Onsen Tattoo is an independent guide for travellers with tattoos who want to know, before they go, whether a Japanese onsen, sento or spa will let them bathe. We are not affiliated with any bath, hotel, ryokan, tourism body or booking site.
Operated by the Onsen Tattoo Editorial Team.
How this site is made
Content is drafted and organized with AI from publicly available official pages — mainly each facility’s own website, FAQ and rules page, and government and tourism-board pages. The site owner reviews a summary of each update and approves it before publication. Not every value is checked by hand, which is why each value links to its official source and the date we checked it. Treat the site as an organized index of official statements, and confirm on the official page before you go.
How we check tattoo policies
- Only official sources. A facility’s tattoo policy comes from its own website, official FAQ, house rules or official PDF. We use blogs, reviews, booking sites and “tattoo-friendly” lists only to find candidates — never as the source of a policy.
- Four labels. “Tattoos allowed”, “Allowed with conditions” (for example cover stickers up to a stated size, private bath only, or hotel guests only), “Not allowed”, and “Not stated on official site”. If an official site says nothing about tattoos we use “Not stated” — we never show that as allowed.
- Our own words. We summarize each rule briefly in our own words and link to the official page rather than copying it.
- Dated. Every policy shows the date we checked it (101 facilities; latest check 9 Oct 2026).
- Re-checked every three months. We re-read every facility’s official page at least every three months; entries older than that are marked “Re-check due”.
- Unreadable pages. If an official page could not be opened, the entry is marked “Not confirmed” instead of being guessed.
- What we don’t publish. No ratings, rankings, “best” lists, reviews, first-hand experiences or photos of facilities. Prices only if the official site states them, with the date.
- Background rules (why tattoo rules exist, national guidance) come from government and official tourism pages only. See Onsen tattoo rules.
How we use generative AI
We use generative AI to find and read official pages, to sort what they say into the labels above, to draft the text, and to check pages for consistency. Each policy is matched against the official source page and carries that source and the date we checked it. AI is not used to invent facts, reviews or experiences.
Corrections
Rules change. If a policy here is out of date, please tell us through the contact page and include the official URL. When we correct an entry, its check date is updated.
Advertising and affiliate links
We have no active affiliate partnerships at the moment. If we add affiliate links (for example to hotel or ticket booking sites), they will be labelled, and they will not change any policy label or the order in which facilities appear. Details: Affiliate Disclosure.