Beppu Beach Sand Bath (Kaihin Sunayu)

別府海浜砂湯

Lie on a beach at Beppu Bay in a yukata while attendants bury you in sand heated by hot springs. Fifteen minutes of heavy sweating is a unique Beppu experience.

Sand baths (sunayu) are a traditional Beppu therapy that dates back a long time. Sand heated by underground hot springs is piled over the body. The heat and weight of the sand promote sweating and blood circulation. The Kaihin Sunayu, the city-operated beach sand bath, is on the shore of Beppu Bay in the Joninga-hama area of the Kamegawa hot spring district, about 6 kilometers north of Beppu Station. It is the easiest place in Beppu to try a sand bath.

How it works: buy a ticket at the entrance (1,500 yen, including a yukata rental; bring your own towel or buy one there). Change into the yukata and walk to the sand area on the beach, which is shaded by awnings. Lie down, and the sand-covering attendants (sunakake-baba) shovel warm sand over you up to your neck. The sand is about 40 to 45 degrees Celsius. After 10 to 15 minutes buried, your whole body will be sweating. The attendants will ask whether you want more sand or less heat. While you rest, you can look out at the sea of Beppu Bay, and the attendants will also take photos of you with your phone. Afterward, stand up slowly, shake off the sand, rinse in the shower room, and soak in the hot spring. The whole process takes about 40 minutes. It is one of the most familiar images in Beppu's travel brochures and one of the most distinctive of Beppu's Eight Hot Springs.

Opening hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (until 5:00 p.m. from December to February). The last admission is one hour before closing. The site is closed on the fourth Wednesday of each month, and if that day is a public holiday, the closure moves to the next day. Getting there: about 3 minutes' walk from JR Beppu-Daigaku Station, or about 6 minutes from Beppu Station on the Nippo Main Line (two stops). You can also take a bus from Beppu Station to Rokushoen and walk 3 minutes.

Note: admission is by queue, and on weekends and in peak season the wait is often over an hour. The early morning is least crowded. Not suitable for people with poor health, high blood pressure, or pregnancy. After burial, do not stand up immediately. Sit up slowly. Valuables cannot be taken to the sand area, but there are lockers. Other options in the city include Takegawara Onsen, an old public bath near Beppu Station with an indoor sand bath (1,500 yen), and the steam baths at Tetsurin.

Opening hours

8:30 am–6:00 pm (until 5:00 pm December–February); closed the fourth Wednesday of each month

Sand baths · Hot spring experience · Waterfront

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