This time I’m introducing Kohmeisen, a public bathhouse with over 40 years of history, just a 3-minute walk from Nakameguro Station in Tokyo.
After a renewal by bathhouse architect Kentaro Imai in 2014, it became a cutting-edge bathhouse with an outdoor bath, hugely popular with young people and even celebrities!
So Joe, a hot-spring and sauna enthusiast, went and checked it out — in this post I’ll share what Kohmeisen is like, along with how crowded it gets.
Kohmeisen: The Basics
Kohmeisen, a 3-minute walk from Nakameguro Station, had its renewal reopening in March 2014. The once monotone entrance was redone with warm orange tones.
Built around the concept of an “urban oasis,” it even has a dedicated high-concentration carbonated-water machine that recreates the same carbonated water found in natural hot springs!
It’s the only bathhouse in Nakameguro with high-concentration carbonated water, an artificial radium bath, and — rare for a public bathhouse — an outdoor bath, a cold bath, and a sauna, all in one place.
High-concentration carbonated water is said to help ease muscle pain, joint pain, and lower back pain!!
Location
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Kohmeisen |
| Address | 1-6-1 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0051 |
| Phone | 03-3463-9793 |
| Hours | 15:00–25:00 (last entry 24:30); irregular closures |
Touring the Facility
Now let’s take a look inside Kohmeisen!
The mural was created by Mexican artist Hilda Palafox. I’m not sure how many heads tall this woman is supposed to be.
Shoe Lockers
Walk in through the 2nd-floor entrance and you’ll find 64 shoe lockers in an 8×8 grid. Nothing fancy — just standard office-style lockers.
High-cut shoes or high heels go in the bottom row of lockers. There’s an umbrella stand on the right.
Leave your shoe locker key at the front desk. There’s no ticket machine, so you head straight inside, excitement building!
There are signs banning photography in the changing area and bathing area. You can only take photos up to the front desk area. Sadly (and actually, they asked me not to photograph the front desk either).
Just inside on the left is the front desk. Tell them what you’d like directly and pay up front. This time I paid 880 yen for the bathing fee plus sauna plus travel-size shampoo and body soap.
For PayPay, you scan a QR code to pay.
Entrance Area
Behind the front desk is the entryway leading to the bathing area. The warm wood-grain walls really raise your expectations!
The men’s and women’s baths swap every Friday, and whichever side is active that week gets the outdoor bath.
Check the official website for the current swap schedule.
Pass through the bath curtain into the changing area. The whole facility feels very clean, which only builds the anticipation further.
Bathing Area
There’s a hot 42°C artificial hot-spring bath and a 38°C carbonated-water bath.
My own approach is to start in the carbonated bath to get the blood flowing, then head to the sauna.
Since the artificial hot-spring bath runs hot, it’s best to prioritize the sauna first to reach that “totonou” state.
Sauna
Hook the key you got at the front desk and pull to open the sauna room door.
It’s a dry sauna that fits about 7 people at high heat, with the thermometer reading 90°C. There’s a TV in the middle, and the first tier is an L-shaped two-level setup.
The first tier gets disrupted every time someone comes or goes, which can be a bit stressful — try to grab a spot on the second tier if you can.
There are no kick boards, and the sauna mats don’t look like they’re swapped out often. If that bothers you, consider bringing your own personal sauna mat.
Cold Bath
Near the entrance there’s a cold bath that fits 2 people. Sit down and your whole body submerges for a quick cool-down.
The water sits at an average 18°C, but the strong vibra-jets make it feel colder than you’d expect.
Outdoor Bath
The outdoor bath is up the stairs on the 3rd floor, alternating between the men’s and women’s sides.
You can apparently even enjoy the outdoor air bath to the clatter of the Toyoko Line passing by. Now that’s an urban oasis!
Cool-Down Space
There’s just one cool-down chair facing the bathing area.
On a week when the outdoor bath is active, there are 3 cool-down chairs up on the 3rd floor, so you can relax as much as you like.
But on a week without the outdoor bath, there’s really nowhere good to cool down — a definite downside.
Changing Area & Powder Room
The changing area is long and spacious, so it never feels cramped.
The changing-area locker keys don’t need coins — you lock them by turning the dial left or right.
The hair dryer is 10 yen for 3 minutes. No skincare amenities are provided.
Lounge & Rest Area
The rest area is just a small space next to the front desk with only 3 chairs.
It’s usually used by people waiting for the sauna, so it’s best to assume there’s no real space here for leisurely relaxing.
How Crowded Does It Get?
With so many celebrities living in Nakameguro, there are even rumors of famous faces being regulars at Kohmeisen.
So what days and times does Kohmeisen tend to get busy?
For men, it gets crowded on weekday evenings, and nearly all day on weekends and holidays, with a wait to get in.
It’s popular enough that a line can form right after opening even on weekends. Women can usually get in without much of a wait, though on weeks when the outdoor bath is active, evenings can mean a wait as well.
I actually visited around 7 PM on a Saturday and waited about 15–20 minutes behind 5 people!
Even with an entry cap in place, the sauna room is small, so a short sauna wait can still happen for a few people at a time.
The washing area is relatively spacious and never gets crowded. The downside is that without the outdoor bath, there’s only one cool-down chair, making it hard to plan your cool-down.
It gets especially crowded during Nakameguro’s cherry blossom season! Be ready for a real challenge if you go then!
Pricing
Compared to other renovated bathhouses around Tokyo, the sauna fee here is a cheaper 300 yen.
Just the bathing fee alone runs the standard public-bathhouse rate of 480 yen.
Keep in mind that in exchange, shampoo, conditioner, and body soap aren’t provided in the bathing area.
You can buy single-use packets at the front desk for 20–60 yen each. Non-silicone shampoo runs 60 yen.
| Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Bathing fee, adult (junior high and up) | 480 yen |
| Bathing fee, elementary student | 180 yen |
| Bathing fee, preschooler | 80 yen |
| Sauna use | 300 yen |
| Elementary student (90 min) | 180 yen |
My Honest Impressions
Great location just 3 minutes from Nakameguro Station, and solid value at 780 yen! The downside is that the great location means it’s always crowded.
Some bathhouses cap your visit at 90 or 120 minutes, so it’s nice being able to take your time here without watching the clock — though that also makes the wait times harder to predict.
The sauna room runs a bit cramped and packed, the cool-down space isn’t quite enough, and I noticed a few people using the washing-area stools as a substitute.
The crowd skews young, and since quiet bathing doesn’t seem to be strictly enforced, I could hear chatter coming from various spots.
I went on a week without the outdoor bath to try to avoid the crowds, but next time I’d like to come back on a week when it’s open!
Kohmeisen is a great pick if you’re near Nakameguro and want a quick, affordable sauna fix — just try to time your visit around the outdoor bath schedule if you can!
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About the author
Joe
I love hotels, hot springs, and saunas across the whole country!!
I’ve made it to 40 prefectures so far.
Around 100 hotel stays and 50+ saunas visited, and the count keeps climbing.
My hobbies are travel, golf, snowboarding, saunas, and the gym.
Getting good information is essential to living a rich life.
I’ll keep sharing useful info for wherever your next trip takes you! For work inquiries (venue PR, advertising, hotel article requests), please reach out through this blog’s contact form.
Happy to work flexibly with your needs.
Certified Sauna & Spa Health Advisor
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