Hot Spring Healing Center Nikko Onsen — Local services in Nikko

This onsen was amazing. It is smaller than several, however, the water is deeper than it appears. I'm 6'4 (193 cm). I'm taller than the average person and there was more than enough room for me to be there as well as 5 others, and still room left over. It is smaller but there's enough room to fit at least 8 people. I had a good experience but also, because of language-barrier encountered a situation that I misread. The 4 is due to the size of the onsen, it is small but it gets the job done. The staff was very kind. And that's where the language barrier became an issue for me. I've lived in Japan for many years, but there are some things culturally that I still learn to this day. I took a nice dip in the onsen, chatted with OGs a bit. Everyone was cool. Upon stepping out of the onsen, and taking a breather due to the intensity of the water, i was asked to not re-enter. However, I've sat in many onsens in Japan before. From others in Nikko, Shizuoka and several other places. So I felt that it was unnecessary. However, perhaps the man was concerned with hypothermia. For the most part, once they understood I can speak Japanese, it wasn't too big of a deal. That small situation however, perhaps I misread it. I plan to explain my side to the staff next time I'm in the area. I think communication is important. However, sometimes language isn't the only barrier and every onsen is different and has a different way they do things. Coming out of the onsen, relaxing and then going back in wasn't an issue in most places but perhaps it was simply the man showing concern. The onsens in Nikko are great onsens. The water felt good and definitely can heal the body. That slight miscommunication was less than 4 minutes of my 1 1/2 hour there. For just relaxing, getting some of those good vitamins and minerals in the body and relaxing, I'll definitely say at a mininum of 4 stars. If the situation was merely concern, then that's just a miscommunication among men. If it was just someone being extra, that's a different conversation. However, we all paid our money, we're going to eat some good food later so I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. If I'm in the area and I see the OG, I hope to be able to explain my side. There was no rudeness or aggression, just merely me saying, every other onsen doesn't do that. I've been to them too many times. The water is great, the front desk staff was cool too. Just pay your bread, enter the locker room, undress, shower, and hop in. The water is hot, but it's good for the body. And hopefully, eat some good food afterward. It is quite a walk from the station, so I recommend getting a taxi. Also, after my time, the staff offered to call a taxi for me. I declined, because the nearby river and scenery was beautiful and it was a nice day. For travelers, I'd recommend it for rest and relaxation. I think I visited towards the end of July 2023. And I questioned whether to post a review or not, however, 1 person does not equate to the hard work of the staff there. The water, and the staff that I met who were on the job were fine. Kind, and cool. I'm not sure who the OG was. For all I know, maybe he was the owner, maybe he was just a regular in the area, I'm not certain. All in all, I'll chalk it up to a miscommunication, and in the end, I still enjoyed my bath, and had a good day. Just a miscommunication between 2 grown men does not reflect negatively on the staff that had nothing to do with that. So, I'll say 4. The water is deeper than it appears to be, and...

This was the only place open, so I decided to give it a try. At the reception, the man told me that for non-Nikko residents, it’s 700 yen for adults and 350 yen for elementary school students. He also warned me in advance: “It’s small, and it’s hot.” And he was absolutely right.

There are only four or five shower stations, and one is so close to the bath that it’s practically unusable. The bath itself is shaped like a right-angled triangle—you enter from the short side, with room for about three people along the long side and maybe one or two along the hypotenuse. It’s definitely not spacious; if three or four people are in, there’s really no room for anyone else.

The water is so hot it’ll jolt you awake and get your blood pumping—you won’t be able to soak for long. From the moment I undressed to the moment I stepped back out, I spent only about 15 minutes inside. Even so, I left feeling toasty warm, with my stiff shoulders and neck loosened, and the fatigue from my 230 km drive completely gone.

It seems to be a favorite gathering spot for the...

Had our first visit to a local onsen. Everyone was so helpful, even the other customers. I was short of a few yen for the towel rental and only had a 10000 yen note. The lady waived her hand, got out her purse and paid the small difference. Lovely experience and heated through the muscles nicely after a day of shrine...