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"Bathhouses are my ideal water situation. I'm not a huge fan of oceans and lakes, as I don't trust my swimming skills and sharing the water with various creatures is one of my irrational fears. Going to the pool is great but weather dependent. At public baths, you get to leisurely soak in water free of fish and shark and pop into various [kinds of saunas](https://www.allure.com/story/finland-sauna-culture). What's not to like? \n\nMy love of bathhouses has brought me to [__Sojo Spa Club__](https://www.sojospaclub.com/){: rel=nofollow} in Edgewater, New Jersey, as well as [a *jjimjilbang*](https://www.allure.com/story/four-korean-facials-one-week-results) in Seoul, South Korea. And before heading to Japan a couple of months ago, I hoped to add an *onsen* (bathhouse with a hot spring) or *sento* (a hot spring-less bathhouse) as a stop on my public bath journey. \n\nYet, there was a slight glitch in my plan, as most of the bathhouses [in Tokyo](https://www.allure.com/gallery/japanese-beauty-trends) I came across during my research had a major barrier to entry: People with tattoos (regardless of size) may not enter the facility. With 10 tattoos on [my arms](https://www.allure.com/story/uv-black-light-tattoos) and legs, it became clear that I'd be an unwelcome attendee at any of those places. Although it's 2019, tattoos are still considered taboo in Japanese bathhouse culture, as they are frequently [associated with criminals](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/19/national/stigma-legal-battles-show-japan-still-tattoo-complex-even-olympics-loom/#.XQJkKdNKiRs) and gangs. \n\nIt's one of those beliefs that's so deeply ingrained into history that even if the mainstream culture has more or less accepted them, it's a rule most bathhouses will stay staunch on for the foreseeable future. However, most of my friends from Japan — as well as the people I met during my trip — were shocked when I told them about the no-tattoo regulation. They either had no idea that was *still* a thing or believed it was an arbitrary one. Alas, I looked for an alternative for living out my Japanese bathhouse dreams. \n\nFurther digging brought to my attention that there were hotels in Tokyo with their own bathhouses that offered a modified, tourist-friendly experience. I decided to stay at the [__Candeo Hotels Tokyo Shimbashi__](https://www.candeohotels.com/multi-language/branch?branch=shimbashi&lang=en){: rel=nofollow}. It allows guests to take advantage of the facility — if they cover up their tattoos in some way. After checking in, the front desk provided me with \"tattoo seals,\" which were basically moleskin padding sheets or tan fabric stickers. \n\nAfter a long day of exploring vintage shops in Shimokitazawa and beauty shops in Shinjuku, I decided to check out Candeo's SkySpa in lieu of my night shower. Here's how the experience went. \n\n###__Covering Up__\n\n\n[#image: /photos/5cf8340972858b6e2c5cd568]||||||\n\n\nBefore I made my way to my hotel's private bathhouse, I concealed my tattoos in the comfort of my room. Covering up parts of myself I'm proud of was a weird, emotional experience. Sticking on the seals without any second thoughts should have been an easy task, but hiding each line and dot of ink on my skin unexpectedly stirred up some trauma for me.\n\nHere's a truncated version of a long, traumatic story: as a teen, my body terrified me. Someone I was supposed to trust used it as a tool against me. As a result, I completely detached from my physical form for years, believing it wasn't mine to have ownership over. I never truly loved or hated it — someone else had taken that agency away from me. But tattoos helped me win it back. Deciding what art I wanted to put on my body helped me accept it for all that it is, and continually lets me know that I can have control of it. \n\nAs the [palm tree](https://www.allure.com/story/snail-slime-tattoo-aftercare-is-it-safe) on my ankle that reminds me of my best friend and the manicured hand holding flowers on my arm that pays homage to the women in my family disappeared under the sticky tan sheets, my anxiety spiked. Something in my brain told me I was forfeiting a part of myself during this process. I had to tell myself this was only temporary, that it would be worth it. I told myself, \"Although you have to abide by some arbitrary rule, you still have agency over your body. Trust yourself.\"\n\n##__Dipping In__ \n\n\n[#image: /photos/5cf83a042526515cac19dbc5]||||||\n\n\nAfter stripping down in the locker room, I made my way into the bathing area. Self-consciousness started to hit me the second my foot touched the tile floor — not because I was naked, though. I don't have any qualms about being naked in a public place if everyone else is, too. Rather, the anxiety came from thinking that the other women might think I fell out of a car or something, given the appearance of my bandaged-up appendages. The huge bruise on my back from a slightly aggressive massage I got [in Seoul](https://www.allure.com/story/four-korean-facials-one-week-results) only served to amplify the painful look. I felt like I should tell everyone they weren't about to share the water with someone who had actively festering wounds.