Bathing Guide
Entrance area
There are many different looks for a Japanese
sentō, or public bath. Most traditional sentō,
however, are very similar to the layout shown on
the right. The entrance from the outside looks
somewhat similar to a temple, with a Japanese
curtain (暖簾, noren) across the entrance. The
curtain is usually blue and shows the kanji 湯
(yu, lit. hot water) or the corresponding hiragana
ゆ. After the entrance there is an area with shoe
lockers, followed by two long curtains or door,
one on each side. These lead to the datsuijo (脱
衣場, changing room), also known as datsuiba
for the men and women respectively. The men's
and the women's side are very similar and differ
only slightly.
Entrance area
There are many different looks for a Japanese
sentō, or public bath. Most traditional sentō,
however, are very similar to the layout shown on
the right. The entrance from the outside looks
somewhat similar to a temple, with a Japanese
curtain (暖簾, noren) across the entrance. The
curtain is usually blue and shows the kanji 湯
(yu, lit. hot water) or the corresponding hiragana
ゆ. After the entrance there is an area with shoe
lockers, followed by two long curtains or door,
one on each side. These lead to the datsuijo (脱
衣場, changing room), also known as datsuiba
for the men and women respectively. The men's
and the women's side are very similar and differ
only slightly.
Changing Room
Inside, between the entrances is the bandai (番台), where the attendant sits. The
bandai is a rectangular or horseshoe-shaped platform with a railing, usually
around 1.5 to 1.8 m high. Above the bandai is usually a large clock. Immediately
in front of the bandai is usually a utility door, to be used by the attendants only.
The dressing room is approximately 10 m by 10 m square, covered with tatami
mats and contains the lockers for the clothes. Often, there is also a large shelf
storing the equipment for regular customers.
The ceiling is very high, at 3 to 4 m. The separating wall between the men's and
the women's side is about 2 m high. The dressing room also often has access to
a very small Japanese garden with a pond, and a Japanese-style toilet. There
are a number of tables and chairs, including some coin-operated massage
chairs. Often there is also a freezer with ice cream and a drink vending machine.
Usually there is also a scale to measure the body weight, and sometimes the
height. In some very old sentō, this scale may use the traditional Japanese
measure monme (匁, 1 monme = 3.75 g) and kan (1 kan = 1000 monme = 3.75
kg). Similarly, in old sentō the height scale may go only to 180 cm. Local
business often advertises in the sentō. The women's side usually has some baby
beds, and may have more mirrors. The decoration and the advertising is often
gender-specific on the different sides.
Bathing area
The bathing area is separated from the changing area by a sliding door to keep
the heat in the bath. An exception are baths in the Okinawa region, as the
weather there is usually already very hot, and there is no need to keep the hot
air in the bath. Therefore sentō in Okinawa usually have no separation between
the changing room and the bathing area, or only a small wall with an opening to
pass through. The bathing area is usually tiled. Near the entrance area is a
supply of small stools and buckets. There are a number of washing stations at
the wall and sometimes in the middle of the room, each with usually two faucets
(karan, カラン, after the Dutch word kraan for faucet), one for hot water and one
for cold water, and a shower head. At the end of the room are the bathtubs,
usually at least two or three with different water temperatures, and maybe also an
electric bath. In the Osaka and Kansai area the bathtubs are more often found in
the center of the room, whereas in Tokyo they are usually at the end of the room.
The separating wall between the men and the women side is also about 2 m high,
whereas the ceiling may be 4 m high, with large windows in the top. On rare
occasions the separating wall also has a small hole. This was used in old times to
pass the soap between family members, but nowadays most people can afford a
soap per family member. At the wall on the far end of the room is usually a large
picture for decoration. Most often this is Mt. Fuji as seen in the picture to the
right, but it may be a general Japanese landscape, a (faux) European landscape,
a river or ocean scene. On rarer occasions it may also show a group of warriors
or a female nude on the male side or playing children or a female beauty on the
women side.
