How to enjoy Sauna in Japan

last updated 04/23/2024

Sauna boom in Japan is a real thing. There have been mangas, dramas, books, festivals and more. New facilities are emerging constantly. Some people visit sauna once in a while, but others even everyday.
Allow me introduce how they do it in Japan, so you will not be intimidated in your first visit. It could be a bit different experience from where you are from especially due to existence of cold bath (Mizuburo) and the fact that no one is afraid of getting naked. But there are also some rules that should be obeyed.
If you are new to sauna, you should know that, like someone once said, perhaps no one likes it from the beginning. You have to try sauna few times and suddenly you might come to love it for all the many benefits it can give you.

When attending Sauna in Japan, you need to be aware of some rules:

1. You will always have to take off your shoes at the entrance.
2. For public Saunas and Baths, Men and Women always have a separate sauna/bath space. They are usually displayed with curtains for 男 (Man; usually color blue) and 女 (Woman; usually color red). Please, do not make a mistake.
3. Underwear/swimsuit is not allowed. You have to get naked.
4. Before deciding to visit a particular Sauna place, please make sure that it allows tattoos if you have any yourself. Unfortunately, tattoos are associated with Yakuza, and some facilities till this day do not welcome customers that have them regardless of nationality. This is gradually changing, but I would advise you to check in advance.
   If you have only a small tattoo, you might consider wearing a tattoo cover (look for it on the internet), which is permitted.
5. A face towel is indispensable. However, in many places you will be charged extra to borrow it. Thus, it is better to take your own one or check with the facility in advance if the towel is included for free.
6. Same goes for Shampoo and Body Soap. Although Super Sentō (Big public bath facility) usually have it, some small Sentōs (publich bath) might not. Buying some one-time samples might cost you additional money. Either always take your own stuff or again, confirm in advance.
7. Some Saunas might be Male-only. Unfortunately, Sauna is not as popular within Women as Men. Again, check in advance.
8. There are no rental sauna hats or sauna glasses. If you feel that you need a one, please take your own.
9. Japanese tap water is drinkable. This is not to say that I recommend you to drink it when there is not water server available, but there is actually no harm to the body in doing so.
10. In Japan, television is extremely popular, I would even say to the extent of a religion. For that reason, many sentōs and super-sentōs have TVs installed inside the sauna/bath. For some of us it can be disturbing. If you do not want end up having to listen/watch TV inside Sauna, I recommend to check if the facility you plan to visit has it situated.

Let's enter the sauna/bath now.

First of all, when visiting some facility, as already mentioned you will always have to take off your shoes. There should be a closet near the entrance to put them in. After that you either pay at the counter or self-service machine and receive a key for your dressing room locker. This slightly differs depending on the place.

There are slightly different ways to enter a Sauna based on what effects are you expecting. But here I will talk about the general way which I usually follow.

1. You have to take a shower first. This is indispensable. There are many showers in every facility, so it should not be a problem.
2. It is up to you, but you might want to take a hot bath prior to entering a Sauna. As for myself, I like to enter a carbonated bath before heading off to Sauna as it also has superb health benefits (I might talk about this in a separate article)
3. Then we are ready to begin our Sauna ritual. Normally it should look like this:
   Sauna → Mizuburo ("cold bath") → Gaikiyoku ("air bath") / Naikiyoku ("indoor air bath")
4. Go to Sauna, but before walking in please remember to dry off your body with a towel. Depending on the facility, they might be asking you to take a mat with you inside and seat on it. In such case the mats will be provided on front of the door to sauna. Clean it with a water from the bath and head inside.
   You might wear a sauna hat or roll a towel around your head to protect your hair from the heat.
5. Choose your place to seat. The higher the hotter. It is best to sit cross-ledged or sitting grasping one's knees (I will talk about why in another article), but be aware of the people surrounding you. It might not be doable if the sauna is crowded.
   Depending on your preference, spend about 8-12 minutes inside. Usually there is a Sauna Timer that will helps you to follow the time.
   As for the steam coming from the sauna, many places in Japan use so-called auto-löyly. It will generate the heat/steam automatically. However, this is not a rule. I will talk about different types of saunas in a near future.
6. Get out after you feel it is enough. As soon as you do that head straight away to the cold bath (don't forget to clean the mat with water first and put it back if necessary). Clean your body before diving in (either take a quick shower or use a ladle, scoop some water from the bath and pour it all over your body)
7. In the cold bath spend about 1-3 minutes. Don't forget to breath regularly. It is considered a proper manner not to soak your head in, but the whole body up from the neck down to feet should be underwater. This is a difficult part and rather specific to Japan. If you have a hard time, try to leave out your hand and feet from the water if possible. It will make it easier to bear.
8. Rise up from the cold bath. Find a place where you can rest and do "air bath" or "indoor air bath". Basically what you will do is sit/lie and relax. Do this for about 5-10 minutes. This is the quintessence of Sauna and that is where you usually experience "totonou" - a "sauna high" (I will write about this in more details too)
   ※As a general manner, always pour some water (you can use the ladle and scoop it from some bath) in the place where you have seated after you get up. I would recommend to do it also before you take a seat.
9. Do this pattern 3-4 times. Do not forget to drink plenty of water. Preferably every 15 minutes.
10. After you finish, you can take a hot bath or anything to your preference.
11. Before going out from the bath, it is advised to take a shower one last time.
12. Wipe off your body with a towel and when you are dry enough head on to your locker. Change your clothes and you can go outside or chill out in the rest room if provided.

※Some additional advices:
・It is good to change between Sauna > Mizuburo > Gaikiyoku as fast as possible
・Do not perform any other activities during your set (such as shower, hot bath, etc.) for best effect
・Wipe off your body with a face towel everytime you enter sauna

In essence, that's it. The cold bath part might be especially difficult to get used to, but it's worth trying as you will not get as many benefits otherwise. And you might not experience what we call "totonou". If you find it a torture at first; don't worry, because you are not alone. Apparently cold baths in Saunas exist only in Japan and that is one reason why Sauna in Japan is so special. You will not experience this anywhere else unless there is a river or lake accessible. Or perhaps you can dive into a snow.