Enoshima Island Spa Fujisawa Japan for Ultimate Relaxation

Enoshima Island Spa stands on Tokyo’s Enoshima Island like the imposing round tower of a castle. An hour by train from the capital, the award-winning multi-floor complex is home to Enoshima Island’s only natural hot spring and is one of only 22 hot-spring facilities that are certified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The realised dream of the head of a real-estate holding company, who envisioned a place that would provide the ‘ultimate relaxation’, Enoshima Island Spa makes the ideal destination for an out-of-city day of indulgence. As well as the spa’s separate male and female onsen, there is a large heated co-ed indoor bathing area, featuring the Sunlight Pool, Massage Pool and Jacuzzi Pool; a cave pool, inspired by Enoshima Iwaya Caves on the west side of the island; and a 23.5 m outdoor infinity pool, whose temperature is adjusted for comfort according to the season. Completing the spa’s health amenities are a sauna with an aroma-oil sprinkling system; a relaxation room; and a wellness area to alleviate fatigue, rebalance the body and improve blood circulation.

As outside food and beverages aren’t permitted at the spa and leaving the premises will invalidate your entry pass, it’s worth giving some thought before you arrive to when and where you’ll be eating. This is especially important for vegans, who may struggle to find something substantial on-site. For vegetarians, the ground-floor Enoshima Café offers a choice of three burgers: the Shonan Burger, a meat-free fish burger (JPY 900); the Whitebait Croquette Burger (JPY 700); and the Egg Tartar Tatsuta Burger, a deep-fried chicken burger (JPY 900). These can be ordered either as single items or with one beverage (tea, coffee or a soft drink) for an extra JPY 200. Also on the menu are onion rings (JPY 450), chicken nuggets (JPY 450) and French fries (JPY 500). Drinks, if bought separately, are JPY 440, or JPY 550 for lattes and fresh juices. April-to-September opening hours for the café are 11:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 11:00 to 19:00 during weekends and holidays (the kitchen closes an hour before for food orders and half an hour before for drink and ice-cream orders).

For something more upscale, head to the spa’s 70-seater Island Grill seafood restaurant, with fourth-floor views of the Shonan coast and Sagami Bay. Here, you can order a seafood-and-salad buffet set for JPY 2,400, with a freshly prepared seafood main-dish of your choice, or various options from an à la carte menu, including garlic shrimp, pizza, pasta and curry, with prices ranging from JPY 700 to 3,600. Alternatively, there’s a sea-facing outdoor eating area near the entrance, with a pizza wagon offering a choice of margherita or four-cheese pizza, and a ramen eatery (closed at the time of our visit).

Changing-room facilities at the spa are clean and modern, and the building is a light, airy space, with an indoor atrium above the spa’s Sunlight Pool and floor-to-ceiling windows. If you’re still at the spa during early evening, round off your day of pampering near the outdoor infinity pool for celebrated views of the setting sun and Mount Fuji to enhance the relaxation.