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The story
A story about a public bathhouse (sento) that had previously allowed tattooed customers to enter, but has now changed its policy to ban them, citing a decline in the quality of its clientele, became a hot topic on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board. In the thread, the defense that “tattoos are normal overseas” was met with the counterargument that “overseas, tattoos are also a sign of gangsters and delinquents,” while opinions differed over people’s motives for getting tattoos, and several posters shared firsthand accounts that seeing tattooed customers at their local bathhouse isn’t actually unusual at all — opinions were split. Since public bathhouses are generally not allowed to refuse entry to bathers, many commenters expressed a mix of sympathy and irony that the establishment’s past tolerance had backfired.
What people said
◯ "Overseas, they're also gangsters and delinquents"
Well, now you've learned that the hard way.
Does this even have anything to do with overseas?
so of course guys like that aren't going to behave.
Might as well lean all the way into it at this point.
The bathhouses and saunas in Kabukicho are probably already like that.
That's basically a recipe for trouble already.
They trusted that prejudice was wrong, and this is the thanks they get — kind of sad.
They were way too naive about the world.
You have to assume everyone's rotten, or you'll end up the fool.
Something like "Breaking Down Bathhouse" (a nod to the delinquent-themed fight show/brand)
and set the admission fee sky high.
and 1% was an impossible-level idiot.
That's the truth right there.
Even the guy who posted that video saying "99% of people with tattoos are morons" is honestly on the moron side himself.
Funny thing was, it wasn't "okay if it's small enough to cover with a tattoo sticker" — it was "okay as long as you slap a sticker on it," no matter how big.
Their manners were normal otherwise, but nobody followed the posted "silent bathing" rule.
The punks without tattoos are the real menace.
You sound like you think you know something — go ahead and enlighten me.
YOU LOSE
No tattooed guy is going to walk in and announce "I'm with the yakuza" or "I'm a hanguré (semi-organized thug)," you know.
Making people sign a waiver means it's easier to point to it if there's ever an issue.
It's not really about whether it's actually fine or not to let them in — it's proper etiquette to at least put on a show of exclusion so you can stand on the victim's side later, sweetie lol.
Probably because it feels good to show off and scare people, I'd guess.
Partly they want to show it off,
and partly it just feels good when cheese like you guys get scared.
You came all this way to enjoy the hot spring and now you're too nervous to relax, right?
That's what they get off on watching.
"Ooh, scawy me~ Look at me and get scaaared~"
It's the spa-sento (super sento) chains that started refusing tattoos.
Come on, read the thread.
Regular sento can't legally refuse entry.
Same at the little local bathhouse near me.
Every single time I go, there are always 2-3 people with tattoos.
You don't see that many tattooed people in everyday life, so it makes you wonder just how many of them are actually out there in the world.
Background and key points of this topic
Public bathhouses (sento) operate under permits granted through the Public Bathhouse Act, and as a rule they are not permitted to refuse bathers entry without a legitimate reason. Because of this, some sento have continued to accept tattooed customers — but this particular case became a topic of discussion because that policy was reversed, with the establishment citing a decline in clientele quality. The thread was split between those who view tattoos as a form of personal expression or as normal in foreign cultures, and those who see them as a red flag for security risk, with opinions also diverging over people’s motives for getting tattooed. At the same time, several people shared firsthand accounts that tattooed customers are already nothing unusual at small local bathhouses, suggesting that the reality varies significantly depending on a facility’s location and clientele. It’s worth keeping in mind while reading that this single incident doesn’t allow for a blanket judgment about the conduct of tattooed customers as a whole. In fact, some replies pointed out the difference in business permits between a “sento” (public bathhouse) and a “super sento” (spa-style bathhouse), highlighting that how tattoos are handled can depend on the type of facility.
※This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Bathhouse that used to be understanding about tattoos changes policy to ban tattooed customers over declining clientele wwwwww.”
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