Utopia Shiratama Hot Spring

For the foreigners who need a guide, here it is! This was my first time going to an onsen, as a female solo traveller. This onsen is tattoo- friendly and close enough to my stay so I thought I would be brave and give it a go. When you arrive, pop your shoes and socks into the locker. Left is lock and right is unlock, some of them are a bit tough so try other ones or just pull a bit harder. After that, make your way to the ticket machine and google translate. Put your notes in and then select which tickets you need. Wait for them to print, and then when you have them, pull the lever and it will give you the change. Next, go upstairs and give your tickets to the receptionist. The bathing rooms are separated by gender. You will need a bath towel and a washing towel, basically. large towel and a face towel (which is the bath towel). Then go into the changing room, grab a locker which you will need 100 yen coin for, and fully undress. As a westerner it may feel weird but it is normal, I promise! Also you will need to tie your hair up and clip it back! Otherwise your hair will be like dry hay if it touches the water, from all the minerals. Then the door after that is into the baths. Bring the little bath towel with you. The etiquette is to either wrap it around your hair, or fold it into a little square and put it on top of your head while in the bath, so you can dab your face. Also for modesty when laying down outside (more on that coming). You have to wash before going into the baths. There is shampoo, conditioner and body wash provided. Douche the chairs with the water from the tap and the buckets above the shower head before doing so. Now you can enter the baths! Make sure to sit outside every now and then to cool down, so you don't pass out. They get quite hot. With the outdoor chairs/ sun loungers, also use the buckets and bath water to wash them before sitting down. Also, no phones, books or whatever in the bath rooms. No talking either. You can bring a pouch with your amenities if needed. It was mainly locals using this onsen and they are all here to switch off and relax. When you are done, wash before you go back into the changing room. There is a co-working kind of space, but I wish they also had free wifi.

The place is great to visit. The price for entering, going to sauna for 2 hours & renting a towel was just 1050 yen, which is dramatically cheap compared to other places. Plus, you don’t have to register on specific apps or book in advance compared to other baths in this location nearby. However, what worries me most about this hot spring is that anyone can enter this place without a problem including those who might have diseases & other health issues. I saw guys with tattoos, so I believe there are no issues if you are tattooed or pierced. Overall, the experience was nice! Recommend to visit this place in order to chill if you stay in locations nearby due to affordable prices & easy availability.

Wow. What a great clean and well equip Sentō 銭湯. They had a pool with electrical currents for EMS electro muscle stimulating. Sauna with temperature of 90 Celsius, cold ice bath, Jacuzzi, shower stations, and several different temperature pools. Loved my time there. So relaxing. Exactly what I needed. Looking forward to visit again. Tattoos ok. And remember, please mind your manners and be very respectful. 👍🏽🌊

A great experience in Ōsaka. Since both me and my wife are tattooed, few tattoo-friendly options were available to have a typical sento experience. I'm glad we landed at Utopia were we found a super friendly environment, away from the most tourist crowded spots. If you're in Ōsaka, I strongly recommend to pay a visit at this place. Fun fact: me and my wife were the only non-Japanese.

Utopia was great! As foreigners, we were the only Caucasian’s in there, this was still very enjoyable! We needed to use google translate to get the tickets, ended up costing us only $8 AUD per person, which was fairly cheap. We enjoyed a variety of spas, cold and hot, bubbled and still, and even electrical current water! Recommend highly (if you’re not afraid of getting naked)