blend of Nara ink and shibu ink, has a unique sense of stillness and depth that you won’t find at other facilities. The sauna stones use original "Onimaru" and "Onidama" stones made from Kikuma roof tiles, developed jointly with Kikutsune, a long-established kiln in Kikuma-cho, Imabari City, with a history of over 100 years. At every hour on the hour and at 30 minutes past the hour, the "Fūjin heat wave" (auto-löyly) is activated by one of the industry’s largest fans, instantly transforming the room into an intensely hot environment. It also supports self-löyly, and staff-led aufguss events are held regularly.

sumi sauna

sauna cabin

A small Finnish sauna cabin set in the open-air area. To maximize the effect of löyly, it is equipped with a custom-built stove designed with meticulous attention to the size of the sauna stones, the evaporation speed, and even the heat source. Its standout feature is tea löyly using Japanese tea from Shingū Village. When green tea is poured over the heated sauna stones, steam rich in catechins fills the cabin, creating a relaxing experience wrapped in the aroma of tea.

sauna cabin

auto-löyly sauna

The main sauna in the women’s bath. In addition to auto-löyly every 30 minutes, the Fūjin heat wave (auto-löyly) operates every hour on the hour and at 30 minutes past the hour from 7:00 to 23:00. The gentle heat from the far-infrared stove gradually warms the body from deep within, and after the auto-löyly, the humidity rises sharply to promote sweating. During aufguss events, it also serves as the space where staff deliver waves of heat.

auto-löyly sauna

mikan sauna

A women-only steam sauna packed with Ehime’s nature and craftsmanship. Highly humid mist with 80-100% humidity fills the room, imitating the Hiji-kawa arashi, a natural phenomenon in which morning fog over the Hiji River in Ehime drifts down the river, leaving the skin refreshed and moisturized. The unique exterior is shaped after Keshima, a remote island in Imabari City, and a premium citrus tree, setoka, is displayed on the roof. As the sounds of a mikan orchard play in the background and you are surrounded by the delicate patterns of Tobe ware, the sauna experience lets you feel the depth of Ehime’s culture.