[Tokyo Sauna Review] Infiltrating MONSTER WORK & SAUNA in Kichijoji! How to Get There and How Crowded Is It?

This time I’m introducing MONSTER WORK&SAUNA(Monster Work & Sauna), which opened in December 2023 in Kichijoji, Tokyo.

A 3-minute walk from Kichijoji Station on the Chuo Line, its underground super-giant sauna that fits 100 people and cold plunge that fits 30 are appealing, and it’s booming in popularity among young men!

Joe, who loves saunas, actually went, so I’d like to tell you what kind of place “MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)” is, along with how to get there and how crowded it gets.

★Which saunas along the Chuo Line rank at the top?!

★A sister sauna-specialized facility has been born in a great location, a 1-minute walk from the south exit of Mitaka Station!!

Basic Info on MONSTER WORK&SAUNA

“MONSTER WORK & SAUNA(Monster Work & Sauna),” a 3-minute walk from Kichijoji Station on the Chuo Line, is a men-only sauna-specialized facility that opened in December 2023. (Every Tuesday is Ladies’ Day.)

It’s characterized by a sauna among the world’s largest that fits up to 100 people and a super-giant cold plunge that fits up to 30.

It’s operated by Messe Property Co., Ltd., headquartered in Roppongi, Tokyo, a company that actively develops the “places to be” demanded in each era and location.

The same Messe Property company also opened “ROOFTOP,” an authentic Finnish sauna in a penthouse style, and the coworking space “LifeWork” at Ogikubo Station on the Chuo Line in December 2021, so “MONSTER WORK & SAUNA(Monster Work & Sauna)” is certainly a facility to look forward to.

Location of MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

It’s in the middle of Kichijoji’s shopping streets, in a great location, a 3-minute walk from the north exit of Kichijoji Station.

It’s open from 8 a.m. to midnight, so you can enjoy a morning sauna before commuting, or drop in casually even if work ends late at night.

It’s small-scale, but there are also workstations, so you can work too.

Name	MONSTER WORK & SAUNA(Monster Work & Sauna)
Address	B1F Kichijoji Cosmo Building, 1-8-3 Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino, Tokyo 180-0004
Phone	—
Hours	8:00–24:00 (last admission 23:00) Every Tuesday is Ladies’ Day
Parking	None *Use a nearby coin parking lot
Bicycle Parking	None
Official Website	https://monster-ws.jp/

In the daytime it’s 300 yen per 15 minutes, a Tokyo price, but it’s nice that there’s a parking lot very close by.

How to Get to MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

Here’s how to get to MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna).

It’s on the north side of Kichijoji Station on the east-west JR Chuo Line, so after the ticket gate, head for the north exit.

Be careful not to go by mistake to the opposite Koen (park) exit.
The area around Kichijoji Station is very crowded whether it’s a weekday or weekend, so take care.

You’ll see the north exit sign on your left, so go down the stairs.

You can also go down on the right, but going down the left side is the shortest route.

At the bottom there’s the Kichijoji Station north exit rotary, and you’ll see a crosswalk leading to Kichijoji Sun Road shopping street, so cross it.

Don’t enter the arcade straight ahead; turn left before it.

The FamilyMart on the corner is your landmark.

(You can also get there by going straight through, but it’s a slightly longer detour.)

Go about 50 m along Kichijoji Sun Road shopping street and turn right at the first intersection. Your landmark is the thriving butcher shop “Kichijoji Sato” on the left corner.

After turning and walking a short way, MONSTER WORK & SAUNA is across from Yoshinoya.

It’s listed as a 2-minute walk, but it took me 3 minutes to get here.

The entrance is on the inner side, so it’s easy to miss.

Inside MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

Now let’s tour the inside of MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)!

Time to infiltrate~.

It’s bare concrete, and what’s more, the sauna is underground!

Use requires LINE membership registration, and it seems best to scan the QR code next to it and register before going down the stairs.

Incidentally, there’s no water cooler or water server in the facility, so bringing your own saves money.

Just enter a few pieces of personal information, and you’re fine once registration is complete as shown above.

No credit card registration is needed, so you can register quickly in 1 to 2 minutes!

When you go down the stairs, you’ll find the shop’s logo!
If you’ve come from far away, snap a photo here.

Front Desk at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA

There’s no physical counter; reception is right on your right as soon as you go down the stairs.

One staff member stands there and handles reception efficiently. For first-time users, there’s an explanation using a tablet device.

There are no shoe lockers; the style is to store your footwear in your changing room locker.

Ponchos, bath towels, and face towels are included in the price and are already prepared in the changing room lockers.

Pricing is time-based, with check-in and check-out via LINE

Your usage time is calculated automatically on LINE, and the fee changes according to the usage time shown at check-out, with payment settled afterward.

It may take a while to get used to at first, but it’s a smart system that doesn’t use any wasteful steps.

Time management is strict, so if you relax in the rest corner, time can slip by in no time.

At the entrance to the changing room there’s a black curtain, with a gray carpet in front of it.

