Shibaseki Onsen
柴石温泉
Does Shibaseki Onsen allow tattoos? Yes!
Emperor Daigo is said to have bathed here in 895 and Emperor Go-Reizei in 1044, which makes this the oldest claim in Beppu. The 1997 rebuild put a steam bath and an open-air tub in a wooded fold of the valley for the price of a city bath.
The city runs Shibaseki and says plainly on its own site that tattoos are allowed, and its 2026 tattoo guide names the bath in the running text. Nothing here is restricted to a private room: the indoor tubs, the open-air bath and the steam bath are all shared. A family bath exists too, at 2,000 yen an hour, if you would rather have the place to yourself.
The bath
Three kinds of bathing sit inside one 300-yen ticket. The indoor room has two tubs at different temperatures under a high ceiling and wide windows cut like a mountain hut’s. Outside there is a bath with no roof at all, kept cooler, so you can stay in it while you listen to the river. And in the yard is a small hut whose door opens onto solid steam: a bamboo floor with the spring running underneath it, and the noise of the water coming up through the boards. The indoor tubs and the open-air bath run on a simple spring; the steam bath is fed by a sodium chloride and sulfate one.
A family bath is taken at the counter, 2,000 yen an hour for up to four, with a window wide enough to make it feel half outdoors.
Communal bath 07:00 to 20:00, closed 13:00 to 14:00 for cleaning; family bath 09:00 to 20:00, last reception 19:00. Closed the second Wednesday. Adults 300 yen, children 100. Dryer free, soap set 100 yen, thirty-five parking spaces. The fossil the place is named for sits at the reception desk.
What is good about it
- A steam hut with a bamboo floor, the spring running beneath it, thrown in with the 300 yen.
- An open-air tub with no roof, kept cool enough to sit in for a long time.
- A family bath at 2,000 yen an hour, for up to four, booked at the counter and not online.
Getting there
Up the valley in the woods: fifteen minutes on foot from Chinoike Jigoku, or bus 26 from the east exit of JR Beppu STN to the Shibaseki Onsen-iriguchi stop, about thirty minutes, then five minutes on foot.
Kamegawa STN · JR Nippo line; bus 26 from the east exit of Beppu STN
Not a station walk: take bus 26 to Shibaseki Onsen-iriguchi, about 30 minutes, then 5 on foot.
Fifteen minutes on foot from Chinoike Jigoku. Thirty-five parking spaces.
Where it is
Hakata STN
JR Sonic limited express 1 h 55
Kokura STN
Oita STN
✈Oita Airport
LocationKamegawa STN
What happens when you arrive
Check in and go to the bath. There is no seal to buy and nothing to declare.
How we know
Confirmed from the operator (Beppu City) in three of its own publications: the enjoyONSEN facility page, the 2026 tattoo map guide, and the タトゥー可 mark in its tourism data
Read on: enjoyonsen.city.beppu-jp.com/onsen/shibasekionsen/
TATTOO：Allowed
The operator’s own wording on that page. Nothing here needs showing at a desk. If anyone does ask, show them this. It is the operator’s own wording.
Best for: Woods on three sides and a steam bath thrown in with the 300-yen entry
Communal bath 07:00–20:00, closed 13:00–14:00 for cleaning, 300 yen; family bath 09:00–20:00, last reception 19:00, 2,000 yen an hour for up to four. Closed the second Wednesday. Two tubs at different temperatures, an open-air bath and a steam bath. Thirty-five parking spaces. Fifteen minutes on foot from Chinoike Jigoku.
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