Sento saunas in Kyoto, Japan
むらさき湯
Murasaki-yu is a sento by the Horikawa-Kitaoji bus stop in Kita-ku whose changing room was built by shipwrights in the early Showa era. The bathroom has a spacious sauna and baths drawn from natural water 100 metres underground, including standing, sitting and lying jet baths, an open-air bath, a herbal bath, an electric bath and a cold bath. It also hosts rakugo nights. Open 15:00 to 1:00, closed Mondays.
サウナの梅湯
Sauna no Umeyu is a neighbourhood sento on the Takase River in Shimogyo, revived in 2015 as the first bath of the Yutonamisha collective and known for its red, yellow and green neon sign. Both the men's and women's sides have a dry sauna, a cold bath, deep and shallow baths, an electric bath and a herbal bath. Entry is 550 yen; it opens 6:00 to 2:00 the next morning and closes on Thursdays.
サウナ平安湯
Sauna Heian-yu is a modern-looking sento in Yoshida, Sakyo, near Kyoto University, billed as a 'museum sento' for its 7.2-metre painted mural of Kyoto festivals, with notes explaining each scene (English text is available). Its electric saunas with television run at about 112 °C on the men's side and 100 °C on the women's, beside a cold bath of flowing natural groundwater and a daily herbal bath. Open 15:00 to midnight, closed Thursdays.
小町湯
Komachi-yu is a sento of more than 100 years in Nishi-Shichijo, Shimogyo, with a retro tiled front and neon lights. Its baths use mineral-rich groundwater heated slowly over firewood. It has two saunas, a steam sauna and a Bona sauna, one of only two in Kyoto, plus a flowing cold bath and a place to cool off outdoors, as well as an open-air bath. Entry is 550 yen; open 15:00 to 1:00 (Sundays from 7:00), closed Tuesdays.
玉光湯 ひじりのね 伏見店
Gyokko-yu Hijirinone is a super sento in Hazukashi, Fushimi, open 8:00 to midnight every day of the year. The men's side has a tower sauna with automatic löyly for five minutes every hour from 9:00 to 23:00 at 85 to 90 °C, and a Finnish sauna; the women's side has a tower sauna and a herb-scented salt sauna at about 60 °C. Its 10 °C cold bath is billed as the first in Kyoto, and there is a high-concentration carbonated bath.
白山湯 六条店
Hakusan-yu Rokujo is the Shinmachi-Rokujo branch of the Hakusan-yu sento, a short walk from Kyoto Station in Shimogyo. It has a sauna, a cold bath and an open-air bath alongside deep and shallow baths, jet, electric and herbal baths. It opens 15:00 to midnight on weekdays and from 7:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and is closed on Wednesdays.
白山湯 高辻店
Hakusan-yu Takatsuji is a neighbourhood sento in Shimogyo, about ten minutes' walk from Shijo subway station, and one of two Hakusan-yu baths in the ward. Alongside deep and shallow baths, jet, electric and herbal baths it has a sauna and a cold bath, and the bath water is rotated daily. It opens 15:00 to midnight on weekdays and from 7:00 on Sundays, and closes on Saturdays.
紫野温泉
Murasakino Onsen is a late-night sento east of Daitokuji temple in Kita-ku, known for keeping some of the latest hours of any bath in the prefecture. Its milky micro-bubble bath is the signature, alongside an open-air bath, a sauna, a cold bath and jet and electric baths, and draft beer is sold after the bath. The cooperative lists it as open 15:00 to 2:00, closed Wednesdays.
鴨川湯
Kamogawa-yu is a sento on Kitaoji-dori in Shimogamo, founded in 1926 and taken over by the Yutonamisha collective in 2023, which kept its tiled bathroom and filled the walls with tiles salvaged from closed Kyoto bathhouses. Its baths use firewood-heated natural groundwater, and both sides have a sauna and a cold bath. Entry is 550 yen; open 14:00 to 1:00 (Sundays from 8:00), closed Tuesdays.
