Minatoshio-Yu
Picture
Basic Info
Holiday:
Every Monday (Unless Monday is a holiday)
Hours:
15:00-23:30
Weekend and Holiday Hours:
N/A
Price:
￥410
Sauna Fee:
Included
Weekend Price:
N/A
Webpage:
http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~minatoshioyu/index.html
Every Monday (Unless Monday is a holiday)
Hours:
15:00-23:30
Weekend and Holiday Hours:
N/A
Price:
￥410
Sauna Fee:
Included
Weekend Price:
N/A
Webpage:
http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~minatoshioyu/index.html
English Name:
Minatoshio-Yu
Japanese Name:
湊潮湯
Category:
Sento
City and Prefecture:
Sakai, Osaka
Address:
大阪府堺市堺区出島海岸通１丁２−１３湊潮湯らぽーる２
Nearest Station:
Nankai Minato (南海 湊)
Minatoshio-Yu
Japanese Name:
湊潮湯
Category:
Sento
City and Prefecture:
Sakai, Osaka
Address:
大阪府堺市堺区出島海岸通１丁２−１３湊潮湯らぽーる２
Nearest Station:
Nankai Minato (南海 湊)
Review
According to their webpage this the last surviving salt water sento in Kansai. The salt isn't as strong as straight ocean water so it doesn't leave you sticky, but if you have any sore spots they will sting just as my inner thighs did. If you're able to ignore the stinging, the salt water is very refreshing. They pull the water from 2km away, run it through some processing, heat it and pump it into the baths. If you happen to get any of the bathwater in your mouth, you'll know for sure that it's from the ocean. The taste is unmistakeable.
Minatoshi-yu looks recently remodeled and has a very clean feeling to it. It's very bright and open inside, despite its low ceiling. This is in contrast to the cluttered lobby that seems to be the gossiping spot for the local grandmothers. At least the night I went there was lots of chatting going on. I also think I heard the grandmother behind the counter ask her counterpart at the food bar, "Gaijin daijyobu desuka?" (Are foreigners ok?) when I entered. I didn't hear the reply, but I wasn't asked anything unusual at the counter. Perhaps foreigners are a rarity there, or the grandma was filling in for the typical front person and just didn’t know what to do.
The salt water is somewhat uncommon in sentos, but actual sea water is even more rare and worth trying at least once. Of the top of my head, James Yama in Kobe is the only other place with sea water--most likely trucked in. I would put this down as one of the more unique sentos in the Kansai area and worth going out of your way to try.
Minatoshi-yu looks recently remodeled and has a very clean feeling to it. It's very bright and open inside, despite its low ceiling. This is in contrast to the cluttered lobby that seems to be the gossiping spot for the local grandmothers. At least the night I went there was lots of chatting going on. I also think I heard the grandmother behind the counter ask her counterpart at the food bar, "Gaijin daijyobu desuka?" (Are foreigners ok?) when I entered. I didn't hear the reply, but I wasn't asked anything unusual at the counter. Perhaps foreigners are a rarity there, or the grandma was filling in for the typical front person and just didn’t know what to do.
The salt water is somewhat uncommon in sentos, but actual sea water is even more rare and worth trying at least once. Of the top of my head, James Yama in Kobe is the only other place with sea water--most likely trucked in. I would put this down as one of the more unique sentos in the Kansai area and worth going out of your way to try.
Map
Spring Info
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No spring water, but they use piped in sea water in some of the baths.
Learn more about the springs here
Indoor Baths
- Shallow
- Cold Water
- Electric
- Jet
- Salt
Sauna
Dry
Outdoor Baths
- Shallow
- Waterfall
- Salt
Learn more about the types of baths here.
Photographs
