Cleaniless of public baths?

I visited my friend in Japan a short while ago and we were taken to a public bath. Other than being a bit embarassing for a first timer I was wondering why it has such a custom/popularity in Japan?

I understand the social element towards public baths but I can't imagine it being a better option than washing in your own home. It's cheaper, less of a hassle to get to and the thought of soaking in other people's dirt is not appealing. I'm sure it doesnt happen but I can't shake the thought that a minority may even urinate in public baths.

I visited my friend in Japan a short while ago and we were taken to a public bath. Other than being a bit embarassing for a first timer I was wondering why it has such a custom/popularity in Japan?

I understand the social element towards public baths but I can't imagine it being a better option than washing in your own home.

In the past people didn't have baths in their homes, so rather than being a better option, it was the only option. Some homes and dormitories still do not have their own baths today so the neighborhood sento still fulfills a role in some people's daily routines.

It's cheaper, less of a hassle to get to and the thought of soaking in other people's dirt is not appealing. I'm sure it doesnt happen but I can't shake the thought that a minority may even urinate in public baths.

Once you factor in the costs of the bath and and bathwater, as well as the effort of heating large amounts of water you may find that it is cheaper and more efficient than if everyone used a private bath, especially within cities where people were more concentrated together. These days, however, you're right that the private bath is a more convenient and cheaper daily option, which is why most people bathe at home and sento are in relative decline.

As for soaking in other people's dirt, you are supposed to at least rinse yourself off before getting into the tub, theoretically leaving the bathwater clean. Peeing on the otherhand... is something that invariably happens from time to time, but probably with no greater frequency than at your local public pool.

Public baths are a great place for socialising and one of the few places Japanese do socialise.

Trying to explain the cultural reason for them is like trying to explain the cultural reason for anything really. In most cases, there is no particularly valid or justifiable reason, it's just the way it is.

About cleanliness; the Japanese bath in more clean conditions than people in Western countries. In the West people tend to jump straight in the bath, and therefore end up bathing in their own filth. In Japan this is frowned upon, and I have Japanese friends who have commented on how disgusting Westerners are because they don't shower before bathing. In a public bath you wash yourself clean before getting in the bath. The point of the bath is not to clean you, but to relax.

As for urinating, some public baths have a substance in the water that makes it change colour if you pee. Needless to say if anyone pees they are kicked out. But peeing in the water is not an issue, as no Japanese person would do it. Even if they did, the water is circulated, so it is much cleaner than someone peeing in a swimming pool in the West. In the West swimming pool owners have to put chlorine in to get rid of the smell and keep the water clean. This is not done in Japan because it doesn't need to be done.

As in many part of nations and countries many years ago where most homes didn't have plumbing, with none or only few available plumbing or running waters to homes, Japanese created their own public bath houses which most were plumbed with natural spring waters (onsen water) hence most waters were already hot but they also heated up or down to desired temperatures.
The one I used to go to was running on natural spring water. Tiled floor and pools....Main pool was large and
there were faucets for bathing before soaking in the pool along other small soaking tubs for different purposes such as for rheumatoid athiritis etc and some tubs were fragrant. You sit on a stool, pour water over your body and hair with cedar bucket and wash and rince and then soak in pool or tub. There are Private Male section and female section bath house. Clean. I never peed in water. They had toilets (benjo style) at the facility. My ancestors were going to this bath house before I was born and it still exists in now busy congested street off Nekogahora Dori, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. I don't know about the one you're talking about but the one I know is very clean and it's not attended by hobos or strange people, it's attended by residents from neighborhood area to relax and soak tired bodies.
It's actually a good way to run a hot spring facility because you know people are bathing and cleaning off their dirt before they get into soak. Where as at many onsen you have no idea whether people are clean or what goes in there.
by BOBO (guest) rate this post as useful

Big public baths nowadays also offer many services such as sauna's, jaccuzi's, outdoor baths, food court and massages. You can have an evening or afternoon out with you family or alone.

In the West swimming pool owners have to put chlorine in to get rid of the smell and keep the water clean. This is not done in Japan because it doesn't need to be done.

Chlorine doesn't cover up smells or urine, but only sanitizes the water. Also, it is regular practice for sento (public baths) in Japan to add chlorine to their water. The Sento Union requires it as there have been some notorious outbreaks of legionella bacteria in the past.

It's actually a good way to run a hot spring facility because you know people are bathing and cleaning off their dirt before they get into soak. Where as at many onsen you have no idea whether people are clean or what goes in there.

You are confusing public bath, hot spring and onsen. Public baths may be fed by hot springs, or use regular hot water. Whereas onsen (which literally means hot spring) baths are always fed by hot springs. The presoaking washing procedure is the same for both, so you can expect both to have the same level of cleanliness.

