Today, Live Japan shares onsen bathers have a choice of coffee milk or fruit milk — both are sweet drinks that seem to help the body re-energize quickly after a bath.
The ritual of drinking milk after Onsen bathing developed in Japan over fifty years ago, when the majority of the population were using Sento or Onsen facilities instead of home baths. After bathing, rehydration is not only necessary, but an enjoyable part of the Onsen experience.
Milk had already been established in Japan as a rich source of nutrients. And now that it was available at sento, it became the perfect way to rehydrate and replenish the body after bathing.
Drinking alcohol immediately after bathing is not recommended (although it doesn't stop many from doing so); it will dehydrate your body even further. As relaxing as bathing in onsen can be, it is generally recommended that you do not bathe more than three times a day.
Drink plenty of water and take a good rest after you have finished bathing. As a general rule, people with tattoos aren't allowed in hot spring baths.
You can feel nausea after the long bathing such as discomfortness, insomnia, digestive symptoms, or dermatitis for 3 days or a week after Onsen. When you feel such, it is necessary to stop bathing or to decrease the frequency, and take rest for recovery.
Many people report feeling dizzy or nauseous after their first few times after going to an onsen, and this is usually because of dehydration or overheating from staying in too long.
Doctors do not recommend using onsen at all while menstruating. But, if you absolutely cannot avoid it, use a tampon. Even if it's a “light” day, nobody wants blood or bodily fluids floating around in the shared bath water. Using a tampon will also help protect against water entering through your cervical opening.
Most onsen will not tell you explicitly that you cannot use the bath on your period. Some people will enter the bath with a tampon, but the topic is often debated. If you're worried, maybe sit this one out.
This prejudice is most clear in public bathing facilities, where tattoos are generally still forbidden, although there is no official ban on them.
Bathing etiquette—the basics
Take a shower before entering the baths. If you are at a hot spring, shampoo, body wash and towels will be provided, but if you are at a public bath, you need to rent or bring your own. Each shower has a stool and bucket.
Onsen fees
Onsen entrance fees range anywhere between JPY 200-2,000, but some of the good ones fall between JPY 400-800. You can bring your own bath towel, though some onsens provide towels or let you rent one.
Do NOT bathe in an onsen if you are at the active stage of a disease (especially if you have a fever); Onsen bathing imposes a large burden on your body, so avoid bathing in an onsen when you are weak and tired as the symptoms may become worse.
No clothes or bathing suits are allowed in the onsen bathing areas. People try hard to preserve the cleanliness of onsen. They are somewhat sacred places. Clothes and bathing suits can bring dirt and soap into the hot spring waters from outside and are, therefore, considered unhygienic.
Inside the Onsen room, you will notice “cleaning stations” along the walls with mirrors, showers and buckets. This is the washing area. Choose a low stool and rinse it off before sitting down. With your small towel, thoroughly wash your entire body, including your hair, using the products provided.
The shortest answer to this, based on research on medical publications and articles in Japanese, doctors would in general not encourage you to go into an onsen while on your period. The most common reasons are that: It's unsanitary and disrespectful toward other people.
The Japanese have perfected the art of onsen, or hot spring baths, for centuries. Traditionally, men and women would bathe together in the same facility, but these days the baths are segregated by gender.
A: The answer differs for men and women. In general, it is acceptable for men to shave in the shower area of the onsen, and razors are even provided. For women, it is not generally acceptable to shave in the onsen as this is seen as an activity that should be done privately.
In general there are two types of onsens: day onsens and overnight stay onsens. The day onsens are for day-trippers who want to relax for a few hours. Overnight onsens are for guests who will be staying the night.
Onsen time varies from person to person– some people can spend up to an hour soaking in the hot water, others feel that a quick 10-minute dip is more than enough. Don't feel under pressure to stay in the onsen too long, or you could do yourself more harm than good.
Some onsen have a strong sulfuric smell while others have a weaker one but, in general, the milkier the water, the stronger the sulfuric smell.
Thermal Effect
It has been found that Japanese way of taking bath consumes significant energy. For example, when you take 42 ℃ onsen for 20 minutes, it is said to consume 220Kcal. It burns your calories as much as light jogging. That means, there is a diet effect!
You won't find it written on the official list of healing effects, but some say that onsen can help stimulate metabolism and burn calories. Entering onsen of 42°C for about 10 minutes burns 70 to 80 calories which is only a little less than jogging for 10 minutes.
It's best not to eat before bathing in the onsen, but you need to drink a lot of water before and after your onsen bath.