Kagawa · Shionoe Onsen
Livemax Resort Sanuki Shionoe Onsen (former Sanuki Onsen)
リブマックスリゾート讃岐塩江温泉（旧 さぬき温泉）
A lone inn in the hills of Shionoe, Takamatsu's traditional retreat and one of only two nationally designated therapeutic hot-spring areas on Shikoku. Its own pH 8.4 bicarbonate spring feeds a rotenburo above the stream, an indoor bath and a sauna, with a large free rest room. Day use in two sessions — 6:00–11:00 and 15:00–22:00 — for ¥700. Just 20 minutes by car from Takamatsu Airport, so handy before a flight.
- Price (adult)
- ¥700
- Hours
- 6:00–11:00 and 15:00–22:00 (last entry 20:00)
- Closed
- Open daily (occasional closures)
- Access
- Bus 60 min from JR Takamatsu to Shionoe, then community bus 20 min to Sanuki-Onsen; 20 min by car from Takamatsu Airport
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day bathing adults (13+) ¥700, seniors (65+) ¥600, elementary ¥300, infants (2+) ¥200. Prepaid plans via Jalan and others. Shampoo and body soap provided; bring a towel or pay for one. The post-bath lounge with manga and recliners is open to day visitors. Day plans with dinner on request
- Baths
- A resort inn in the hills on the upper Koto river in Shionoe, Takamatsu's 'back parlour' (the former 'Sanuki Onsen', acquired and rebranded by Livemax in the 2020s; 20 rooms). Gender-separated main baths (indoor) and rotenburo (two on the men's side, one on the women's), a sauna (promoted as 'Sauna Max'), changing rooms and lockers. The outdoor baths open onto the gorge's forest, lovely in fresh green and autumn colour. Restaurant, shop and banquet hall; overnight guests bathe until midnight
- Spring water
- Source 'Sanuki Onsen No. 3', a sodium bicarbonate spring (hypotonic, mildly alkaline cold mineral spring) at 20.1°C, heated for use. The slippery feel typical of bicarbonate waters has earned it the names 'beauty water' and 'skin-beautifying water'; clear and gentle, it suits children and the elderly. Shionoe, 'Shikoku's cure-spa', is said to have been discovered about 1,300 years ago by the monk Gyoki. Indicated for poor circulation, fatigue, stiff muscles, cuts and dry skin. The 'chloride spring' wording on the website describes Shionoe in general; this facility's own source is bicarbonate
- Access & parking
- Free parking for 50 cars. By car about 50 min (28 km) south from central Takamatsu on Route 193, about 40 min from Takamatsu-Nishi IC on the Takamatsu Expressway, or via Routes 193/438 from Tokushima. By bus about 1 h 10 min on the Kotoden Bus Shionoe line from JR Takamatsu Station or Kotoden Kawaramachi to the 'Shionoe' terminus, then about 2.5 km (5 min by taxi; ask about the inn shuttle). Michi-no-eki Shionoe and Gyoki-no-yu 5 min by car
- Phone
- 087-893-0300
- Official site
- livemax-resort.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Rare day-use bath in Shionoe
- Open from 6 am
- 20 min from Takamatsu Airport
Shionoe, Shikoku's 1,300-year-old cure-spa — a mountain rotenburo open from 6 a.m.
Livemax Resort Sanuki Shionoe Onsen is a resort inn in the Shionoe hot-spring valley in the hills of Shionoe, Takamatsu, Kagawa, 50 minutes by car south of the city. Shionoe, 'Shikoku's cure-spa', is said to have been discovered about 1,300 years ago by the Nara-period monk Gyoki; it is Takamatsu's 'back parlour', with inns and municipal baths dotted along the Koto river gorge. Long known as 'Sanuki Onsen', the property was taken over and rebranded by the Livemax group as a 20-room inn, and it opens its gender-separated main baths, forest-facing rotenburo and sauna to day visitors from 6 to 11 in the morning and 3 to 10 at night. The source is a 20°C cold mineral spring, but the slippery feel typical of bicarbonate water has earned it the name 'beauty water', and with adults at ¥700 and seniors at ¥600, plus a lounge with manga and recliners, it makes an easy, lazy half-day out from Takamatsu.
Slippery bicarbonate water, a forest-facing rotenburo and a sauna
The baths comprise gender-separated main indoor pools, rotenburo (two on the men's side, one on the women's) and a sauna. The water from source 'Sanuki Onsen No. 3' is a sodium bicarbonate spring, clear and almost odourless, and the slippery film it leaves on the skin — the hallmark of bicarbonate water — is pronounced enough that reviewers often call it 'syrupy'. As the source is a 20.1°C cold mineral spring it is heated and recirculated, but it is non-irritating and fine for children and the elderly; the rotenburo opens onto the gorge's forest, lovely in spring green, November colour and the cool breeze of a summer night. The sauna is promoted as 'Sauna Max', complete with posted bathing tips, and afterwards day visitors can relax in the lounge lined with manga and recliners. Shampoo and body soap are provided; bring or buy a towel. Opening at 6 a.m. means an early-morning soak without staying over — a rare advantage around Takamatsu.
Prices, hours and a Shionoe itinerary
Day bathing is 6:00–11:00 and 15:00–22:00 (last entry 20:00); there is no fixed closing day, but the inn may close for operational reasons, so a call (087-893-0300) is reassuring (listings of 9:00–21:00 and 2nd/4th Wednesday closures on some booking sites are outdated). Adults ¥700, 65 and over ¥600, elementary ¥300, infants ¥200. It is 50 minutes from central Takamatsu on Route 193 and 2.5 km beyond the Kotoden bus terminus, so a car is handiest. In the Shionoe valley compare it with the municipal 'Gyoki-no-yu' beside Michi-no-eki Shionoe (5 min by car), and enjoy the cherry-blossom tunnel in spring, fireflies and the Shionoe Onsen Festival in summer (August), autumn colour and mountain fare in winter. Back in Takamatsu there are Ritsurin Garden and the Sanuki udon trail; cross Routes 193/438 the other way and you reach Mima's udatsu townscape and Mt Tsurugi in Tokushima, making it a good midway stop on a Shikoku traverse. Its reasonably priced two-meal stays also make it popular as a value inn.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
Mood & scenery
Convenience
Price
Who with
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
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