Ofuro Cafe Utatane — Restaurant in Saitama

For westerners... This place is a Spa first, lounge second, then a hotel. If you just want a room as a base to explore the area from, then choosing here is not a good fit. Not at all because it's a bad place, but because it's a really cool place you won't want to leave.

I booked this hotel just for somewhere to stay, relatively close to Saitama that looked cosy, quirky and not like other chain hotels. If you're a westerner, this is definitely not like a normal hotel. On check-in you have to surrender your shoes before you can get your key. The rooms are small and not suited for travellers with a lot of luggage. They also don't have showers. In fact the only way to wash (until I insisted) was the communal bath as the private showers were out of service. Fortunately the staff were kind and understanding enough to open them for me.

As we all should know about Japan already, don't assume English will get you everywhere. The staff here didn't speak it (and why should they have to!), so interacting was somewhat difficult compared to the larger international hotels.

Anyway... all that was specific to my visit which is totally my own fault for not researching enough. This is why I'm writing this review.

I would love to come back here just to spend the day enjoying all the facilities, it's such a cool place. Different lounge areas, for games, reading, studying, massage, coffee, brunch, bathing... the...

Came here to try out the place after seeing a YouTube video about it. It's nicely decorated and has an interesting and inviting feeling. The vibe is definitely directed towards younger people, kind of hip and Instagramable.

I recommend you bring your own towels and pajamas or you'll have to rent them. The clothes they proved me were WAY too small, I couldn't even get the pants up my thighs. Even my Japanese partner said his clothes were too little to be comfortable, but he wore them.

The Onsen and sauna were decent and everything was clean. The food was really delicious. I had a Finnish soup set and everything was nice.

As many reviews have said, it was extremely crowded. When we first arrived it was quiet and seemed like a great place to relax. An hour later, after we had finished bathing, it was almost impossible to find an empty chair. People were wandering around the whole time, searching for places to sit. It was loud and crowded from that point on until we left. We never got to try out the fun seating areas available, so it was a little disappointing.

Overall, a nice place that has all the perks of a typical Onsen, but a much livelier environment. If you don't mind noise,...

I found this rather unique hotel/spa/communal space due to its proximity to the nearby Bonsai Museum and Village in Omiya. What initially attracted me to the facility were the Onsen baths and the on-site cafe. I did my homework beforehand however so I had some idea of the spa concept and the communal space concept (the library, work areas, napping areas, and the public baths, etc). Most of the negative reviews I read seemed to originate with non-Japanese being uncomfortable with the concept of everyone lounging around in pajamas, reading, eating, napping, bathing, and game-playing. My partner and I found this concept not only culturally unique but also incredibly inviting and accommodating. Never were we made to feel out place - in a two day stay we were the only foreigners amongst a few hundred guests - both day and overnight. The food was excellent and very fairly priced, the jacuzzis, saunas, and bathing areas were clean and well maintained. And as is the custom in Japanese onsen baths, no bathing attire is allowed. Full nudity is the norm - but men’s facilities are separate from...