Outdoor saunas in Japan

Tokyo, Japan

Akazaru occupies a former ryotei in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, now converted into a sauna. The second-floor public sauna is men-only, with staff-led aufguss, a cold plunge and an outdoor rest space overlooking a courtyard. A separate ground-floor private room, bookable by phone, adds a cypress-wood bath and can be taken for the day or overnight.

Tokyo, Japan

Aqua Garden Mitsukoshiyu is a neighbourhood sento in Shirokane with a well-kept garden. The men's and women's bathrooms swap weekly, and the side with the open-air rock bath also runs a sauna and a chilled cold plunge.

Tokyo, Japan

Asukayama Onsen is a day-use bathhouse in Kita-ku, using pumped and heated groundwater rather than a true hot spring. It runs a full infrared sauna alongside large tubs, jet baths and an open-air bath.

Higashiizu, Japan

Atagawa Sauna Koya Fuminaya is a small guesthouse in Higashiizu, built around a wood-fired sauna. A rooftop infinity cold plunge faces the Pacific. The sauna runs on self-poured löyly and takes one booked party at a time, up to eight people.

Tokyo, Japan

Ban Sauna Ginza East is a dedicated sauna near Tsukiji Honganji. A heated mineral floor, dry sauna and fine mist share one room, booked solo or as a private hire for up to six. It finishes with a 9-18°C cold plunge and a covered outdoor rest area.

Tokyo, Japan

Corridor no Yu is a hotel spa and sauna on the fifth floor of the Granbell Hotel in Ginza, open to non-guests as well as those staying over. The dry sauna runs automatic löyly, with a separate steam room on the women's floor. An outdoor rest deck with reclining loungers is a rarity in central Ginza.

Nagoya, Japan

Cred Spa Sauna is a dedicated sauna venue near Sakae station in Nagoya, with a large shared sauna alongside private single and group rooms. Löyly runs on an automatic cycle, and a grass terrace outside gives room to cool off. Visitors wear swimwear throughout, and private rooms are booked by the hour.

Tokyo, Japan

A neighbourhood bathhouse near Tokyo Skytree, its bathing hall painted with murals of the tower and Mount Fuji. Two sauna rooms sit alongside different tubs: one by the outdoor bath, one by the carbonated-spring tub. The whole space can also be booked privately outside normal hours.

Tokyo, Japan

Edoyu is a large bath and sauna complex in Sumida, Tokyo, near the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It runs three saunas, including a wood-scented Finnish room, alongside six baths, bedrock baths, dining rooms and several rest areas.

Hisayama, Japan

The Vanish is a tiled bathhouse and wood-fired sauna inside Nayuta, a shopping and dining complex near Fukuoka. Two bathing rooms alternate between men and women each day, both fronted by historic tile art. An outdoor sauna house sits beside the open-air bath.

Osaka, Japan

A round-the-clock sauna and capsule hotel between Namba and Shinsaibashi. It has a salt sauna, a convection stone sauna, a herbal steam sauna and an open-air bath. Day-use sauna tickets are sold without a room stay, and a restaurant and body-care desk sit alongside the bathing floor.

Osaka, Japan

Hanshin Sauna is a men's hot spring bathing floor on the seventh storey of Hotel Hanshin Osaka, a short walk from Fukushima Station. A high-temperature dry sauna sits alongside a natural hot spring pool, an outdoor bath, a cold plunge and a jacuzzi. Day visitors can pay to enter, at a discount for hotel guests.

Ichinomiya, Japan

HERMiT ichinomiya is a bamboo-forest glamping site in Chiba, taken over by one group, a five-minute walk from the beach. A fixed barrel sauna with unlimited use sits on the deck next to an outdoor hot tub, alongside a dome tent and barbecue space. Bookings run through an online calendar rather than a fixed price list.

Yokohama, Japan

A neighbourhood sento in Yokohama's Hiyoshi area, with Japanese- and Western-style bathing rooms that alternate daily. The Japanese side has an outdoor bath, and the sauna has its own cold plunge.

Iwanuma, Japan

Tateshita Sauna and Living is a private-hire sauna cabin near Sendai Airport, booked whole for up to five people. The room runs at 80-90 degrees with self-directed loyly, paired with a 15-17 degree cold plunge two steps from an outdoor rest terrace. A sauna-only day booking is available alongside overnight stays in the attached maisonette.

