Onsen, Sento, Sauna
A good hot spring water soak is a beautiful thing. There’s the physical relief, yes, but also the ritual—rinse, soak, stillness. It’s usually when I am out of the city that I feel motivated to go for onsen, but there are options for a good soak in the city. Generally tattoos and swimwear are a no-go. If tattoos are small enough, you can cover with a sticky bandage to get around the rule.
Yuen Bettei Daita in Shimokitazawa, features onsen baths fed by Hakone's Ashinoko springs. You don't need to stay overnight to indulge; day packages are available which including a soak and a tea session with sencha and wagashi, plus free ice pops. For a more immersive experience, consider a kaiseki lunch or a spa treatment.
La Qua near Tokyo Dome, a multi-story super sento with natural hot springs sourced baths—indoor and open-air, saunas, bedrock baths, relaxation lounges, and dining options. Not luxurious nor focused on aesthetics, but clean. Cashless wristband system makes it easy. Can be busy during peak hours, no children under age 5.
Adam & Eve in Minami Azabu, from the outside looks kind of shady, doesn’t look fancy from the inside either. It is a no frills Korean-style spa that offers good scrubs and other treatments. Facilities are clean, a lounge area with Korean food, pricey, open 24 hours.
Sauna Tokyo reimagines the sauna experience through a distinctly Japanese lens, sleek black tiles and a serene water feature reminiscent of classic sento bathhouses, Löyly sauna, features dynamic Aufguss rituals infused with Japanese storytelling and music, Meditation Sauna, three cold plunge pools set at varying temperatures. Caters exclusively to men, periodic women's nights are organized to offer inclusive experiences.
Koganeyu, modern sento with a craft beer taproom. Visitors are welcomed by a bar that doubles as a DJ booth, leading to bathing areas
Paradise: original bathtubs with soft blue tiles, chilled baths, a hinoki cypress sauna emitting a hojicha aroma, and a dynamic digital mural upstairs. Caters exclusively to men, except on ladies’ days: 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month
Komaeyu, offers beer on tap, light bites, and laundry facilities. The bathwater is set at a piping 42°C, providing a traditional and invigorating experience.
Hisamatsu-yu: projection mapping displays in the bathing areas, aromatic infusions like loquat leaves, peppermint, or lavender on select days.
Mikoku-yu: This multi-storey bathhouse, renovated in 2015, offers a variety of baths with temperatures ranging from 25°C to 46°C. Unique offerings include medicinal baths and a semi-open-air bath on the fifth floor with views of Tokyo Skytree.
Shibuya Saunas, Minimalist, soft-lit, and serious about heat. Nine different sauna rooms, each with its own mood—dry, steamy, meditative.
Solo Sauna Tune: Built for solitude. You get your own little cedar room, your own shower, your own rhythm. No shared silence, no etiquette anxiety. Just you, the heat, and a pitcher of ice water waiting when you emerge. The booking system is kind of tricky though, had to use translation app to navigate.
Sway, Clean lines, raw textures, and a kind of Nordic-Japanese calm. Sauna, cold plunge, and a lounge that feels like it was designed for slow afternoons.
BAR SAUNA in Daikanyama, Personal saunas meet cozy bar vibes—drink something cold, sit in low light, talk if you feel like it.
Massage, Spas
Erawan (Roppongi) in a dodgy looking building of guesthouses, Erawan offers reasonably-priced Thai massage (cracking, stretching). The place has packages, some as long as 3- to 4-hour sessions. They also have an Akasaka branch.
Mind Body Potential (Hiroo), Kay the therapist has an intuitive understanding of how the body works, deep tissue, myofascial work, she’s precise, effective.
En Mokuyoku (Kagurazaka) you’re buried in a warm, living mix of powdered hinoki cypress, leaves, and rice bran. The heat comes from fermentation, microorganisms doing their slow, quiet work, and it’s said to boost circulation, brighten skin. You can book a private room and sink in with friends or family, or sip an enzyme drink or amazake after.
Meinou (Akasaka) specializes in dry head massages, lymphatic drainage, plus neck and shoulder massages.
Rejuva (Aoyama), a range of aesthetic and regenerative treatments. Dr. Rena Hirata provides services spanning dermatology, cosmetic surgery, and regenerative therapies. Their offerings include advanced procedures such as Donor Stem Cell therapy, HIFU, Thermagen, Lumekka, Dermapen, Milan Repeat, Retinol Peeling, and Acne Scars TCA Peeling, erc