Dōgo Onsen Annex Asuka

Went on May 13, 2024 Amazing experience! Would definitely go back. Staff was friendly and informative on helping us with the language barrier using translators. Very affordable for a private onsen. Modern, nice for groups to go if you have a family trip (mixed genders) since they allow you to wear a robe “ Yuchō “ pictured in pink in the water. After you put on the white patterned robe. It was very hard to find a tattoo friendly onsen (I don’t have one myself but a friend in my group had one, gladly this onsen allowed them!) They also allow reservations and we got in right away and we were glad we reserved as they had a fully booked sign for private room for the full day when we arrived. ¥1690 per person plus ¥2040 yen for the private onsen. (¥2200 yen per person then = only like 15 USD!) We were able to stay 90 minutes. You cannot bathe in the private onsen, after you can get shampoo and conditioner in the downstairs bathing room when you are done. When we went down to the public bath you are not supposed to wear the yuchō, but we had the space pretty much to ourselves and the rooms are separated by genders for finishing our bath, there’s also an open air bath too! Relaxing spa experience. Tea sweets were great!

This is the annex of the main Dōgo Onsen building, so everything feels newer and more modern while still keeping a traditional vibe. I opted for the standard entry and rented a bath towel for ¥300. One important note: there was no lotion available on the first floor, and they do not sell any on site. I am not sure about the upper floors since I did not go up, but I recommend bringing your own lotion if your skin dries out easily. The indoor tub is larger than the main Dōgo Onsen second floor, and there is also a small outdoor tub with a roof overhead. There is a spacious shower area before you enter the bath. I went in the evening, so there were more people compared to my morning visit at the main building, but it was still comfortable. Overall, it felt roomier than the main Dōgo Onsen second floor. If I come back, I would like to try the upper floor options here.

This has been my favorite Onsen experience so far, though I've only been to about four, so keep that in mind. The wash area was semi private, which was a nice change, not that it's too important, but it did add to my comfort through the experience. It also had good quality shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. No lotion post-bathe though, so bring your own The bathing area was nice, beautiful dark stone (a mafic variety, for you rock nerds, though I don't think it was basalt). There was also a brief musical sequence with projected visuals of the seasons on the wall that added to the relaxing experience. There is also a secondary bath in a smaller room, though I didn't try it this time as it was busy in there. Having gone to the main Dōgo Onsen the day prior... This annex was a better experience overall. Oh, and yes it is tattoo-friendly.

I made a reservation for the private bath. There are only 2 of them so book it early (we booked two months in advance). We had a private tatami room and bath, but also had access to the first floor baths and we asked to have our tea and sweets in the large resting hall, which is very beautiful. It is not crowded at all, very clean and new but tastefully designed. I enjoyed the projection video on the traditional bath mural. The only thing missing is moisturizing products so do bring it for after the bath. They provided towels and robes.

Very nice onsen complex, a few minutes walk from Dogo Onsen Main Building. Was informed I had to wait 3 hours for the main building, so ventured over to the annex with no queues. Lovely facilities, with an indoor and outdoor onsen on the ground floor, and a large relaxation room on the second floor. Warm and friendly staff serve you tea and local snacks after your onsen experience.