Tokyo, Japan

Hotta-yu is a neighbourhood sento in Adachi's Nishiarai area, rebuilt in 2022 around its Showa-era tile mural. An auto-löyly herbal sauna sits beside the open-air bath. The men's side has a deep cold plunge, and the women's side offers two plunge temperatures.

Tokyo, Japan

Igusayu is a neighbourhood sento in Suginami ward, reopened after a 2018 renovation. It keeps a dry sauna and a cold plunge alongside an open-air bath and a carbonated-spring tub.

Kobe, Japan

A downtown sauna and spa complex with separate men's and women's floors, an outdoor hot spring bath, and a capsule hotel for overnight stays. Private sauna rooms can be booked for small groups on ninety-minute slots.

Miyazaki, Japan

Kodomonokuni Sauna Park sets private cedar barrel saunas inside Kodomonokuni park on Miyazaki's Aoshima coast. Sessions are self-directed loyly and book by the hour for up to eight people, with an open-air terrace looking over the Pacific. Swimwear is required and the space is shared by all guests.

Kinokawa, Japan

Log&sauna Nagomi is a private log cabin near Kinokawa, Wakayama, hired as a whole unit. It has its own outdoor sauna and open-air bath, used in swimwear. Ponchos are provided for the cool-down rest between rounds, and both overnight and day-use bookings are available.

Handa, Japan

Midorikan is a health-land bathhouse and business hotel in Handa. It has a sauna alongside ten varieties of indoor and open-air baths, drawn from a local hot spring source. Day-use bathing is open to non-guests as well as overnight visitors.

Sapporo, Japan

Mochizukiyu is a neighbourhood sento in Sapporo's Misono district, open since 1963. It pairs a high-temperature electric sauna with a women-only salt sauna and a cold plunge. An open-air bath strung with lights joins a run of themed tubs, including a black silica mineral bath.

Nasushiobara, Japan

Mori no Tenku Sauna & Roten Buro is a private, wood-fired Finnish sauna in forest above Nasushiobara. Each booking takes one group, with an open-air bath, self-poured hojicha löyly, a cold plunge, reclining chairs and hammocks. Overnight sessions are for guests of the attached villa, and a café serves food afterwards.

Tokyo, Japan

Nakanobukinen-Yu is a sento in Shinagawa's Hatanodai area, with open-air baths for men and women alongside a steam sauna. The men's open-air bath looks onto open sky, while the women's overlooks a pond with koi and turtles. Eight bath styles are on offer alongside the steam room, from a lying bath to an electric bath.

Etajima, Japan

Not Busy Sauna & Cafe is a Finnish-style community sauna on Etajima Island in the Seto Inland Sea. It is built around a low-temperature triangular sauna, a cold plunge fed by groundwater and a café serving Finnish beer, wine and coffee. Guests pour their own löyly, and small groups can book the place privately.

Tokyo, Japan

Nu-Land Sagamiyu is a day-use hot spring complex in Tokyo's Ota ward, built around the area's distinctive black-tinted natural spring water. Eight bathing options include a far-infrared sauna, a cold plunge, an open-air bath and jet baths. The complex also has a restaurant floor and a lounge that hosts occasional live music.

Tokyo, Japan

Paradise Otemachi is a men-only recovery spa on the 26th floor of an Otemachi office tower, open to visitors without a gym membership. It offers a löyly sauna, a mist sauna, and an oversized cold plunge, with an outdoor air-bathing deck and a panoramic jacuzzi. Entry is restricted to age 18 and over.

Hamamatsu, Japan

Private Sauna .Y is a Hamamatsu private-room sauna booked by the hour. It has a chilled cold plunge, self-service löyly with aromatic oils, and an outdoor rest area for cooling down. A separate five-person VIP room and an optional massage room can also be booked.

Kumamoto, Japan

Kaminoura 307 is a fully private sauna and lodging space in central Kumamoto, booked by the room rather than sold as individual entry. It has its own cold plunge and an outdoor rest area for cooling off between rounds.

Tokyo, Japan

Rosco is a 24-hour sauna and capsule hotel near Komagome station, with separate bathing floors for men and women. The men's floor adds an outdoor jacuzzi used as a cold plunge. Day guests can use the baths without booking a capsule room.

