Yunotani or Hondani Onsen? Two Very Different Day Baths in Saijo
Compare Yunotani and SPA P.SPO Hondani Onsen in Saijo by spring water, private bathing, sauna facilities, current prices, hours and access.
Yunotani Onsen and SPA P.SPO Hondani Onsen are both day-trip options in Saijo, Ehime, and their adult tickets differ by only ¥100 on a weekday. The more useful question is what you want the visit to be about: Yunotani puts its own cold mineral spring at the centre, while Hondani has a private family bath, two sauna-equipped public baths and enough lounge facilities to make a longer stop of it.
| Yunotani Onsen | SPA P.SPO Hondani Onsen | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult admission | ¥600 weekdays; ¥700 weekends, public holidays and designated dates | ¥700 |
| Children | Elementary school ¥200; younger children ¥100 | Ages 3 through elementary school ¥350 |
| Day-use hours | 8:30 a.m.–10 p.m.; last admission 9 p.m. | 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; last admission 9:30 p.m.; open daily |
| Bathing setup | The inn says all tubs, including the cold bath, use its own naturally emerging spring in a 100% flow-through system | Two themed public baths rotate between the men’s and women’s sides; both have a sauna, cold bath, outdoor bath and space to cool off outside |
| Private family bath | No fixed day-use rental is listed on the current public-bath page | One room; 90 minutes for ¥3,000, or ¥2,500 for P・SPO members |
| Best fit | Spring-focused visit, a quieter inn setting, or a stop by rail | Families and groups who want to bathe together, sauna facilities, or time to unwind after the bath |
The wider Toyo day-use onsen guide compares seven baths across Saijo, Imabari and Niihama. This comparison looks at Yunotani and Hondani in Saijo.
Choose Yunotani when the water itself is the reason to go
Yunotani’s distinguishing detail is unusually specific: its spring emerges naturally on the grounds, and the inn says it uses the source water throughout the bathing area, including the cold bath. The source is a cold mineral spring; firewood is used to heat the warmer tubs. That makes the visit about moving between spring water at different temperatures, rather than a large menu of spa equipment.
The current spring description identifies the water as a sodium-chloride-bicarbonate cold mineral spring. Yunotani also says the water is used at 100% in a flow-through system. Those are the facility’s published operating details; they don’t establish a particular health benefit, and a source name alone can’t tell you which bath will feel best.
| Yunotani day use | Published terms |
|---|---|
| Adult admission, weekday | ¥600 |
| Adult admission, weekend / holiday / designated date | ¥700 |
| Hours | 8:30 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Last admission | 9 p.m. |
| Access | 15-minute walk from JR Ishizuchiyama Station, or 7-minute taxi from JR Iyo-Saijo Station |
No toiletries are supplied in the public bath; the inn sells a towel-and-amenities set. Check the route and return options for your travel date.
Pick Hondani if your group needs its own bath
Hondani’s clearest advantage is the single private family-bathing room. It costs ¥3,000 for 90 minutes, with a reduced ¥2,500 rate for P・SPO members. The changing area has a baby bed and a toilet, which can make the visit easier for a family with a small child. Because there is only one room, confirm availability before building a tight itinerary around it.
The public bath is a stronger all-round sauna stop. Two different bath designs take turns serving as the men’s and women’s sides; the operator says both include a sauna, cold bath, outdoor bath and outdoor-air cooling space. The side you get changes, but the basic sauna circuit does not.
Hondani also has manga and magazines, massage equipment, a children’s slide and other lounge facilities. Those extras matter if you plan to stay for a while; they add little to a quick soak.
| Hondani public bath | Published terms |
|---|---|
| Adult entry | ¥700 |
| Child, age 3 through elementary school | ¥350 |
| Hours | 10 a.m.–10 p.m., daily |
| Last admission | 9:30 p.m. |
Don’t use Hondani’s old municipal price
Older pages may still describe Hondani as a municipal bath and quote its former admission price. Saijo City transferred the facility to a private operator on April 1, 2026; after renovation it reopened on April 9 as SPA P・SPO Hondani Onsen. The current operator lists adult entry at ¥700. Treat pre-reopening prices and facility descriptions as historical, not as today’s offer.
Hondani is at Kawanoe Ko 494, Saijo. Yunotani has the clearer rail approach in its published access information. If you’re planning to reach Hondani without a car, check a current route and the return journey before setting out rather than assuming that the two baths are equally easy to reach by train.
On weekends and designated dates, adult admission is ¥700 at either bath. For more options nearby, the early-opening Toyo onsen guide covers facilities that open at 6 a.m. If you’re continuing to Imabari or Matsuyama, compare Kisuke no Yu and Nibukawa Seseragi or browse the Matsuyama city onsen and sento guide.
