Nara Nara City
A natural hot spring large bath, La Royal Spa, is located in the basement of Nara Royal Hotel, near Heijokyu Palace Site in Nara City. It caters to both overnight guests and day-use visitors, and features a sauna, cold plunge bath, natural hot spring, and bedrock bath. The spring quality is sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate spring. The men’s bath has a Finnish-style sauna, while the women’s bath is equipped with a far-infrared dry sauna. The cold bath uses groundwater.
A sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate spring that gushes from about 800 meters underground. It helps soften dead skin and remove sebum and grime, leaving the skin smooth after bathing. It is suitable for improving peripheral circulation, easing sensitivity to cold, and supporting recovery from cuts and dry skin. The warmth lasts, making it ideal for recovering from fatigue after sightseeing or business.
A sauna stove made in Finland is used, and staff perform löyly with a different aroma water each week. The spacious interior minimizes uneven heat, making the flow from sweating to cooling to resting easy to follow. Even in high temperatures, the humidity is pleasantly present, delivering deep sweating and a refreshing feeling at the same time.
A clear bath filled with groundwater. It quickly draws heat away from the body’s surface, while the afterglow of overheating subsides gently. It is well suited to the cycle of sauna, cold water, and rest, helping maintain stable condition.
Irregular Holidays
Visited by the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief visited in person in January 2026
Had to Leave Right Before the Aufguss Started
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Nara
A premier bathing facility in Nara combining natural hot springs and authentic saunas
Nara
Nara
A natural spring where you can enjoy new Shigaraki-yaki pot baths and the ultimate relaxation in 4 diverse sauna types
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
The Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
57 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never even made it onto this site. This book is a further cut from what did. Our editor bathed in every onsen and sauna in it, and wrote only what they confirmed on the ground.
