Sera Hot Spring

We visited the facility around 2:00 PM on February 1st. My wife and I went in together, and the men's locker room was covered in black mold on both the walls and ceiling. We also tried to use the medicinal bath, but found scale and hair like nothing we'd ever seen before. We complained to the front desk, and they told us to use the mesh next to the bathtub to scoop up the water. We reluctantly went back to the bath and tried to scoop up the scum with the mesh, but no matter how much we tried, more scale just kept coming up. Looking more closely, we saw that it was coming from the circulation port where the hot water comes out. In the end, every bath and open-air bath was covered in scale. We're a couple who love hot springs, but this was the first time we'd experienced such unsanitary conditions. I wonder if there's an organization that inspects the hygiene of hot springs like this? We ended up just taking a shower and getting out. When we got out of the bath, my wife was surprised to hear her say that both the men's and women's baths were dirty. I didn't want to add a ✴️, but since it was a hot spring, I had no choice but to add one. I wish hot spring baths were more strict in terms of hygiene management. I was looking forward to the hot spring, but it was a disappointment.

This hot spring is located at the foot of Mount Koya. I visited the hot spring for a day trip after lunch at a local restaurant on Saturday, November 22nd. The bath was old-fashioned, but spacious and comfortable. It could do with a bit more cleaning. It was the weekend, but it wasn't crowded. The high temperature, salt, and steam are perfect for a sauna activity, and although it's a bit small, you can enjoy the fresh air while looking at the autumn leaves. I highly recommend visiting Mount Koya before or after, as the magnificent autumn leaves and solemn atmosphere were wonderful. (Photo is of Mount Koya)

Mother's Day was on Sunday, so I took my mother to Sera Town's flower farms on the previous Saturday morning, and then visited Sera Onsen. This was my second visit, but like the last time, we decided to just take a bath and have a meal without seeing a play. Since we had been walking around in the morning, it was nice to be able to relax in the hot springs. Upon entering the facility, you pay for either bathing or watching a play, and after entering, you order by scanning the barcode on your locker key at the ticket machine on the second floor, and then pay when you leave.

The indoor bath has a far-infrared sauna, a salt sauna, a steam sauna, a large bath, medicinal bath 1, medicinal bath 2, an open-air bath, a waterfall bath, a restaurant, and a popular theater performance. The interior is old, but it's spacious and comfortable. I went on a Saturday afternoon, and since it was during a popular theater performance, the bath was empty, so I was able to relax. The bath is old, but I thought it was good. I gave it four stars because I thought the food was a bit pricey for the price.

The hot springs were really nice! Given the heat, the water temperature was set a little lower, allowing me to soak for a long time. There were also three saunas, and the mist sauna was incredibly refreshing. The open-air bath was also nice, but there were horseflies and bees, so I left quickly. A slight disappointment was that the restaurant's food was instant; it would have been better if it were homemade. The plays also sounded fun.