La Vista Kirishima Hills
ラビスタ霧島ヒルズ
Does La Vista Kirishima Hills allow tattoos? In a private bath
La Vista Kirishima Hills gives all 105 rooms a natural hot spring open-air tub and keeps three free private baths that need no reservation and never close.
The hotel’s FAQ refuses tattoos in the large bath, fashion and religious ones included, and points to the room baths and the private baths. Every one of its 105 rooms has an open-air hot spring tub, and three private baths are free, open 24 hours and taken first come, with no reservation, so a tattooed guest can bathe without ever entering the shared bath.
The bath
The water is the Maruo spring, a simple hot spring the hotel describes as hypotonic, neutral and high temperature, run flow-through with some filtration, circulation and heating. The hotel lists neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, diabetes and insomnia among what it is good for.
The large bath, open 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. and 5 to 10 a.m., has an indoor hall the hotel styles as Japanese with a foreign accent, an open-air bath looking over a Japanese garden, a dry sauna and a mist sauna, a free bench-style bedrock bath, a cold plunge and a falling-water bath. Shampoo and towels are in the hall. The hotel does not say whether the men's and women's sides swap.
For bathing alone there are two routes. Every room, from the standard twins to the dog rooms and the suites, has its own natural hot spring open-air bath on the terrace, with views the hotel describes as Kinko Bay, Sakurajima and the Kirishima peaks depending on the side. And on the ground floor three private baths are free, open 24 hours and taken first come with no reservation: Kagura-no-yu, a barrel tub; Hiogi-no-yu, a cypress tub; and Kameiwa-no-yu, the largest, built of stone. The hotel asks that washing be done in the large bath or the room before using them.
The hotel
A resort of 105 rooms opened in 2018 by Kyoritsu Resort, which also runs the Dormy Inn chain. Rooms fall into Premium (twin, corner suite and a Japanese-western grand suite), La Vista (twin and four-bed), Standard (twin, triple and four-bed) and Le Chien, the dog rooms on the third floor, for two to six guests, the upper floors facing south. Plans come with dinner and breakfast. There is a seasonal outdoor pool, a bar, a shop and karaoke. Parking is free for 105 cars with no reservation.
Good to know
- Three free private baths, no booking, all night: barrel, cypress and stone, first come.
- Wash first, in the large bath or your room; the private baths are for soaking only.
- A free shuttle from Kirishima-Jingu Station runs by reservation at 2:15, 3:15 and 4:30 p.m.
- Dogs stay on the third floor in the Le Chien rooms, each with its own open-air tub.
Getting there
From Kagoshima-Chuo Station take the JR Nippo Line to Kirishima-Jingu Station, about 50 minutes by the hotel's count, then the free shuttle, booked ahead, at 2:15, 3:15 or 4:30 p.m. for a 20-minute ride, or a taxi of about 20 minutes. From Kagoshima Airport the Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel bus reaches the Maruo stop in about 40 minutes, and the hotel is about 10 minutes on foot from there. By car it is about 30 minutes from the Yokogawa or Mizobe Kagoshima Airport interchanges.
Kirishima-Jingu STN · JR Nippo Main Line (limited express Kirishima)
Not walkable.
Free shuttle from Kirishima-Jingu Station by reservation, 20 minutes; or the airport bus to Maruo and 10 minutes on foot.
Where it is
Maruo Onsen bus stop
- Kyushu Shinkansen 1 hr 18 min
- Kirishima express 48 min
- Kagoshima Kotsu bus 29 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Kyushu Rail Pass from ¥12,000 · 3, 5 or 7 consecutive days Worth it if you’re coming from Hakata by train.
- Kyushu SunQ Pass Worth it if you’re riding buses around Kagoshima. It covers the airport bus to the spa villages and Myoken and the Kagoshima Kotsu bus from Kirishima-Jingu Station.
- Sakurajima volcano half-day tour Half a day on Sakurajima, the active volcano across the bay from Kagoshima.
- Japan Rail Pass from ¥53,000 · 7, 14 or 21 days For a trip that takes in several regions by Shinkansen and JR lines.
What happens when you arrive
Skip the shared baths and use one of the private baths. No reservation needed.
How we know
Confirmed from official site (the inn’s own FAQ, opened from the questions button on its site, under the question on the large bath, for the refusal; its own bath and room pages for the private bathing)
申し訳けございませんが、当館では入れ墨（刺青）・タトゥーのあるお客様の大浴場のご入浴はご遠慮いただいております。ファッション目的、宗教的理由による入れ墨であっても、他のお客様に不快な思いを与えてしまう恐れがありますので、何卒、ご理解・ご協力いただきますようよろしくお願いいたします。
This is the rule for the shared baths. It doesn’t apply to the private baths.
Best for: families and dog owners who want a resort with a tub on every balcony and a free private bath at 3 a.m.
Three private baths on a first-come basis, free, 24 hours, no reservation: Kagura-no-yu in a barrel, Hiogi-no-yu in cypress and Kameiwa-no-yu in stone, the largest. Washing and hair are done in the large bath or the room, not in the private baths. The large bath runs 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. and 5 to 10 a.m. with an indoor hall, an open-air bath over a Japanese garden, dry and mist saunas, a free bench-style bedrock bath, a cold bath and a falling-water bath. The spring is the Maruo source, a simple hot spring, flow-through with partial filtration and heating. Dog rooms (Le Chien) are on the third floor. A free shuttle from Kirishima-Jingu Station runs by reservation at 2:15, 3:15 and 4:30 p.m., returning at 8:30, 10 and 11 a.m. Parking for 105 cars is free.
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