Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network Editorial Team
As winter arrives and the air turns crisp, it's the ideal season for hot spring bathing. Blessed with Taiwan’s exceptional geography, thermal springs are scattered across plains, highlands, valleys, and coastal areas throughout the island. Among them, Beitou, Yangmingshan, Guanziling, and Sichongxi have been especially renowned since the Japanese colonial era, earning the title of Taiwan’s Four Great Hot Springs. To ensure your soak is both enjoyable and beneficial to your health, it’s important to know the proper onsen etiquette.
Even snow monkeys love the soothing warmth of hot springs. (Photo credit: Rakuten Travel)
◎Onsen Etiquette
1. Before entering the hot spring, please take a shower to rinse off and clean your body.
2. Avoid playing, running, or jumping in the hot spring pool to prevent accidents.
3. Please do not bring towels into the pool.
4. Do not smoke, eat, or drink in or around the pool. Food and beverages may be consumed only at designated areas away from the pool.
5. For safety and hygiene, please store personal clothing in lockers.
6. Do not scrub your body while in the hot spring.
Cooler autumn and winter weather is the best time for hot spring bathing. (Photo credit: Beitou L’Horizon Hotel)
◎Hot Spring Taboos & Precautions
1. People with contagious diseases are prohibited from entering the bath.
2. Individuals with heart disease, lung conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes, or other circulatory system disorders should bathe only under a doctor’s guidance.
3. Those with dry or allergy-prone skin should avoid hot springs to prevent skin irritation.
4. Women should not enter hot springs during menstruation.
5. Avoid bathing when drunk, on an empty stomach, or right after a heavy meal.
6. Do not bring pets into public hot spring baths.
7. Each soak should not exceed fifteen minutes.
8. Do not submerge your body above heart level in the hot spring.
9. Avoid going directly into a sauna or steam room after soaking, as it may harm your corneas.
10. Pregnant women, elderly individuals with mobility issues, and children under three years old should not enter hot springs.
11. Seniors or those in poor health should avoid bathing alone.
12. After excessive fatigue or strenuous exercise, rest before entering the hot spring.
