Niifaiyu Large Public Baths

I went to Ishigaki Island in February, during the off-season, for a budget-friendly stay. Since my resort condominium doesn't have a large public bath, I used Niifai-yu at the Art Hotel. It's the only day-use bathing facility I found on Ishigaki Island, and is open to outside visitors from 4:30 PM to 11:45 PM. I was asked if they had discount coupons, but they didn't, so I paid 2,000 yen and went there for two days. The indoor bath is spacious, with about 20 wash stations, so it was easy to find a spot. There's also a permanent cleansing bath, which is convenient. There's a baby bath, hat, baby soap, bucket, care chair, and handrails that extend all the way to the shower booth, making it easy to assist caregivers. There's a shampoo bar, but I didn't find any shampoos I particularly wanted to try. There's a sauna, which warms you up nicely, but there's no cold bath, so you have to wash off your sweat in the shower. The only downside is that the lockers in the changing room are too small, making it difficult to get changed. I wonder if there are more affordable baths out there? Even if you pay with cash or a barcode, you have to request a receipt. Please note that the Art Hotel parking lot is always full even if you arrive at 5:50 pm.

I stayed at the Art Hotel and found out that they also offer drop-in baths. It seems to be the only drop-in bath on Ishigaki Island. The women's sauna is a mist sauna, with no cold bath. The bath is very spacious, but it's lukewarm at 38°C, so it takes a while to warm up. Everyone was concentrating on the hot water outlet. There's also no open-air bath, so it's not quite satisfying for a large hotel public bath. There are plenty of wash areas with partitions, but I thought 2,000 yen for drop-in baths was quite expensive. It seems like a lot of locals use it, so I'm sure there's a local discount. Sorry for being so harsh.

I visited as a non-guest after 8pm. It was just not great. It wasn't worth the 2,000 yen per adult. The parking lot in front of the hotel is always full. The second parking lot is a little far away and the spaces are small. The bathroom is just average. Nothing particularly noteworthy. I guess that's okay, but in the women's bath there were a lot of people waiting for the hair dryer and with bad manners, so it was no use talking to them. The changing room in the men's bath was a mess, with crumpled towels and hair scattered around the hair dryer.

I went there because it's the only drop-in bath on Ishigaki Island. The price was 1,600 yen per person, including rental of large and small towels. There was one large indoor bath that was a little hot. There was one sauna and one cold water bath, and no open-air bath. I couldn't stay in the bath for very long, but it was nice to be able to wash off the sweat. I was able to drink cold water in a paper cup. I think they have them in the guest rooms, but it would have been nice if they provided T-shaped razors and toothbrushes.

Visited at night on February 12, 2024 A large public bath located inside Art Hotel Ishigaki, north of downtown Ishigaki Island Visitors can also use the bath, so it's a little pricey, but I decided to go in since I was there Inside, there is a large bathtub with a jet bath, a dry sauna, and a cold bath♨ The bath is on the second floor, but there is a shop on the first floor that sells various drinks, so it's nice to buy some after the bath and enjoy them in the lobby There was a cute Shisa post at the front desk.