Beppu Sand Bath — Buried on the Beach

Takegawara Onsen (竹瓦温泉), operating since 1879, offers Beppu's most accessible sand bath experience. Visitors wear yukata and lie on the beach while staff shovel hot volcanic sand over the entire body except the face. The sand is heated by underground hot springs to 40–42°C. The 10-minute burial induces sweating that devotees claim provides deeper detoxification than water bathing.

The original Shoningahama beach sand bath (別府海浜砂湯) offers the same experience directly on the beach with ocean views, open-air and more atmospheric than the indoor Takegawara version.