Ebeotsu Onsen Hotel

We came to enjoy the onsen and had a really pleasant time. Thanks for making us feel welcome.

I really hope this place sticks around. The water was good, and that lukewarm hot spring tub was just right for me after the sauna since I don't enjoy cold baths. The stone-surrounded indoor bath was a nice mood lift, and I had fun trying the regular and hot tubs and the electric bubble bath. There's no open-air bath, but I still enjoyed the variety. The showers and taps feel straight out of the Showa era, and the rest area is well-used, though it was clean.

The neighborhood regulars kept the bath lively while I was there. Admission is about as cheap as a public bath, and with six compact baths, a sauna, and no outdoor bath, the bathroom has a real Showa-era feel. I liked that it opens at 9:30, so you can get a soak in before heading out. The source-fed water was about 30 degrees, and I felt neither chilly nor sweaty afterward. The sauna is compact too.

It feels like a bit of a hidden hot spring. There are four hot spring baths, plus a cold spring bath, a sauna, and a separate cold plunge. The whole place is clearly old, and while updating everything would be a lot, the sauna bench and wall wood could at least use replacing. The main hot spring, about 46°C, and the medium-temperature bath have a sodium-calcium chloride water. Mineral deposits give it a reddish ochre color, and it really is salty. A regular gentleman who says he comes 364 days a year told me it used to be much saltier, before a certain earthquake. The water keeps you warm for a long time after a soak. There's also a cloudy white cold spring at around 20-30°C. It's mildly fizzy and lukewarm, so you'll want to stay in for a while. The electric bath and heated jet bath are there too. The sauna's temperature and humidity felt just right. It has an electric stone heater, though you can't pour water on it for loyly (löyly). Thin iron plates cover the stones and seem to create odd convection currents that circulate the heat well. The humidity is good too, presumably because water from the cold bath spills over and soaks into the wooden door. The cold plunge is cloudy white as well, but apparently it's well water rather than hot spring water, and it's ice cold. I stayed the night too. The room and futons were old but clean and nice. The toilet and fridge are shared and outside the room.