Japan's Hot Spring & Sauna Facilities TOP10 - September 2025
Introducing a ranking of particularly memorable hot spring and sauna facilities visited in September 2025.
All Information Based on Actual Experience
All facilities listed on this site have been personally visited and experienced by the operator. All photos and reviews are original. We carefully select and introduce only the facilities that were truly exceptional.
Ogaki Sauna
The best sauna in Japan for me. The combination of a 110°C Showa-style strong sauna and Japan's top underground water cold plunge bath at 14°C is perfect. The cold plunge bath feels as refreshing as mint water, cold yet smooth, making you want to stay in it forever. While repeatedly reading the famous quote 'We are sauna people' in the sauna room, I heated myself to the limit and cooled my insides with exquisite water. Sitting like a guardian dog during the outdoor air bath left me in a daze, and after four sets, I completely lost consciousness. Including the exquisite ginger pork set meal and simmered sea bream, and a nap in the reclining chair, this is a sanctuary I would want to visit daily in the twilight of my life.
📖 Experience Stories
Kobe Sauna & Spa
A special place of memories for me. This is a long-established sauna in Kobe that I've been visiting since high school. The Finnish sauna, enveloped in the scent of kelo wood and vihta directly imported from Finland, ranks number one in my favorite saunas. It's a meditative space with no TV or BGM, and the combination of an 11.7°C cold plunge bath and outdoor air bath is perfect. On this day, I visited with a 24-hour unlimited sauna stay plan during the direct hit of Typhoon No. 18. At night, I enjoyed an outdoor air bath in the typhoon's rain, and in the morning, I woke up at 4:30 for a private morning sauna with three sets. The natural hot spring 'Kamino-yu,' exquisite ginger pork and fried chicken, and a nap in the reclining room make it feel like a home sauna.
📖 Experience Stories
Megumi no Yu
Japan's top herbal sauna facility. They own a herb garden and cultivate over 30 types of herbs. The automatic löyly using seasonal fresh herb blends offers an exquisite aromatic experience that fills your lungs. The cold plunge bath is a luxurious blend of Ibukiyama spring water and underground water at 18°C, containing more minerals than commercial drinking water. Furthermore, the yomogi lying bath is exquisite, and as soon as you lie down, your whole body relaxes, almost making you lose consciousness. It was my first experience of losing consciousness in a bath. After two hours and four sets of bliss, I enjoyed exquisite fresh herbal tea and felt my blood circulation improve. I seriously considered relocating to Gifu Prefecture because of this facility.
📖 Experience Stories
Fujisan Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka no Yu
A dream-like facility where you can enjoy the spring water from Mount Fuji. All three types of cold plunge baths use natural water from Mount Fuji, with temperatures ranging from 12-16°C. The hinoki cold plunge bath, in particular, is for one person, and as soon as you enter, a large amount of water overflows luxuriously. The natural water is rich in minerals, has a smooth texture, and a plump feel. Moreover, the sensation of coolness in the pores continues long after leaving the cold plunge bath. It offers the same refreshing feeling of natural water, distinctly different from tap water, as experienced at Ogaki Sauna and Sauna Shikiji. With an automatic löyly every 12 minutes in the 100°C barrel sauna, I developed a reluctance to leave even after five sets. Honestly, it felt better than Shikiji.
📖 Experience Stories
Golden Time Takamatsu
A top-level sauna facility in Shikoku. Located on the 7th floor of a multi-tenant building in the center of Takamatsu City. The combination of a scorching main sauna with two Metos-made iki stoves at 105°C and an 8°C exquisite cold plunge bath filtered from a natural hot spring is outstanding. There is also a small sauna where you can perform self-löyly, allowing you to experience heat so intense it feels life-threatening with the aroma of green birch. The 'King's Outdoor Air Bath' on the 7th-floor balcony is impressive, offering an incredible sense of liberation despite being visible from surrounding buildings after the intense sauna. 'Sado' is endlessly screened in the locker room, and you can also enjoy the natural radon hot spring 'Therapeutic Spring.' After four sets, I felt the essence of being human.
