京都玉の湯

3 warm/hot pools, an electric pool (?), a sauna, and a cold plunge, each fitting 2-4. None of the temperatures are that extreme (particularly the sauna was pretty mild) but you can get a good rotation going and it builds up. Mostly locals, a couple tourists. All in

15 minutes from the hotel I was staying at. Great place to go. Foreigner friendly, tattoo friendly as well (even to my big 14 inch rose tattoo). Place was clean and well kept. If you need a towel, shampoo, Conditioner, soap etc they do have them there for sale so dont fret if you left something. I do recommend you bring your own towel if you're used to using large bath towels. In a super easy to find spot. Will definitely come back the next chance I get.

It's a very nice bath. The sauna is included in the price, shower gel and shampoo is not. So better bring your own. When I was there it was kinda full. So not much relaxing possible.

A wonderful local Japanese bath that's a rare combination: filled with locals but incredibly welcoming to tourists. The baths are clean, the locals friendly and it's not overrun with tourists. There are signs in English, so navigating isn't a problem. I'll give you a lowdown if you're new to Japanese baths. 🚿 The communal baths are for soaking in, not getting clean. You take a shower (on site) with soap before entering the bath. 🧼 Bring your own towel and soap. But if you don't have one, you can rent a towel and buy soap for a very reasonable price. 🛀 Tama-no-yu has 3 hot baths (one with jets), 1 cold bath, 1 electric bath and 1 sauna. You share the baths (there are benches in the water like in a western hot tub), with room for about 4-6 people. ⚡Electric bath? Yes! Denkiburo (電気風呂) is where low level electric current flows through the water. It's said to help with pain and fatigue, and feels tingly. 👦👧 Baths are separated by gender ✔️ Tattoos are okay! This is rare, I have a couple and it was no issue. A fellow patron even told my my tattoo was pretty :) 👕 Yes, this is a thing you do naked. You go into the dry change room, put your clothes on a locker/shelf, hang your towel at the door and then go into the wet area to shower and soak. When you come back out, stand in the tiled area and dry off before walking on the dry tatami. 💵 Entry was ¥550 on my visit, which is about $5. I believe towel rental was ¥100 or so. ⏰ This is an afternoon/evening thing. Check the current hours, but it's generally open from 3pm to 11pm. Enjoy and respect this gem! For more Kyoto finds, see my 'Kyoto' list on Maps.

I come to Tama-no-yu pretty much on a weekly basis. They are quite welcoming to foreigners and the staff do their best to accommodate them. The sentou is quite clean and everything is kept in good quality. Both the sauna and the baths are as nice as you can ask for in a cheap public bathhouse. The temperatures of each bath are ideal in my opinion. You can also purchase any items you might need such as a small towel or shampoo. The only downside is that it is often too crowded for the size of the establishment. It can’t be helped in such a popular area. Sometimes when I go here, the baths are nearly completely full as well as the sauna and I have to awkwardly wait to the side. Otherwise, this is best sentou in the area and I can safely recommend it to anyone.