Look closely and you’ll see the carpet is no-shoes! Be careful not to make a mistake.

The rule is to put your shoes in the plastic bags provided.

Locker Room at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

Pass through the black curtain and the locker room is right in front of you; you can freely choose any locker where a wristband is available.

There are two tiers, upper and lower, and of course the upper lockers fill up first.

The entrance is on the left side of the curtain, so lockers near the entrance are crowded; I recommend going around to the other side and using lockers numbered in the 80s and above.

How to Enter MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

What confuses first-time visitors is how to enter the sauna.

Beyond the locker room is the changing room, and past the cold plunge is the sauna floor.

The question is whether you get naked in the locker room or first put on the provided poncho.

Either is fine under the rules, but the usual movement is to change into the provided poncho, take your towel, and head to the changing room.

There’s a changing room in front of the sauna floor, with hooks for hanging robes for each locker number, so take off your poncho in the changing room and hang it on the hook.

After leaving the sauna, you put the poncho from the changing room back on and move to the cooling-off room next to the locker room.

Sauna at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

MONSTER WORK & SAUNA’s (Monster Work & Sauna) sauna is a super-giant, five-tier rectangular sauna, a 100-person sauna among the world’s largest.

The thermometer reads 80°C on the lower tier to 92°C on the upper tier, but the upper tier feels close to 100°C, and it’s quite hot!

It’s also appealing that beginners can use the lower tier and experts the upper tier, so you can enjoy the temperature you like depending on how you feel.

The sauna I found in Kichijoji was incredible… [The shock of a mega sauna room x giant cold plunge] A giant sauna room holding up to 100 people… The size is surprising, but the temperature and humidity control are excellent too… Unable to bear the heat of the beautiful Niagara loyly, I rush out, and waiting is an ice-cold pool… Dunk all the way to my head and enjoy the floating sensation… To finish, a cave… pic.twitter.com/ktWce8Tcbi

— Satoru | Traveling Sauna Blogger (@satoru_tabisuru) March 18, 2024

The 3-second Niagara loyly that fires every 15 minutes is a signature feature that raises the perceived temperature even more!

People who can stay in for more than 10 minutes are real tough guys.

There’s a kickboard in front of the sauna room, and when there are 20 or fewer users, you can also use the lie-down seats.

Cold Plunge at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

MONSTER WORK & SAUNA’s cold plunge is a space that fits 30 people, and although it’s a single tub, the water temperature varies from 10 to 16°C.

Heaters run from below, so the water temperature differs by location: the sauna floor side is a strongly chilled plunge at about 10°C, and the changing room side is about 16°C.

Cooling-Off Space at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

The cooling-off space at MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna) is separate from the sauna and cold plunge area, and you can put on a poncho once and rest slowly in a reclining chair.

There are about 50 chairs, so it’s quite spacious.

The photo is quite bright, but it’s actually dim, with healing music and birdsong playing, so it’s perfect as a cooling-off environment, and the air conditioning is nicely moderate!

Powder Room and Rest Room at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

The powder room and rest room at MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna) are one combined space, to be used while wearing a poncho, and like the cooling-off space it’s a no-nudity area.

There’s also a workspace where you can work or do tasks while charging.

There’s a “Zoom OK” mark too, so web meetings are possible!

They also sell sauna goods, sports drinks, and ice cream.

Payment is settled individually each time, and you can use cash or transportation IC cards.

Crowding at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

What you wonder about is how crowded it gets.

Which days and times does MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna), a sauna-specialized facility in a great spot 3 minutes on foot from the station, get crowded?

Every Tuesday is Ladies’ Day and the other days are men only, and MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna) gets crowded from weekday evenings into the night, and nearly all hours except the mornings on weekends and holidays, but never so crowded that entry is restricted.

If you take the sheer scale of a 100-person sauna as one of its real pleasures, a bit of crowding shouldn’t bother you.

Admission Fees at MONSTER WORK&SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna)

After crowding, what you wonder about is the price.

Pricing is time-based, and at the cheapest you can use it for 1,480 yen for 1 hour for men on weekdays, or 1,980 yen for 2 hours on weekdays for women.

If you check in during the early-morning hours of 8:00 to 12:00, you can use it for 500 yen off, which is a great deal!

Students also get 500 yen off by showing a student ID.

My Impressions After Actually Using It

MONSTER WORK & SAUNA (Monster Work & Sauna), in the shopping street of the popular town of Kichijoji!!

I used it early on a weekday morning with the 500-yen discount, and it was comfortable with no crowds.

The 100-person-scale sauna is properly hot wherever you sit, and the Niagara loyly is super intense.

And in the cold plunge, because you can feel the water temperature, I moved around a little and was able to cool my body down all at once.

The finishing touch, the cooling-off space, is a meditative world in itself; soaking in the cool breeze and surrendering to an infinity chair, I got properly “totonoi.”

My five senses were sharpened by the sauna again today!

★Which saunas along the Chuo Line rank at the top?!