Shinzaemon-no-Yu (Zao Onsen)
湯の花茶屋 新左衛門の湯 · Zao Onsen
Tattoos not allowed (day visit)
Can you bathe here with a tattoo?
This is the question we built the site around, so we answer it per situation.
Visiting for the day
No — tattooed guests are turned away
Guests with tattoos are refused entry to the facility, so private baths are not an option either.
Source: official website · checked 2026-08-29
How it scores
Every onsen on this site is scored on the same five things.
The baths
Open-air bath
Open-air baths in Zao's strongly acidic sulphur water. Children in school year 2 and above are asked not to use the mixed area. Cameras and phones are banned in the changing rooms and baths, and swimwear may not be brought into the bathing area.
Open to day visitors
Indoor bath
Indoor bathing with soap and shampoo provided; towels are sold or rented at the desk.
Open to day visitors
Practical details
- Day visits
- Yes — you can bathe without staying overnight.10:00-18:00 (last bathing reception 17:30, building closes 18:00)
- Day visit price
- ¥1,000Adults 1,000 yen, primary-school children 400 yen, infants aged 3 and over 200 yen; a 12-visit pass is 10,000 yen. Tickets come from a vending machine. Closed on scattered weekdays each month, so check the calendar. A reservation-only box sauna, 'Okomori Sauna', is 2,375 yen for 90 minutes.
- Staying overnight
- No
- Getting there
- In the Zao Onsen village in Yamagata, within walking distance of the village bus terminal served by buses from JR Yamagata Station. Day-use bath house only, with a restaurant and massage room; no accommodation.
- Official website
- zaospa.co.jp
Staying nearby
More onsen in and around Zao
Checked the same way: tattoo policy, private baths and day visits.