むらさき湯
Murasaki-yu is a sento by the Horikawa-Kitaoji bus stop in Kita-ku whose changing room was built by shipwrights in the early Showa era. The bathroom has a spacious sauna and baths drawn from natural water 100 metres underground, including standing, sitting and lying jet baths, an open-air bath, a herbal bath, an electric bath and a cold bath. It also hosts rakugo nights. Open 15:00 to 1:00, closed Mondays.
サウナの梅湯
Sauna no Umeyu is a neighbourhood sento on the Takase River in Shimogyo, revived in 2015 as the first bath of the Yutonamisha collective and known for its red, yellow and green neon sign. Both the men's and women's sides have a dry sauna, a cold bath, deep and shallow baths, an electric bath and a herbal bath. Entry is 550 yen; it opens 6:00 to 2:00 the next morning and closes on Thursdays.
サウナ平安湯
Sauna Heian-yu is a modern-looking sento in Yoshida, Sakyo, near Kyoto University, billed as a 'museum sento' for its 7.2-metre painted mural of Kyoto festivals, with notes explaining each scene (English text is available). Its electric saunas with television run at about 112 °C on the men's side and 100 °C on the women's, beside a cold bath of flowing natural groundwater and a daily herbal bath. Open 15:00 to midnight, closed Thursdays.
小町湯
Komachi-yu is a sento of more than 100 years in Nishi-Shichijo, Shimogyo, with a retro tiled front and neon lights. Its baths use mineral-rich groundwater heated slowly over firewood. It has two saunas, a steam sauna and a Bona sauna, one of only two in Kyoto, plus a flowing cold bath and a place to cool off outdoors, as well as an open-air bath. Entry is 550 yen; open 15:00 to 1:00 (Sundays from 7:00), closed Tuesdays.
玉光湯 ひじりのね 伏見店
Gyokko-yu Hijirinone is a super sento in Hazukashi, Fushimi, open 8:00 to midnight every day of the year. The men's side has a tower sauna with automatic löyly for five minutes every hour from 9:00 to 23:00 at 85 to 90 °C, and a Finnish sauna; the women's side has a tower sauna and a herb-scented salt sauna at about 60 °C. Its 10 °C cold bath is billed as the first in Kyoto, and there is a high-concentration carbonated bath.
白山湯 六条店
Hakusan-yu Rokujo is the Shinmachi-Rokujo branch of the Hakusan-yu sento, a short walk from Kyoto Station in Shimogyo. It has a sauna, a cold bath and an open-air bath alongside deep and shallow baths, jet, electric and herbal baths. It opens 15:00 to midnight on weekdays and from 7:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and is closed on Wednesdays.
白山湯 高辻店
Hakusan-yu Takatsuji is a neighbourhood sento in Shimogyo, about ten minutes' walk from Shijo subway station, and one of two Hakusan-yu baths in the ward. Alongside deep and shallow baths, jet, electric and herbal baths it has a sauna and a cold bath, and the bath water is rotated daily. It opens 15:00 to midnight on weekdays and from 7:00 on Sundays, and closes on Saturdays.
紫野温泉
Murasakino Onsen is a late-night sento east of Daitokuji temple in Kita-ku, known for keeping some of the latest hours of any bath in the prefecture. Its milky micro-bubble bath is the signature, alongside an open-air bath, a sauna, a cold bath and jet and electric baths, and draft beer is sold after the bath. The cooperative lists it as open 15:00 to 2:00, closed Wednesdays.
鴨川湯
Kamogawa-yu is a sento on Kitaoji-dori in Shimogamo, founded in 1926 and taken over by the Yutonamisha collective in 2023, which kept its tiled bathroom and filled the walls with tiles salvaged from closed Kyoto bathhouses. Its baths use firewood-heated natural groundwater, and both sides have a sauna and a cold bath. Entry is 550 yen; open 14:00 to 1:00 (Sundays from 8:00), closed Tuesdays.