How to Take a Japanese Onsen Bath

Most every foreigner who every moves to Japan quickly falls in love with their onsen baths. In Japan, a land littered with geothermal energy, the onsen baths provide an incredibly soothing antidote to the non-stop workaholic behavior found throughout Japanese society. And unlike many western baths, onsen baths are public affairs, and even double as sites for doing business.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Undress slowly and calmly, taking care to fold your clothes and place them neatly in the basket or locker provided.
2. Remove your towel from its packaging - it will probably be no bigger than a handkerchief. This towel is meant to hide your genitals, to rub a soapy foam on your body, or to cool your forehead in the hot bath.
3. Wash and rinse before you enter the bath - this is done while kneeling or seated on a small stool, and bowls are provided. This is one of the most important steps - bathing without first washing yourself is considered the height of rudeness. Scrub like you've never scrubbed before.
4. Enter the bath slowly and gradually, especially if you are in a large group. Upon entering the water, you may loudly exclaim your pleasure, and discuss its quality. You will then slowly relax as the hot bath washes over you.
5. After a dip, you can then exit the bath to scrub your body (or someone else's) once more, until you reach a boiled red or purple color. You may then reenter the bath, and repeat.