♨️the order everyone gets wrong their first onsen

written down so I stop re-explaining it to every visiting friend

Undress completely in the changing room

basket or locker, everything off. no swimsuit, even at mixed-gender resort baths unless it's specifically a suit-required pool.

Take your small towel to the washing area

the low stools with handheld showers. this is not optional and not quick.

Wash and rinse your entire body, seated

soap, shampoo, rinse until there's none left. the one mistake I still see: people rinsing for ten seconds and walking straight to the bath.

Pour a bucket of hot water over yourself before stepping in

kakeyu. lets your body adjust so you don't gasp and disturb everyone.

Enter slowly, no jumping, no splashing

Keep the small towel out of the water

fold it on your head or set it on the edge. dropping it in and wringing it out over the bath is the other classic mistake.

Check the tattoo policy before you undress, not after

still banned outright at a lot of traditional places. cover-up patches work for small ones, private baths solve it for everything else.

Soak in short stints, not one long sit

in and out, rest on the edge, back in. new visitors overheat trying to prove something.

Dry off with the small towel before you go back to the changing room

dripping onto tatami is the fastest way to get a look from staff

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