Founded in 1879, with its 1938 wooden building and curved gable, Takegawara is the symbol of Beppu Onsen. A regular bath costs ¥300 — a deep, hot pool down a flight of steps. The famous sand bath has you buried in warm sand by staff while wearing a yukata. Bring your own soap and shampoo.
A large complex where you can try Kannawa's specialties — waterfall bath, sand bath and steam bath — in one place. It once earned three Michelin stars and is used to overseas guests. Many private family baths; tattooed visitors are directed to these. A restaurant serves hell-steamed dishes. Open until 1 am.
The municipal facility for Ibusuki's famous natural sand bath. Change into a rental yukata, walk down to the beach, and staff bury you in hot sand for about ten minutes; afterwards rinse off in the indoor onsen. At high tide the sand baths move under a roof. ¥1,500 includes the yukata; bring or buy a towel. 20 minutes on foot or 5 by bus from Ibusuki Station.
A cure-style resort in the Furuyu hot-spring hamlet up the Kase River, 30 minutes by car from Saga city. The signature is 'lukewarm' water at around 38 °C — the longer you soak, the more you unwind — long prized as a beautifying bath. The SHIORI bath complex has 15 kinds of baths including an open-air tub facing Mt Tenzan, lying and standing baths, a box steam bath, cypress tub and natural hot-sand bath, all from a private source yielding 43 tonnes a day. Day use 10:00–20:00, ¥1,300 with free face towel; Wednesdays from 15:00 only for maintenance. About 60 minutes by bus from Saga Station to Furuyu Onsen.
A hot-spring complex on a rise in Haruno, Kōchi city, about 30 minutes by car from Kōchi Station, looking out over rice fields. Its big open-air bath fed by an abundant natural spring is the draw, with an indoor bath, a sand bath that warms you to the core, and in July–August a swimwear spa zone (pair baths, a children's spa and so on — ten in all), so families are many. Day bathing: adults ¥700, children ¥300, over-65s ¥500; open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:15), every day apart from occasional maintenance. The Haru Noie restaurant serves a weekly lunch, and a lodging wing with open-air-bath rooms starts at ¥8,650 with breakfast; being near the Haruno sports park it also hosts training camps. About 40 minutes by car from Kōchi Ryōma Airport, or 15 minutes on foot from the terminus of the Tosaden bus for JA Haruno; 60 parking spaces. A rare large open-air bath within Kōchi city, easy to fit between Katsurahama and the Niyodo Blue river.