Sento is a kind of Japanese public bath house where clients pay for entry. There are a lot of various looks for a Japanese sento or communal bath.  The entrance of the most customary sento looks like the one of the temple with a Japanese curtain across the entrance. As a rule, the curtain is blue and demonstrates the kanji or the conforming hiragana. After the entrance there is an area with shoe lockers and two big doors one on every side. They lead to the datsuiba or datsuijo for women and men accordingly. The women’s and men’s sides are rather similar and have a few slight differences.
To take a bath at a communal sento you must have at least a little towel and shampoo. As a rule, the attendants sell all these items there. Sometimes visitors bring two towels, a bigger soft towel or drying and a smaller one for washing. Except these, you may have a toothbrush, toothpaste, shower caps, different creams, etc.
In Japan there is a tradition to remove someone’s shoes when entering a house. The same happens when entering the bathing space in a sento. They are put into a locker, which is
always obtainable for free. Then the visitors go into one of the two doors in accordance with the gender. The men’s door is frequently of blue color and the women’s door is generally red.
If you will want a nice-cream or juice, you may buy them right there. Prior to going home, the visitors usually have a drink, snack or cigarette in case smoking is permitted. Besides, you may use a coin operated massage chair if there is such a desire. Very frequently women add some make-up prior to leaving.
However, nowadays, the customary sento is becoming less popular and a large number of bath house operators have adjusted to the fast-changing public taste and can provide you with a great diversity of experiences. Certain bath houses accentuate their tradition and run customary-designed bath houses to attract the customers looking for the old Japan. Such bath houses are usually situated at picturesque sites in nature and can comprise open-air baths.
| 
