Sento in Tokyo: How to Use a Japanese Public Bathhouse

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Researched guide · Checked on Oct 20, 2026

A sento is a Japanese public bathhouse. For centuries they were where neighbors washed, soaked and talked, and Tokyo still has around 400 of them. Today they are a cheap, very local way to enjoy big, hot baths: a visit costs ¥550 for adults, and some even use natural hot spring water. This guide covers prices, how a visit works, seasonal baths and a short history.

How a visit works

• 1. Shoes: take off your shoes at the entrance and put them in a shoe locker.
• 2. Pay: pay the bathing fee. Most bathhouses sell towels, shampoo and soap, and some provide shampoo and body soap for free.
• 3. Changing room: find a free locker and take off all your clothes. Swimsuits and underwear are not allowed in the bath. Take the locker key with you.
• 4. Wash first: take a small towel into the bathing area, sit on a stool and wash before you get into the bath.
• 5. Soak: relax in the large bath.
• 6. Dry off: use your small towel to dry off before going back to the changing room.

Do not bring valuables or large amounts of cash, and leave anything important at the front desk. Many bathhouses put up an etiquette poster in the changing room. For more detail, see our onsen and sento etiquette guide.

Prices

Visitor	Price
Adults (over 12)	¥550
Children (6 to 12)	¥200
Young children (under 6)	¥100

• In Tokyo, boys and girls aged 7 and over must use the bath for their own gender.
• Rules on tattoos are set by each bathhouse. Check with the bathhouse before you go.
• For larger spas and natural hot springs, see our onsen in Tokyo guide.

Seasonal baths

Bath	When
Shobu-yu (iris bath)	May 5, Children’s Day
Lavender-yu	October 10, “Sento Day” (10-10 can be read “sen-to”)
Yuzu-yu (citron bath)	The winter solstice, around December 22

The lavender used in Tokyo’s bathhouses is organic lavender from Nakafurano in Hokkaido. Some bathhouses also hold their own events, such as apple or lemon baths, and dates can vary by bathhouse.

A short history

Bathing in Japan goes back to the 6th century, when some temples had baths for monks. Over the following centuries, temples opened their baths to the public, and at the end of the 12th century the first bathhouses opened as businesses. Sento became very popular in the Edo period, because private baths were banned in Edo (now Tokyo) to prevent fires. Many families kept using sento until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when home baths became common. Today they are popular again as a “hot spring in town”.

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