Boiler room
Behind the bathing area is the boiler room (釜場, kamaba), where the water is
heated. This may use oil or electricity, or any other type of fuel such as, for
example, wood chippings. After the war Tokyo often had power outages when all
bath house owners turned on the electric water heating at the same time.
Sauna
Many sentō these days have a sauna with a bathtub of cold water just outside it
for cooling off afterwards. It should be noted that you are expected to pay an
extra fee to use the sauna, and you will often receive a simple wristband to
signify your payment of the extra fee.
Etiquette
Equipment
Taking a bath at a public sentō requires at a bare minimum a small towel and
some soap/shampoo. Both can also be purchased at the attendant. Often, many
people bring two towels, a larger soft towel for drying and a smaller scrub towel
(usually nylon) for washing. Other body hygiene products may include a pumice
stone, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving equipment, combs, shower caps,
pomade, make up products, powder, creams, etc. Some customers also bring
their own bucket. You may also bring some drinks, or a small toy for your children.
Entering and undressing
In Japan it is customary to take off one's shoes when one enters a private home.
Similarly in the sentō inside the entrance one stores their shoes in a shoe locker
and switches to slippers provided by the bath house. The locker is usually
available for free. Afterwards one goes through one of the two doors depending
on his or her gender. The men's door usually has a bluish color and the kanji for
men (男, otoko), whereas the women's door usually has a reddish color and the
kanji for woman (女, onna). In case of doubt one should wait for the next
customer. After entering, one will find the attendant on the bandai (stand)
between the two doors. Here one can pay the fee, which is usually between 300
and 600 yen. The attendant usually provides at extra cost a variety of bath
products including towel, soap, shampoo, razor, and comb. Here one can also
pay for ice cream from the freezer. If the bandai is not particularly high, one
should keep his or her eyes on his or her side.
After paying, one will select an empty locker for clothes and undress. One will
take his or her small towel, soap, shampoo, and perhaps more bathing products,
and head to the bathing area.
Bathing area
After entering the bathing area, one should pick up one bucket and one stool
and select a free set of faucets. Before sitting one may quickly rinse the stool.
Some customers also use the bucket to get some water out of the bathtub to
quickly rinse their genitals. Afterwards one should proceed to wash himself or
herself at the faucet. One should use the towel to scrub your back, and use soap
and shampoo liberally. One should try not to splash too much water on his or her
neighbors. It is essential that one is clean before entering the bathtub, as in
Japan people wash themselves outside of the bathtub and use the bathtub only
for relaxation. When one is clean, he or she should store his or her equipment in
his or her bucket and head towards the bathtub.
Important: One should make sure he or she is clean and does not have any soap
or shampoo on himself or herself before entering the public bathtub. Keeping the
water clean is the one fundamental rule for Japanese bathing. Getting soap in
the bathtub will seriously offend all other customers, as will entering the bathtub
before washing oneself. In this case, the owner of the bath house has to drain
the bath, rinse it, and fill it again, losing time, money and customers. For the
same reason one should keep his or her towel out of the water, although some
Japanese ignore this rule.
While it is essential to keep the water clean, there are occasionally even
Japanese people who enter the bathtub without washing previously. This may be
for example at an onsen, where the person has washed already at a recent
previous bath, or it may be a Japanese displaying bad etiquette. Also, like
everywhere else, Japanese are more likely to break the rules if nobody is
looking, as for example the less frequented and smaller semi-public bath in a
dormitory.
For proper behavior one should clean himself or herself before entering the
bath. One should select a bath of his or her choice, depending on the
temperature and the special features that the bath has. For instance, one can
choose an electric bath. In the bath one should sit and relax as long as he or she
likes. As the baths are usually quite hot, this may not be very long. Some onsen
are so hot that even experienced customers can stand only three to five minutes
in the water. Hot baths often have a ladle to stir the water. Please also note that
staying in hot water too long sometimes makes people faint. If one wants to, he or
she can go out, cool down a bit with the colder water from the faucet, and reenter
the bath. One should repeat as often as desired and then prepare to leave.
