Tattoo-Friendly Onsen

Hot springs are one of my favorite aspects of Japan, and soaking is one of my favorite activities living here.

As a tattooed person, people are often surprised to hear that I love going to onsen and that I soak all the time. Although attitudes in Japan towards tattoos can still be really conservative, finding places to soak isn't impossible, but it does take work.

This is the database that I wish existed when I moved here. All of the listings are tattoo-friendly, either explicitly (because the facility has signs stating that tattoos are welcome) or implicitly (because there is no tattoo signage and I went there, soaked, and felt comfortable), and have been verified be me personally.

A warning: just because a facility is tattoo-friendly doesn't mean the patrons won't harass you. It's unfortunate, but it has happened to me and to tattooed people who I know. Not often, but it does occur.

Onsen or Sento - What's the Difference?

This database contains both onsen and sento locations. You can filter for one or the other using the Facility Tags.

Generally, sento don't care about tattoos. Sometimes, super sento do care about tattoos. Onsen can be more restrictive, so it's important to try to check their tattoo-friendliness before you go. (I've been unpleasently surprised by this a few times. It's no fun.)

Check out the glossary to learn more about Japanese bathing terms and the Facility Tags used in this database. Then, you can filter the data set to find the kind of locations you're looking for, or browse using the map.

Enjoy, and happy soaking!