In Kinosaki, on Japan’s Sea of Japan coast, guests leave their inn after dinner in a cotton yukata and wooden sandals and walk along a willow-lined canal from one public bathhouse to the next. That is East Asian wellness at its most typical: hot water from volcanic ground, shared by everyone, with a set of rules that take five minutes to learn.
Japan has thousands of hot-spring areas, from steaming Beppu to Hakone an hour from Tokyo. South Korea turned the bathhouse into a 24-hour social club, the jjimjilbang, where families sleep on heated floors. Taiwan has springs on the Taipei metro, and China adds tea culture, tai chi and the old imperial baths near Xi’an.
Beyond the water there are temple stays on Mount Koya and in Korea’s mountain monasteries, where you eat vegetarian temple food and rise for dawn prayers.
At a Glance#
- Onsen towns: Beppu and its steaming “hells”, Hakone near Tokyo, canal-side Kinosaki and Kusatsu’s wooden Yubatake, all in Japan.
- Korean bathhouses: jjimjilbang in Seoul and Busan, with saunas, scrubs and sleeping halls for about 10,000 to 20,000 won.
- Taiwan hot springs: Beitou on the metro from Taipei, plus hot-spring areas in Yangmingshan and Wulai.
- Temple stays: shukubo lodging on Mount Koya and Korean templestays at monasteries like Haeinsa and Woljeongsa.
- China: tea in Hangzhou, tai chi in the Wudang Mountains and hot springs in Tengchong.
- Best season: late autumn and winter, for open-air baths in snow or among red maples.
Japan's onsen towns#
Beppu on Kyushu produces more hot water than anywhere else in Japan. Steam rises from street vents, the “hells” (jigoku) are coloured pools you look at rather than bathe in, and the town’s public baths offer sand baths, mud baths and steam rooms as well as ordinary tubs. Nearby Yufuin, below Mount Yufu, is quieter, with small inns and galleries.
Hakone is the easiest onsen trip from Tokyo, with ryokan, day-use baths, the volcanic valley of Owakudani and boats on Lake Ashi. Kinosaki has seven public bathhouses along its canal: overnight guests at local inns usually bathe free, and day visitors buy the Yumepa pass for 1,500 yen (about 10 USD). Not all seven are always open, as they close in turn for maintenance. Kusatsu in Gunma is famous for its strong acidic water, which flows down wooden channels in the Yubatake at the centre of town, where women stir and cool it with wooden paddles in the yumomi show.
In the north, Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata is a single street of wooden inns lit by gas lamps, at its most photogenic in snow, and Noboribetsu in Hokkaido sits beside a volcanic “Hell Valley”. Our Best Onsen in Japan guide covers more towns and the rules on tattoos.
Onsen etiquette#
- Wash first: sit on a stool at the showers and scrub before you get in.
- No swimsuits: baths are single-sex and nude, except at a few mixed or resort spas.
- Small towel: keep it out of the water; many people fold it on their head.
- Tattoos: many public baths still refuse them. Look for tattoo-friendly baths, cover small ones with a patch, or book a private family bath (kashikiri).
South Korea#
The jjimjilbang is Korea’s great everyday luxury. You pay once, get a T-shirt and shorts, and use hot and cold pools, a range of saunas from salt rooms to charcoal kilns, a canteen selling sikhye rice drink and baked eggs, and a heated sleeping hall where you can stay the night. The bathing areas are single-sex and nude; the common halls are mixed and clothed. Book a seshin body scrub with an attendant for a deep exfoliation.
Busan’s Spa Land at Shinsegae Centum City is the most polished, with about 17,000 won (about 12 USD) for adults on weekdays and 20,000 won at weekends. Seoul has dozens of neighbourhood jjimjilbang open around the clock. Royal visitors once came to the hot springs of Icheon southeast of Seoul.
For something slower, the Templestay programme lets you stay a night or two at Buddhist monasteries such as Haeinsa and Woljeongsa, with meditation, a 108-bow ceremony and temple meals. Book through the official Templestay site. Our Temples in South Korea guide lists more.
Taiwan#
Beitou, in the hills at the north end of Taipei, is a hot-spring district at the end of the metro’s Xinbeitou branch. Its Thermal Valley steams like a cauldron, the old public bathhouse is now a free museum, and hotels rent private hot-spring rooms by the hour. The cheap open-air public pool, the Millennium Hot Spring, has been closed for renovation since early 2025, so check before you go. Above Beitou, Yangmingshan has sulphur springs and walking trails.
South of Taipei, Wulai, near Wulai Waterfall, has riverside baths in an Atayal village, and Jiaoxi in Yilan has free foot baths in town. Guanziling in the south is one of the world’s few mud hot springs, with grey, silty water.
China#
China’s wellness traditions are less about bathing. In Hangzhou, tea plantations in the hills around West Lake grow Longjing green tea, and you can visit farms and tea houses. The Wudang Mountains are the home of Taoist tai chi, with schools that take foreign students for weeks or months. Every city park has tai chi groups at dawn, and they rarely mind you joining at the back.
Hot springs exist too. Huaqing Palace, at the foot of Mount Li near Xi’an, has baths used by emperors since the Tang dynasty, now a garden site rather than a spa. Tengchong in Yunnan has volcanic hot springs and resort spas. Traditional Chinese medicine clinics in big cities offer massage, cupping and acupuncture.
Temple stays in Japan#
Mount Koya, the mountain headquarters of Shingon Buddhism in Wakayama, has about 50 temples offering shukubo lodging. You sleep on tatami, eat shojin ryori vegetarian cuisine, join morning prayers, and walk through the lantern-lit cemetery of Okunoin at dusk. Kyoto’s temples offer zazen meditation sessions for visitors. See Temples and Shrines in Japan.
When to go and costs#
Winter and late autumn are the best months: open-air baths are most pleasant on cold days, and snow onsen in Ginzan or Kusatsu are a highlight from December to February. Summer is hot and humid, though Korean jjimjilbang run all year.
| Experience | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Japanese public bath (sento or onsen) | 500 to 1,500 yen |
| Kinosaki Yumepa day pass | 1,500 yen |
| Korean jjimjilbang | 10,000 to 20,000 won |
| Spa Land, Busan | 17,000 won weekdays, 20,000 won weekends |
Stay at least one night in a ryokan with its own baths. Dinner, breakfast and unlimited bathing are included, and many offer a private bath you can reserve, which solves the tattoo problem.
Best wellness destinations in East Asia#
More Things to Do#
East Asia wellness FAQs#
What is the best onsen town in Japan?
Beppu has the most variety, Kinosaki is best for bath-hopping in a yukata, and Kusatsu has the strongest water. For an easy trip from Tokyo, Hakone is the obvious choice.
Can I go to an onsen with tattoos?
Sometimes. Many public baths in Japan still refuse visible tattoos, but more now accept them or allow small ones covered with a patch. Private baths in ryokan and tattoo-friendly baths are the reliable options.
How much does a jjimjilbang cost in Korea?
Usually about 10,000 to 20,000 won for entry, including clothes and a towel. Busan’s Spa Land costs about 17,000 won on weekdays. Body scrubs and massages are extra.
Can you sleep in a jjimjilbang?
Yes. Many are open 24 hours, and the entry fee lets you sleep on mats in the heated common halls. Some charge a small surcharge for overnight stays.
How do I get to Beitou hot springs from Taipei?
Take the metro’s red line to Beitou and change to the short branch to Xinbeitou, about 30 to 40 minutes from central Taipei. The Millennium Hot Spring public pool has been closed for renovation since early 2025, but hotels in Beitou rent private hot-spring rooms.