In an onsen the water contains minerals, and many people do not rinse off the
water from the skin, to increase exposure to the minerals. In a regular sentō one
may rinse himself or herself off at the faucets. Afterwards he or she dries himself
or herself with his or her small towel while still in the bathing area. One should
wring the towel out occasionally.
Getting dressed and leaving
In the changing room one may purchase a drink or some ice cream, have a
cigarette (if smoking is allowed), relax by sitting near the garden, and slowly get
dressed. One may also use a coin-operated massage chair. When one gets
ready to leave he or she may get dressed. Women may opt to put on makeup.
After getting dressed one should make sure he or she did not forget anything, go
to put on your shoes, and leave.
Inside, between the entrances is the bandai (番台), where the attendant sits. The
bandai is a rectangular or horseshoe-shaped platform with a railing, usually
around 1.5 to 1.8 m high. Above the bandai is usually a large clock. Immediately
in front of the bandai is usually a utility door, to be used by the attendants only.
The dressing room is approximately 10 m by 10 m square, covered with tatami
mats and contains the lockers for the clothes. Often, there is also a large shelf
storing the equipment for regular customers.
The ceiling is very high, at 3 to 4 m. The separating wall between the men's and
the women's side is about 2 m high. The dressing room also often has access to
a very small Japanese garden with a pond, and a Japanese-style toilet. There
are a number of tables and chairs, including some coin-operated massage
chairs. Often there is also a freezer with ice cream and a drink vending machine.
Usually there is also a scale to measure the body weight, and sometimes the
height. In some very old sentō, this scale may use the traditional Japanese
measure monme (匁, 1 monme = 3.75 g) and kan (1 kan = 1000 monme = 3.75
kg). Similarly, in old sentō the height scale may go only to 180 cm. Local
business often advertises in the sentō. The women's side usually has some baby
beds, and may have more mirrors. The decoration and the advertising is often
gender-specific on the different sides.
Bathing area
The bathing area is separated from the changing area by a sliding door to keep
the heat in the bath. An exception are baths in the Okinawa region, as the
weather there is usually already very hot, and there is no need to keep the hot
air in the bath. Therefore sentō in Okinawa usually have no separation between
the changing room and the bathing area, or only a small wall with an opening to
pass through. The bathing area is usually tiled. Near the entrance area is a
supply of small stools and buckets. There are a number of washing stations at
the wall and sometimes in the middle of the room, each with usually two faucets
(karan, カラン, after the Dutch word kraan for faucet), one for hot water and one
for cold water, and a shower head. At the end of the room are the bathtubs,
usually at least two or three with different water temperatures, and maybe also an
electric bath. In the Osaka and Kansai area the bathtubs are more often found in
the center of the room, whereas in Tokyo they are usually at the end of the room.
The separating wall between the men and the women side is also about 2 m high,
whereas the ceiling may be 4 m high, with large windows in the top. On rare
occasions the separating wall also has a small hole. This was used in old times to
pass the soap between family members, but nowadays most people can afford a
soap per family member. At the wall on the far end of the room is usually a large
picture for decoration. Most often this is Mt. Fuji as seen in the picture to the
right, but it may be a general Japanese landscape, a (faux) European landscape,
a river or ocean scene. On rarer occasions it may also show a group of warriors
or a female nude on the male side or playing children or a female beauty on the
women side.
Boiler room
Behind the bathing area is the boiler room (釜場, kamaba), where the water is
heated. This may use oil or electricity, or any other type of fuel such as, for
example, wood chippings. After the war Tokyo often had power outages when all
bath house owners turned on the electric water heating at the same time.
Sauna
Many sentō these days have a sauna with a bathtub of cold water just outside it
for cooling off afterwards. It should be noted that you are expected to pay an
extra fee to use the sauna, and you will often receive a simple wristband to
signify your payment of the extra fee.