\n\nOnce I rinsed off in the shower and eased into the outdoor bathing pool, however, I forgot about my tattoo seals. The water was just warm enough to melt away my anxiety but not so hot that it felt like my organs were slowly cooking. I lounged in the center of the shallow, foot-deep pool and looked up at the sky, which was exposed through a slated skylight. \n\nIf my life were a movie, a supercut of the best moments of the trip so far would've played as I soaked in the water. My mind stopped fixating on my body, and I started thinking of everything I was proud of accomplishing [while in Japan](https://www.allure.com/story/kitao-matcha-j-beauty-ulta). I couldn't have done anything without my body, tattooed or otherwise. In the three days that I had been in Tokyo, I hadn't yet had a moment of gratitude and reflection — I'd either been too busy or too tired to sit down and truly be present and quiet my mind. \n\n##__Washing Up__ \n\n\n[#image: /photos/5cf83a1072858b024d5cd56a]||||||\n\nAs I made my way to the indoor pool, I realized absolutely *no one* there cared about the state of my body but me. Everyone was so focused on their own that they didn't pay attention to others. \n\nAnd even so, this focus didn't seem to be fueled by insecurity. Instead, it was out of care and attentiveness. The main event at Candeo's SkySpa wasn't either of the two bathing pools but instead the special seated shower area, which is a customary feature of bathhouses in both Japan and Korea. It's basically a vanity area that you shower in. A plastic stool is set up before a mirror with toiletries and a handheld showerhead. I like to think of it as a self-care cubicle and honestly, I wish I had one in my apartment. \n\n[#image: /photos/5cf83a19252651445919dbc7]||||||\n\nShowering in front of a mirror forces you to acknowledge what you look like naked. Something about staring at your body while taking care of it in one of the simplest ways, like washing it, causes you to do so with a kind, loving eye. The bathhouse environment has a magical way of stripping away shame and judgment. Despite the fact that parts of my legs were covered up, I found a new appreciation for them, especially my thighs. Other than the aforementioned palm tree tattoo on the back of my left ankle, a lemon wedge decorates my right shin, and a meaningless skeleton lives on the ankle of the same leg. I have yet to add some art to either of my thighs, though. In their completely uncovered form, I started becoming more comfortable with them than ever before. For most of my life, I've ignored them based on my trauma, but now, I want to show them off this summer and [get a tattoo](https://www.allure.com/story/tattoo-pain-guide) on one of them. \n\nSitting down while showering also makes you take your time washing up. At home, I quickly rub [body wash](https://www.allure.com/gallery/best-body-washes) all over while conditioner marinates in my curls. At the SkySpa, the process slowed down to half speed. I gingerly soaped up limb by limb, not letting a single crevice go uncleansed and appreciating each area as I did so. \n\nAs I was finishing up, a woman walked in with a tattoo exposed, another with a bathing suit. Neither were kicked out. I probably could have gotten away with going without my damn seals, but some lessons are meant to be learned. \n\n##__Looking Back__ \n\nBack in my hotel room, I winced in pain as I peeled off the seals. Imagine ripping off huge bandages. The [pain was comparable](https://www.allure.com/story/tattoo-pain-guide) to getting the tattoos that lived underneath them. OK, I might be *slightly* dramatic, but once I was done taking them all off, I was so relieved. My tattoos don't define me, but they help me understand who I am and how I want to present myself to the world. They remind me of people I love and miss, as well as difficult and joyful memories. The bathhouse, however, reminded me that I can love and respect my body without them. \n\nOnce I tucked myself into bed, I realized how glad I was that I'd taken some time to focus on my body — and not my phone screen — for an hour or so after a long day. Every night should end like that. I guess I could take baths more often, but the teeny tiny tub in my studio apartment doesn't have the same *je ne sais quoi* as the SkySpa or a *jjimjilbang*. \n\nOf course, I can't help but wonder what a genuine Japanese bathhouse experience is like — one without having to cover up my tattoos. But there's always Korea, as well as the public baths [in Morocco](https://www.allure.com/story/beauty-editors-guide-to-marrakech-morocco) or Moscow. I have yet to visit those places, and there's always the future — maybe after I get that thigh tattoo. \n\n\n----------\n__Read more about the culture of Japanese beauty:__ \n\n - [What This New Matcha Skin-Care Line at Ulta Taught Me About J-Beauty](https://www.allure.com/story/kitao-matcha-j-beauty-ulta)\n - [I Tried a Japanese Skin-Care Routine for a Month, and These Are the Results](https://www.allure.com/story/japanese-skin-care-routine-month-results)\n - [All the Biggest J-Beauty Trends I Saw in Tokyo](https://www.allure.com/gallery/japanese-beauty-trends)\n\n----------\n\n__Now, watch makeup artist Yuui create a rainbow eye makeup look:__ \n\n\n[#cneembed: script/video/594c4d67fd2e6107f700001d.js?muted=1]||||||\n\n\n\n\n\n\n*Follow Devon Abelman on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/abelw0man) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/abelwoman/).*tram"
<https://www.allure.com/story/tokyo-bathhouse-and-covering-tattoos-anxiety>