Wellness no Mori Nasu
ウェルネスの森 那須
Does Wellness no Mori Nasu allow tattoos? In a private bath
Wellness no Mori is modeled, it says, on an English noble’s castle, and it keeps four private spring baths that cost nothing: find an empty one and lock the door. Its FAQ sends tattooed guests to them rather than the large bath.
The hotel’s FAQ asks guests with tattoos not to use the large bath, and in the same answer points them to its free private baths or the bath in their room instead. The private baths are unlocked for anyone staying, first come first served.
The bath
The hotel has one spring of its own, which it calls Amahara-no-yu, and every tub in the house draws on it: a sodium chloride, bicarbonate and sulfate spring, weakly alkaline, that the hotel says is gentle enough for small children and sensitive skin and that it bills as a beauty bath. The water flows through rather than recirculating, but with water and heat added. The large bath has an indoor tub, an open-air tub and a dry sauna on each side, men's and women's, with no swapping and no cold plunge; it is open 4 to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2 a.m., with the sauna shut from 1 to 5 a.m.
The four private baths are each done differently. Rin, the elegant bath, is plain and modern; So, the rock bath, is cut from a large boulder; Ki, the curb-stone bath, is step-free; and Mei, the cave bath, is dim and rock-lined and the one where a pet may bathe. Rin, So and Ki are free and cannot be booked: from 3 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. and 6 to 10 a.m. you find one empty, go in and lock the door from the inside. Each takes two or three people. Mei alone is paid, ¥2,200 for 90 minutes, booked ahead, or on the day if a slot is open. Day-use bathing is suspended.
The hotel
A Kyoritsu Resort hotel built, it says, in the image of an English nobleman's castle, with the Nasu range behind it and a golf course in front. The 47 rooms (33 western, 14 Japanese-western) are in three wings: the European wing with furniture imported from Britain, the Oriental wing in Bali style on two floors with no elevator, and the Royal Garden Court with terraces and five steps at the door. Six rooms take pets. Dinner at La Frenoa is a casual French course around Tochigi wagyu roast beef in two seatings, 5:30 and 8 p.m.; breakfast is a buffet. A free bowl of ramen is served late at night. Check-in 3 p.m. (last 7 p.m.), check-out 11 a.m.
Good to know
- Three private baths are free and unbooked: find one empty and lock the door, 3 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. and 6 to 10 a.m.
- Only Mei costs money: the cave bath, ¥2,200 for 90 minutes, booked ahead, and your dog may join you.
- A towel basket is in the room, with a bath towel and face towel for carrying to the baths, plus a samue (a loose cotton lounge set) to wear around the house.
- Free shuttle from Nasushiobara Station, seven runs a day, 9:40 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., booked by the day before.
Getting there
Take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Nasushiobara Station (1 hour 8 minutes from Tokyo on the Yamabiko). The hotel's free shuttle takes about 30 minutes and leaves at 9:40, 10:40 and 11:40 a.m. and 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.; book by the day before. The Nasu Resort Express highway bus from Tokyo (about 3.5 hours, ¥3,100 one way) stops at Yuai-no-mori, a 10-minute walk. By car it is about 10 minutes from the Nasu interchange, with free parking for 50 cars.
Nasushiobara STN · JR Tohoku Shinkansen
Not walkable.
Free shuttle, about 30 minutes, seven runs a day, booked by the day before.
Where it is
Hotel shuttle stop
- Tohoku Shinkansen 1 hr 8 min
- hotel's free shuttle 30 min
- Shinkansen tickets Seats between any two stations, booked by date.
- JR Tokyo Wide Pass ¥16,000 · 3 days Worth it if Nasu is one stop in a longer Kanto trip.
- 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 hotel’s FAQ, which names the free private baths as the alternative)
当館では「刺青」が入った方の大浴場のご利用はご遠慮頂いております。他にも、館内に【無料貸切風呂】をご用意しておりますので、温泉のご利用は貸切風呂または客室のお風呂をご利用くださいませ。
This is the rule for the shared baths. It doesn’t apply to the private baths.
Best for: families who want a free lockable spring bath without booking a slot
Four private baths, each styled differently, run on the hotel’s own spring flowing through; they are free during opening hours and locked from the inside. A fifth, for bathing with a pet, is paid and booked ahead. Day bathing is suspended.
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