Etiquette
Equipment
Taking a bath at a public sentō requires at a bare minimum a small towel and
some soap/shampoo. Both can also be purchased at the attendant. Often, many
people bring two towels, a larger soft towel for drying and a smaller scrub towel
(usually nylon) for washing. Other body hygiene products may include a pumice
stone, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving equipment, combs, shower caps,
pomade, make up products, powder, creams, etc. Some customers also bring
their own bucket. You may also bring some drinks, or a small toy for your children.
Entering and undressing
In Japan it is customary to take off one's shoes when one enters a private home.
Similarly in the sentō inside the entrance one stores their shoes in a shoe locker
and switches to slippers provided by the bath house. The locker is usually
available for free. Afterwards one goes through one of the two doors depending
on his or her gender. The men's door usually has a bluish color and the kanji for
men (男, otoko), whereas the women's door usually has a reddish color and the
kanji for woman (女, onna). In case of doubt one should wait for the next
customer. After entering, one will find the attendant on the bandai (stand)
between the two doors. Here one can pay the fee, which is usually between 300
and 600 yen. The attendant usually provides at extra cost a variety of bath
products including towel, soap, shampoo, razor, and comb. Here one can also
pay for ice cream from the freezer. If the bandai is not particularly high, one
should keep his or her eyes on his or her side.
After paying, one will select an empty locker for clothes and undress. One will
take his or her small towel, soap, shampoo, and perhaps more bathing products,
and head to the bathing area.
Bathing area
After entering the bathing area, one should pick up one bucket and one stool
and select a free set of faucets. Before sitting one may quickly rinse the stool.
Some customers also use the bucket to get some water out of the bathtub to
quickly rinse their genitals. Afterwards one should proceed to wash himself or
herself at the faucet. One should use the towel to scrub your back, and use soap
and shampoo liberally. One should try not to splash too much water on his or her
neighbors. It is essential that one is clean before entering the bathtub, as in
Japan people wash themselves outside of the bathtub and use the bathtub only
for relaxation. When one is clean, he or she should store his or her equipment in
his or her bucket and head towards the bathtub.
Important: One should make sure he or she is clean and does not have any soap
or shampoo on himself or herself before entering the public bathtub. Keeping the
water clean is the one fundamental rule for Japanese bathing. Getting soap in
the bathtub will seriously offend all other customers, as will entering the bathtub
before washing oneself. In this case, the owner of the bath house has to drain
the bath, rinse it, and fill it again, losing time, money and customers. For the
same reason one should keep his or her towel out of the water, although some
Japanese ignore this rule.
While it is essential to keep the water clean, there are occasionally even
Japanese people who enter the bathtub without washing previously. This may be
for example at an onsen, where the person has washed already at a recent
previous bath, or it may be a Japanese displaying bad etiquette. Also, like
everywhere else, Japanese are more likely to break the rules if nobody is
looking, as for example the less frequented and smaller semi-public bath in a
dormitory.
For proper behavior one should clean himself or herself before entering the
bath. One should select a bath of his or her choice, depending on the
temperature and the special features that the bath has. For instance, one can
choose an electric bath. In the bath one should sit and relax as long as he or she
likes. As the baths are usually quite hot, this may not be very long. Some onsen
are so hot that even experienced customers can stand only three to five minutes
in the water. Hot baths often have a ladle to stir the water. Please also note that
staying in hot water too long sometimes makes people faint. If one wants to, he or
she can go out, cool down a bit with the colder water from the faucet, and reenter
the bath. One should repeat as often as desired and then prepare to leave.
In an onsen the water contains minerals, and many people do not rinse off the
water from the skin, to increase exposure to the minerals. In a regular sentō one
may rinse himself or herself off at the faucets. Afterwards he or she dries himself
or herself with his or her small towel while still in the bathing area. One should
wring the towel out occasionally.
Getting dressed and leaving
In the changing room one may purchase a drink or some ice cream, have a
cigarette (if smoking is allowed), relax by sitting near the garden, and slowly get
dressed. One may also use a coin-operated massage chair. When one gets
ready to leave he or she may get dressed. Women may opt to put on makeup.
After getting dressed one should make sure he or she did not forget anything, go
to put on your shoes, and leave.
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