Photo: 663highland / CC BY 2.5Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
The building dates to 1879 and was rebuilt in 1938 in a temple-roofed style that has become the emblem of the town. Inside, the ordinary bath costs a few hundred yen and is used by people from the surrounding streets.
The sand bath is the reason to come. You change into a yukata, lie in a shallow trench, and attendants shovel geothermally heated sand over you until only your head shows. Ten minutes is the recommended limit. The heat is even and the weight is unexpected — the sensation of being pressed down is most of the experience.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Ten minutes under the sand is the limit and it is enough. Say so if you need to come out.
- You shower before and after; the sand goes everywhere and that is normal.
- Bring nothing. A small towel is all you can use and they rent one.
- The sand bath queues at weekends. Weekday mornings walk straight in.
- The ordinary bath upstairs costs a few hundred yen and is worth twenty minutes on its own.
The heat is even and the weight is unexpected — the sensation of being pressed down is most of the experience.
Guided days from Beppu
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
More in Beppu
Spot guideKannawa
Steam out of the drains, and a hole in the ground you cook lunch in
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Spot guideThe hells
Seven springs too hot to touch, sold as a circuit since the 1920s
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Spot guideBeppu Ropeway
Ten minutes up to about 1,300 m, with the Kuju range on the far side
Open the guideQuestions people ask here
What is a Beppu sand bath like?
You change into a yukata, lie in a shallow trench, and attendants shovel geothermally heated sand over you until only your head shows. Ten minutes is the recommended limit. The heat is even and comfortable; the surprise is the weight of the sand, which is most of the sensation. You shower before and after.
How far is Takegawara Onsen from the Beppu cruise berth?
About 2.8 km — ten minutes and from about ¥1,150 by taxi, or 35–40 minutes on foot. The bathhouse dates to 1879, rebuilt in 1938; the ordinary bath is ¥300 and the sand bath ¥1,500 with a yukata.