I have been going to sento for many years now. I even have a website (kinda) about all these sento I have been to. So you would think that someone like me would not be surprised when entering a sento. You would think someone like me would have seen it all. It is all old news, it is just another place to get in a tub--but you would be wrong. I have been to many of the sento in Kobe city. I have seen the best and worst, weird and boring. Then I went to Asagiri. I did not expect much. Being perched, precariously on the side of a hill, as much of Kobe is, I expected something small, compact with 70’s colours. What I found was the sex parlor for the bad guy from the Watchmen comics. This place is snorting cocaine off the tits of a hooker cool. The tile work is stoic--it is completely drab brown. The baths, all the baths, are below the floor line. You have to step down into the baths. They are all in these square patterns that remind me of 1980’s Irvine, California architecture. This sento drives a Porsche.
This has been one of the weirdest sento I have visited. In the segmented main bath the depth varies and there are jets here and there. A waterfall bath in the corner that does not have enough pressure to make it useful. The medicated bath seems excluded. The cold water bath is very shallow and is placed under the stairs for the dry sauna and next to the downward stairs for the (very weak) mist sauna. It is one of those cold baths that you are not sure if you should put your body into or not. There was not any sign so I jumped in. Lastly, the cold water body shower, equipped with some sprayers I had not seen in other sento, was working and enjoyable. So for the bathing experience this place is below average. Steam is weak, jets are weak, there is not actually much bathing space. However, the 80’s coke palace vibe and design it is worth climbing up the hill from the station to try this one out. Oh and the tatami mats in the changing room are brand new and smell great. (Yes, it has tatami mats in the changing room?!)
Disclaimer: This sento is unaware of its coked up sex parlor vibe, so please bathe respectfully as the locals are totally not used to non-Japanese customers. I got some weird looks from the locals. This sento is not a real sex parlor, it just looks like one.