Kyoto, Japan

Rumor Plaza is a men-only sauna and capsule hotel in Gion, Kyoto. It has three sauna rooms and a rooftop bath looking over the city. Sauna and bath entry is sold separately from a hotel stay, on ticketed courses through the day.

Tokyo, Japan

Hokuo is a sauna and capsule hotel in Ueno with a Finnish sauna and a seventh-floor outdoor bath. A premium aufguss session runs four times each evening, and day-use tickets are sold on top of overnight stays. The floor is men only.

Happou, Japan

Sauna Cafe Umikko is a renovated former community bathhouse on the Akita coast, run as a cafe. It has a dry sauna and a lavender-scented steam sauna, and an outdoor rest area with reclining chairs looks out over the sea. Private sauna sessions can be booked alongside the day cafe.

Kawanehon, Japan

Trip Train is a private-hire sauna at Sumatakyo hot spring in Kawanehon, with two cabins: Metsa and Maa. Metsa takes at least two people and includes houjicha aufguss and a fire pit. Maa is the simpler, more affordable option, open to a single guest.

Hamamatsu, Japan

Sauna Tenryu is a riverside sauna at TAKI Camping Ground on the Atago River in Hamamatsu. Wood-fired barrel and tent saunas sit beside the water, which doubles as the cold plunge, with infinity chairs along the bank for the outdoor rest. The barrel sauna can be booked privately for small groups.

Shari, Japan

A large hotel in Utoro on the Shiretoko peninsula, with a natural hot-spring bath, an open-air bath and a sauna. Day visitors can use the bath without booking a room.

Yamanakako, Japan

Shizuku is a ryokan on the shore of Lake Yamanaka. Every guest room has its own Nordic-style dry sauna, cold plunge and a view toward Mount Fuji. Day-use bathing is also available, covering the communal bath, open-air bath, sauna and cold plunge.

Rifu, Japan

Sou. is a whole-building sauna and stay inside a campground in Rifu, Miyagi, hired by one group at a time. Its Finnish sauna runs on a Narvi stove, paired with a natural-spring cold plunge and forest-view loungers for cooling down. A day-use private sauna plan is also bookable outside overnight stays.

Tokyo, Japan

Sugamoyu is a neighbourhood bathhouse in Toshima ward, fully rebuilt in 2022. Tatami flooring runs from the changing room into the bathing hall, and its sauna runs an automatic löyly every twenty minutes. Cold plunges sit at two temperatures, with both indoor and outdoor rest areas.

Higashiosaka, Japan

Yu-Bath Royal Takaida is a super sento in Higashiosaka, built over its own natural hot spring source. The bathing hall has a high-temperature sauna with scheduled auto-loyly, a cold plunge and an outdoor deck for cooling off. There is also a women-only salt sauna and a separate bedrock bath.

Nikko, Japan

Sustaina Sauna is a one-group, private-hire wood-fired sauna at a fixed site in Kiwadashima, Nikko. Booking covers the whole cabin for up to eight people, with a self-service löyly and an outdoor rest deck.

Sagamihara, Japan

A fixed tent sauna site on the banks of the Dochi River, ninety minutes from central Tokyo. Each visit is a private booking for one wood-fired tent. River water supplies the cold plunge, with space to barbecue alongside.

Tokyo, Japan

Thermae-yu is a natural hot spring and sauna complex in Kabukicho, open around the clock. Its outdoor bath is fed by hot spring water carried from Izu, alongside a bedrock sauna and cold plunge. A rooftop bar and restaurant round out the building.

Tokyo, Japan

Totoken pairs a running station with a dedicated sauna and a craft beer bar by the Sumida River in Nihonbashi Hamacho. The sauna floor has a cold plunge and a rooftop outdoor rest area, and men's and women's sessions alternate through the week. Sauna-only visits are welcome without joining a run.

Sasebo, Japan

Ukusauna sits above the coast on Ukujima island, the northernmost of the Goto islands off Sasebo. Its hinoki cabin is heated by a pair of wood-fired stoves with self-service löyly, and the cold plunge draws on the island's own groundwater. An outdoor rest deck looks straight out over the water.