Regulations regarding the installation of saunas Freely encouraging bathing in nature: facilities are encouraged to prepare facilities for men and women

SAPPORO – Local authorities across the country are relaxing regulations on outdoor saunas, for example by installing a fence to separate men from women, so that people can enjoy saunas as an open-air attraction among natural surroundings.

The central government is also encouraging local governments to adopt flexible requirements, expecting outdoor saunas to be one of the new tourist attractions.

Oneness with nature

A 39-year-old company employee used the Kielo Sauna in the middle of the forest in Kushiro, Hokkaido.

“After sweating comfortably, I can enjoy the feeling of openness while admiring the natural environment,” he said enthusiastically.

Most saunas are indoors, and local authorities have previously instructed operators to build fences and provide separate rooms for men and women in the same way as public hot baths. However, many people complained that these restrictions would result in a loss of the sense of unity with nature, one of the greatest attractions of outdoor saunas.

Last fall, the Hokkaido prefectural government significantly relaxed sauna regulations, eliminating mandatory requirements for fencing and dividing facilities. The Hokkaido government requires sauna operators to install drainage systems, but for events such as the use of “tent saunas” it allows them to install makeshift devices

“We hope that these measures will help reduce obstacles to operating saunas,” said Yosuke Goto, president of the Tokachi Sauna Association.

‘Sanctuary’

Yamanashi Prefecture, which calls itself an “outdoor sauna sanctuary,” revised its regulation in 2022 to allow both men and women to enter the sauna together in swimsuits.

In a move to relax regulations nationwide, the prefectural government asked the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in January to review guidelines for hygiene management in public bathhouses.

“If people and companies can more easily enter the sauna industry, more people will know about outdoor saunas,” a prefectural government official said. “We want saunas to become a new source of tourism in Yamanashi Prefecture.”

Flexible measures

The National Federation of Trade Unions of the Public Bath Industry conducted a survey in 157 municipalities in whose jurisdiction there are public health care facilities. At the end of January, 39 communes, or 24.8%, relaxed restrictions on the installation of saunas. The Ministry of Health informed prefectural governments and other entities about the survey results along with examples of deregulation and asked them to implement flexible measures.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency plans to review the criteria that define distances between surrounding walls and heat sources such as furnaces. The current criteria apply to indoor installations, so the agency will conduct an experiment this fiscal year to measure the appropriate distance.

Dai Matsuo, a manufacturer of saunas across the country, welcomed the move to relax regulations.

“There is a growing demand for the use of saunas in natural surroundings, as in Finland, the homeland of the sauna,” he said.