Generally, spring waters (hot spring utilized in bath house or onsen in ryoukan) are filtered in modern public places and some places use volcanic rocks for spring waters to run through for filtering.

In a traditional public bath house, there usually a big pool located in the center of the room and on each side of the wall there will be bathing area with faucets for individual to sit on the stool to bathe (now days a hand held shower heads are attached to the wall.) Everyone in a room is exposed, that is how we know that people wash before going to soak in the tubs. On the end (between two sides of walls) different kind of soaking tubs are located besides a pool (big Tub) in the middle.
( the one I used to go to still has the same layout even though they remodel every few years)
Modern Spas may have different layout where most of you may have hard time picturing what I'm saying about the one I'm talking about.

-------I visited my friend in Japan a short while ago and we were taken to a public bath. -----

In area I'm familiar with, some some houses, apartments or rental homes still don't have shower, bath room nor hot running water so people have to go to public bath house to bathe. I remembered in my childhood, my grandparents extended usage of ofuro for nextdoor neighbors who did not have ofuro of their own.
Could it have been that your friend didn't have a shower room in their house so they took you to a public bath house?

Modern Spas may have different layout where most of you may have hard time picturing what I'm saying about the one I'm talking about.

So you are saying that due to the layout, you know people are clean because you can see everyone and verify that they have washed, while at more modern onsen with more private washing areas you can't verify that people are clean because you can't watch them wash?

Either way, my point is that etiquette requires that you wash (or at least rinse off) before entering the bath regardless of the type or layout of the bath. So it would be reasonable to assume that people are just as clean at either type of facility.

Japan is no the only country with public baths. They are still common in Eastern Europe, the Middle east, North Africa, Turkey..
Paris has beautiful baths in the Great Mosque...and other public baths in various districts

I went to Finland as a student for 2 summers.
The workers of the company where I was studying had full bathrooms at home but went to the sauna at lunch time--after eating--then right after work ..

First we carefully washed in a big shower then went to the sauna for a while, until it was too hot, then jumped in the cold sea nearby (it was 20 metres deep right by the pier), back to the sauna, back in the sea..etc.

In all the countries with public bath, the bath is first of all a social place. Some people prefer to go there than to a bar.

Red Frog,

Can you please tell me more about the public bath in Paris?
Love the public bath culture in Japan and want to know more of the kind in other part of the world.
Thanks.

Grande Mosque: http://www.traveltowellness.com/parishammam

http://www.lesbainsdumarais.fr/horaires.php
http://www.lesbainsdumarais.fr/

http://web.mac.com/hammamparis/HAMMAM_PARIS/hammam_paris_-_hammam_mass...

There are also public bains-douches. In my younger days they used to have a common lounge and public showers---as in swimming pools and gyms-- but it looks like they have only individual cabins now, perhaps to avoid too much friendliness.....
http://www.paris.fr/portail/pratique/Portal.lut?page_id=5458&document_...

We just want to enjoy a huge tub, high cealing and good scenery once in a while. By the way, the Japanese generally find it interesting that a lot of Westerners can tolerate that shallow tub with no burners or floors to rinse off your bubble soup.

"Other than being a bit embarrassing for a first timer I was wondering why it has such a custom/popularity in Japan?"

Besides socializing, save energy and water costs, relax in scent of sulfur etc, throughout Europe, Japan, NZ hot springs, I have yet to discover a similar experience found in South Korean hot spring bath- a true experience for first timers to overcome one's embarrassment of stripping, wash at sit-down shower and then lowers into the tub. After the relaxed soak, one frequently expect one is clean.

Until found at the ladies section, at an added cost, you request a scrub woman's services.

With hand loofah mitts, the energetic lady scrubs your back hard, then throws basins of decently hot water over you. Your pores open to the shock! Before you are over that sensation, she scrubs again and then splashes icy cold water over the body, supposedly closes the pores. Then you turn over and she does the same all over. By the time she stops, and you get up...all the dead cells, dirt and dust leaves you with a level of cleanliness/freshness seldom duplicated outside the country--you just feel radiantly CLEAN!

And the one must wash private parts with soap and rinse including under arms.
Feet needs good scrubbing.
Japanese I know as in families use wash cloth to clean/scrub the body (except sensitive areas) with soap rubbed into wash cloth.

I had the experience of a Korean scrub in Beijing. It was in a Korean establishment with resting area/ restaurant and of course sauna/stream etc. The scrub was pretty harsh. The mittens end up all dark. But I did feel CLEEEEEAN!

Yes, after the scrub--the skin glows and feels sparkling clean. Really lovely sensation!