How to Use an Onsen or Sento in Japan — Including Tattoos

A Japanese public bath is less complicated than it looks: remove your shoes, pay, enter the correct changing room, undress, wash thoroughly, and only then soak. The main point visitors need to plan in advance is tattoos—there is no single national rule, and each onsen, sento, hotel, or ryokan sets its own policy.

1. The quick answer

2. Onsen or sento: what is the difference?

The bathing manners are broadly similar, but admission, towel rental, shampoo, sauna access, and tattoo rules differ. Read the current facility page or contact staff before traveling across town.

3. Before you go

• Confirm opening hours and final entry. A bath may stop admitting guests well before closing.
• Check the tattoo policy in writing. A review or old blog post is not enough; policies change.
• Bring cash as a backup. Smaller sento may use a cash ticket machine.
• Check what is included. Towels, soap, shampoo, and hair dryers may be free, rented, sold, or coin-operated.
• Hydrate and avoid bathing after alcohol. Hot water can make you light-headed.

4. How to use the bath, step by step

1. 1
   Remove your shoes

   Use the shoe locker or entrance shelves before stepping onto the raised indoor floor.

2. 2
   Pay and collect what you need

   Buy an admission ticket or pay the attendant. Rent or buy towels and toiletries if necessary.

3. 3
   Enter the correct changing room

   Look for 男 (otoko, men) and 女 (onna, women), or follow the current signs. Some facilities rotate sides by day.

4. 4
   Undress completely

   Public baths are normally used without a swimsuit. Store clothes and your large towel in the locker or basket.

5. 5
   Wash before entering a bath

   Sit at a shower station, rinse the stool and bucket, then wash and rinse your body thoroughly. Keep spray away from neighbors.

6. 6
   Ease into the water

   Pour warm water over your body first, then enter slowly. The water may be hotter than you expect.

7. 7
   Keep hair and towels out

   Tie up long hair. Place the small towel on your head or on a dry edge where permitted.

8. 8
   Dry before the changing room

   Use the small towel to remove most water from your body so the changing-room floor stays dry.

Many people do not rinse after a mineral onsen so the water remains on the skin, but this is optional. If you have sensitive skin or the facility gives different instructions, rinse gently and follow the posted guidance.

5. Tattoos: what should you do?

Japan has no universal rule that either admits or bans tattooed guests from every bath. The policy belongs to the individual facility. Some allow all tattoos, some permit small tattoos covered with an approved waterproof patch, some decide case by case, and others refuse any tattoo in a communal bath.

Options from easiest to most uncertain

1. 1
   Book an in-room bath

   A guest-room bath is the most private option. Confirm whether it uses natural onsen water if that matters to you.

2. 2
   Reserve a private bath

   Look for kashikiri-buro (貸切風呂) or kazoku-buro (家族風呂). Ask whether tattoo restrictions apply to the private room.

3. 3
   Choose a facility that clearly welcomes tattoos

   Use its current policy as your source of truth and keep a screenshot for reception.

4. 4
   Use an approved cover sticker

   This works only when the facility explicitly permits it and the tattoo fits completely under the patch.

6. Essential bath manners

• Walk—wet stone and tile can be slippery.
• Do not swim, splash, or exercise in the bath.
• Keep conversation quiet and calls outside the bathing area.
• Do not reserve a shower station by leaving toiletries when others are waiting.
• Rinse the stool and bucket after use and return them neatly.
• Follow separate sauna rules, including required sauna mats and cold-bath etiquette.
• If you feel dizzy, overheated, or unwell, get out slowly, sit down, and ask staff for help.

7. Useful Japanese

8. Quick FAQ