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The story
A men-only sauna in Takamatsu that once lifted its ban on tattoos went back to banning them again after just a month and a half, following a string of incidents: smoking in the non-smoking outdoor relaxation area, damaged equipment, intimidating behavior, and even false applications from organized crime members. The story sparked plenty of discussion. In the thread, some worried about regular customers being driven away and shared similar stories from other bathhouses, while others criticized the manager for being naive about what would happen — opinions were split.
⟨Sauna Trouble⟩ “Tattoos OK → Banned Again in Just 1.5 Months” — What Happened? Takamatsu Men’s-Only Sauna Manager Speaks Out: “Some Organized Crime Members Even Came With False Applications”
Published Thu, Sep 10, 18:33
Shueisha Online
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Apparently there are a lot of clothing stores catering to them too
MB said that's one thing he could never say even if it killed him (MB is a Japanese fashion commentator known for reviewing "yakuza-style" fashion)
Back when pools everywhere were banning tattoos, Summerland was the last holdout that refused to ban them
Apparently it ended up turning into a tattoo showcase
Regular customers fled, so they scrambled to ban it too
Guys who look like small-time thugs really are small-time thugs underneath too
He said that since it's normally hard for organized crime members to get into bathhouses like this, "maybe they were just happy the ban got lifted."
Lol, picturing the yakuza guys all excited about it
I mean, if they couldn't act intimidating, what would even be the point of living for them
>"We made a T-shirt that says 'No Tattoos Allowed.' We're hoping people with tattoos who can't get into our facility will wear it."
That's so unhinged, I lost it
That's insane lol
The Argama docks at a colony for repairs
Kamille heads to the sauna during his free time and finds Captain Quattro already there ahead of him, locker key strapped around his ankle
Getting banned again after just 1.5 months is proof enough lol
Takagi Boo's full-body tattoo lol (Takagi Boo — member of the Drifters)
They're banned almost everywhere else, so they probably all pile into the few places that do let them in, no?
I was floored once by how many tattooed guys were at a place called Hyotan Onsen in Beppu
(The ban was lifted in June 2023, and reinstated about 1.5 months later)
– Smoked in the non-smoking outdoor area
– Damaged equipment
– Acted intimidating
– Organized crime members filed false applications
Only 4 incidents total?
That's a pretty biased way to put it
Don't know the headcount, but racking up that many incidents in 1.5 months is insane
Under the Public Bathhouse Act, regular sento probably can't legally refuse them anyway
Once you get old the design starts falling apart, apparently
An old ex-yakuza guy told me that once in a sento sauna
Though he said "ex-yakuza," he was actually a construction worker, so who really knows
With weight gain and sagging skin,
the design falls apart too
The guys getting inked now will probably look like a mess in 20 years
Background and Discussion Points
Accepting tattooed customers at tourist facilities and bathhouses saw a brief wave of spread around the time of the Tokyo Olympics, and the Takamatsu sauna’s move appears to be part of that same trend. On the other hand, under the Public Bathhouse Act, regular sento reportedly have a hard time legally refusing entry, and commenters in the thread noted that bathhouses in the Osaka-Kobe area have settled into routinely accepting tattooed customers. What drew attention to this particular case was that in just a month and a half after lifting the ban, concrete problems piled up one after another — smoking, damaged facilities, intimidating behavior, and false applications from organized crime members. In the thread, concerns about driving away regular customers mixed with criticism of the manager’s naive judgment. Note that the events described in the original article actually took place in June 2023, not 2026, so there’s a gap between the publication date and when things actually happened that’s easy to misread.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Sauna Trouble] “Tattoos OK → Banned Again in Just 1.5 Months”… Takamatsu Men’s Sauna Manager: “Some Organized Crime Members Filed False Applications…”.”
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