Thermae-Yu — Restaurant in Tokyo

A total spa day. This is my favourite place in Tokyo to relax and lounge. I treat it like a spa day and spend several hours here. It's a great place for beginners to Japan's public bath. It's incredibly clean, smells nice, and has calming spa music. All the people behind the counter I've encountered so far have good enough English to let you know what this place is all about. If you enjoy a good sweat on a hot stone bed, I highly recommend the Terra upgrade. It may seem intimidating at first but you get over it pretty easily. Here are some instructions to ease you into this experience if you're unsure about trying it out. Take off your shoes when you first enter and put it one of the lockers on your right. Take the key with you. Go to the counter and they will give you a wristband that acts as your locker key and wallet. This is when you can choose to upgrade. Walk further in and get your spa clothes and towel. You will be given a small bag to carry your towel and anything else you want to keep on you. I keep my phone with me to spend time in the many lounges. If you're only doing the basic spa, you get to choose between a dress or shirt and pant combo. Sizes are very forgiving. Go to the changeroom and find your locker number which is on your wristband. Here you can keep your undies on under your spa clothes. I prefer to keep my panties on and remove my bra. It's all up to how you feel. You will walk around the spa in these clothes. It's best to take your socks off too. Lock the locker when you're done. It doesn't do this automatically. Head to the baths on the 2nd floor! When you go into the changeroom, choose any available locker (has a key attached which is also on a wristband) and take off all your clothing. This is when you are completely nude. Go into the bath area and there will be small shower stalls. Choose one and sit down at it. There are also pink body scrub towels for you to use. Give your body a good scrub. There are shower caps in the changeroom if you don't want to wash your hair but I recommend it for the full experience! They even have face wash for the ladies. The Japanese shower style is to wet yourself, turn off the water, soap yourself up, then wash it off. This is why the shower head does not stay on on its own, you need to hold it down. There is a small bucket for you to fill up with water by pressing down on the round button right in the center of the stall. You fill it up and then pour the water over yourself. When you're all clean, be sure to tie your hair up and go enjoy a bath! There are so many kinds you can spend a few minutes in each to see which you like. There's also a steam room with a free mud mask and salt scrub, a sauna, and a private tub. When you've had enough (or when you get woozy), head back into the changeroom but dry yourself off with the available small towels first. These are found at the door to the baths. You can now choose to use their many loungers or grab a bite to eat. There is one just for ladies on the 3rd floor.

Rinse and repeat! I like to do a loop of baths, lounge, baths, and lounge before I end my day. Their lounge chairs are very easy to fall asleep in, which many people do! Plan to spend several hours here and...

A Bad Experience... I usually don't write reviews unless I experience something really exceptional or something pretty disappointing. A friend and I arrived around 11pm on a weekday night and was explained that there would be an additional fee since we would be leaving after midnight. We asked why there was an additional charge, perhaps certain amenities would be open only during these late hours. Reluctantly, we agreed and went inside. The facility is nice, certainly not co-ed if that is your thing. But a decent setup, although there are much better for the price. However, it became pretty clear that a lot of the facility was closed during this time. Specifically, the gravel/rock rooms, the lounge, and part of the hot springs. We really just wanted to get a drink at the lounge but to our surprise (maybe its our fault but it was certainly a surprise) that there were dozens and dozens of people sleeping there, many snoring. It just seems that many locals are sleeping there overnight and go to work the next day, because it was very late in the night at this point. And we couldn't have a conversation as to not disturb the sleepers. So we checked out and asked why there was an extra charge for late night attendance, and did not get any reason. And what finally made this a one star experience was a very weird guy came from the back room as we were asking the woman attendant about the charge and demanded (screaming like he was dying) we remove our shoes (out of nowhere, which was a mistake on our part as we were walking out) but was so adamant about it that he walked back to the back room and told us he was calling the police and said ("oh my god, I have to deal with this"). This was after we had politely agreed and removed our shoes. It was the only english he spoke to us. Still no explanation on the final charge, and no apology for the rudeness.

I think it's just a classic case of rudeness to us as foreigners. I love Japan and am treated so nicely there but this was an exception. I've been to spas all over the world, and hadn't had someone so openly want us to leave. I honestly think that for a local, the place is probably great. And perhaps we did make a faux pax, but I don't consider any of that over the line. So I submit this review for the purpose of nothing more than hopefully providing one person's perspective on how a great night turned into a ruined night, and it certainly was not necessary. Good luck...

This place is ok. It definitely helps if you can speak some Japanese but if you know what to expect, you’ll also probably get by. The place is kind of run down and dirty in places. It’s not a luxury place. It’s also pretty close to the prostitution area so it’s a bit of a seedy neighbourhood.

Also be careful - if you have tattoos you will be ejected. I saw it happen a couple of times. Even if you cover with a plaster or something, there are guys there who look for foreigners and kinda want to throw them out. That is the impression I got. Japan can be like that.

Anyway, here are the instructions:

Take your shoes off immediately when entering the building. Stash them in a locker. Collect your first locker key. Approach the desk. They’ll tell you the rules and ask you to sign something promising you have no tattoos, haven’t been drinking and won’t talk to anyone. They give you your second locker key. It’s a specific locker which you must use for your clothing. Walk past the towel collection area. Collect a towel and pyjamas set. Go to the locker room. Find your assigned locker. Put your clothes in there and change into your pyjamas. Keep your underwear on under your pyjamas. Lock the locker by pressing the key against the panel and see the little lock symbol come on. Take your towel and little bag with you. Go explore. Check out the relaxation floors and restaurant. When ready to onsen, go to the 2nd floor. Find a locker here. Take off everything and put it in there. Leave your towel and little bag in there too. Collect locker key number 3. Drag your set of keys into the onsen and clean yourself first. Use the little bays to shower. Go onsen. Doing the hot one, then the sauna then the cold one is great fun. When finished with all that, shower. Go to your last locker and get your towel. Dry off and change into the pyjamas. Go relax in the lounges, have food at the restaurant or whatever. When done, go to the main locker room and get changed into your clothes. Drop the towel and bag into the collection bins at the front of the changing room. Go to reception. Give them one of the locker keys. Pay. You probably need cash or a physical card. Touch / RFID pay using your phone doesn’t work here. Collect your barcode. You need this to get out of the exit gate. You’re ready to get your shoes. Put them on. Congratulate yourself. You just...