📖 Experience Stories
Wellbe Sakae
The sacred place of Nagoya sauna. Said to be the closest to authentic Finland. The indoor air bath in the 'Forest of Finland,' adorned with birch and vihta, is a supreme experience that sharpens the senses. The bird song BGM is pleasant, and the healing through scent and sound allows you to fully immerse in the Finnish world. The combination of a 12°C cold plunge bath and forest sauna is perfect, and it might be the most pleasant sauna I've ever experienced. Additionally, there is an ice sauna at -25°C and a 0°C cold plunge bath, which I left after five seconds but felt the harshness of authentic Finland. I was glad to visit Wellbe Sakae at the end of my pilgrimage journey. I enjoyed the exquisite miso katsu at the famous 'Ajidokoro Kano,' where miso katsu originated, making it a perfect end to the trip.
📖 Experience Stories
Traditional House Public Bath - Koyaguchi no Yu
An old house public bath in Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture. The facility was so wonderful that I visited it two days in a row. The combination of a Harvia-made iki sauna at 95°C and a 15°C natural underground water cold plunge bath is outstanding, and the outdoor air bath with the scent of incense is pleasant. After purifying my spirit at Mount Koya, the morning sauna with three sets was exceptional. I also had a chance encounter with a traveler from Nagoya, enjoying the communication unique to a local public bath. The chicken white soup ramen at the nearby 'Ramen Kachin' was so delicious that I devoured it completely, including the soup, which deeply permeated my body after the sauna. It's a facility that my body craves to visit again, even though my sauna journey is based on the principle of once-in-a-lifetime encounters.
📖 Experience Stories
Sauna Shikiji
The sacred place of sacred places for saunas. A facility in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture that every Japanese sauna enthusiast should visit at least once. It features a high-temperature sauna exceeding 110°C, an intensely hot herbal sauna, and the legendary drinkable cold plunge bath. The rare experience of scooping up the overflowing water from the spout with your hand and drinking it is so delicious that you can't help but say 'truly delicious,' feeling a sense of purification from within. The cold plunge bath is soft, providing a mysterious sensation that makes you want to stay in it forever. The blend bath of herbs purchased from Korea and domestic herbs is also wonderful, and you can hear voices saying 'the best' all around. Including the atmosphere, I realized it is a sacred place. I spent a blissful time with the famous ginger pork set meal and a nap, completing four sets.
📖 Experience Stories
Nara Kenko Land
The largest bathing facility in Kansai. On this day, I tried 'akasuri' for the first time, a dream of ten years. With authentic akasuri by a Korean practitioner, I was surprised by the large amount of dead skin that came off, like large eraser shavings. My whole body became smooth, and I felt like a new self had emerged. There are five types of saunas using nano water, and for an additional fee of 330 yen, you can also enjoy a bedrock bath. The natural hot springs are also well-equipped, and after the akasuri, I enjoyed a lunch buffet centered on Japanese cuisine until I was full. I took a one-hour nap in the large reclining room, making it an incredibly pleasant day. It's a facility where you can have new experiences, like taking a step up a staircase.
📖 Experience Stories
Gosho Hot Spring
A facility in Gose City, Nara Prefecture, renovated from a historical public bath founded in 1916. It features a Finnish-style sauna with earthen walls, which envelops you in a gentle heat due to the heat retention of the earthen walls. The scent of lemongrass and self-löyly are exquisite, and the 14°C cold plunge bath and outdoor air bath on log chairs provide a quiet and comfortable space. There were happenings during TV filming and encounters with regulars, creating a warm atmosphere unique to a local public bath. The exquisite curry udon at the nearby 'Shinchi Irifune' was the only curry udon in my life where I drank all the soup. I had sauna discussions with the receptionist, offering experiences that can't be had at larger facilities.
📖 Experience Stories
All Facilities Visited This Month
Out of 13 facilities visited in 9/2025, we've selected the top 10 in this ranking.
Iyadani Onsen Daishi no Yu
Golden Time Takamatsu
TOP5Ogaki Sauna
TOP1Megumi no Yu
TOP3Hakusanyu Rokujoten
Nara Kenko Land
TOP9Fukurou no Yu
Gosho Hot Spring
TOP10Traditional House Public Bath - Koyaguchi no Yu
TOP7Wellbe Sakae
TOP6Suruga Health Land
Sauna Shikiji
TOP8Fujisan Natural Water SPA Sauna Taka no Yu
TOP4
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