Shinmachi Onsen

I'm from Taiwan. This was my first time experiencing Japanese public bathhouse culture. I found it interesting. Remember to bring your own towel and toiletries. I saw many older men with complete equipment, taking their baths very seriously, even though the facilities were old. They had hot water pools, herbal pools, salt pools, ultrasonic pools, cold water pools, and even a massage pool. It was really great to have a comfortable bath! **Note:** The lockers at this public bathhouse cannot be locked. Please do not bring valuables. I saw some men with full-body tattoos in the bathhouse. This public bathhouse is friendly to tattooed people.

It costs 400Y per person. This place is very old and filthy. The lockers do not lock. The knobs on the faucets are all black and sticky. There is mold on the walls, ceiling and even on the shower hose. The seats on which you sit to wash yourself are very dirty and scratched up. The buckets that you use to wash yourself are also very old and felt very slippery and gooey. There was small flies landing on the mirrors and the knobs while we were trying to wash ourselves. We didn't even tried the baths at this point. The only good thing was that the locals were very friendly and funny with us.

January 2026 I stopped by here during my cycling trip around Shikoku. Tattoos are available if you call ahead to confirm. No SRBs. Small soaps are sold at the front desk. First of all, I highly recommend this place for travelers. There's a cheap coin laundry next to the facility. Detergent is sold at the front desk. The hot spring facilities are very well-maintained and clean. There are numerous washing areas with showers. In addition to the large bathtub, there was also a small cold bath, herbal bath, salt bath, and sauna. It was a wonderful hot spring beloved by locals.

I wish I could recommend this little local experience but it seems a bit unsanitary now. There are medicine, salt, ultrasound, and electric baths, a massage one that falls from the ceiling, and a sauna. But there is a bit of mold and the faucets only partially work. We had to continually push ours to get a shower. Ah, if you go, take your own soap and towel!

A rare public bath that's open from the morning. The facility itself is old, but the bathing area is surprisingly spacious with many baths. There's a very hot sauna (free) and a lukewarm cold bath at the back. It's not crowded, but it feels like locals are coming and going quickly. I hope it continues to operate for a long time!