DANSETSU SAPPORO

It’s located in part of a building, such as an apartment complex, a little away from Susukino. It’s close—about a 4–5 minute walk from Hosui-Susukino Station—but the location was a bit hard to find. The building is new and clean. By entering my details online in advance, I didn’t need to fill anything out at the front desk, and check-in was smooth with only the Hot Spring Tax to pay. The Room has an almost single-person sauna, which I used; it takes just under an hour to reach the right temperature, but I enjoyed it. The lounge is available from 7:00 to 23:00 and offers drinks (including alcohol) and light snacks, which was also great. I didn’t use the sauna in the large public bath, but it looked like it had a nice atmosphere as well. Breakfast at the restaurant—where I also had the free late-night ramen—was simple but offered a wide variety of options including Hokkaido flavors. Since I fully enjoyed Hokkaido cuisine at dinner in Susukino, this felt like better value than staying at a Ryokan with dinner and breakfast included for one night.

This is my second visit. The sauna room has high humidity due to the auto löyly, and I started sweating immediately. After the cold water bath, the outdoor air bath was refreshing and comfortable, even in sub-zero temperatures. Last time, there were sandals in the outdoor air bath area, but this time they were not available, so my feet felt a bit cold.