Nothing is more soothing than soaking your stress-laden body in a large, hot bath while focusing on serene natural surroundings or the starry heavens.

Hot spring resorts, or onsens, are a traditional outlet popular among Japanese of all ages.

They’re also becoming popular with U.S. servicemembers stationed in the country. On Okinawa, Marine and Air Force installations offer monthly excursions to some of the island’s most popular onsens.

An estimated 130 million people visit Japan’s 2,500 onsen resorts each year, equivalent to the nation’s population.

“It is the ultimate way to relax,” said Sumito Goda, director of the Forum on Thermalism in Japan, a Tokyo-based thermal-medicine institute. Hot-spring water, he said, accumulates underground for 300 to 400 years before it wells up from the ground.

“While underground, the water absorbs lots of minerals that our body needs,” he said. “That is why soaking in hot spring water is very therapeutic and good for the health, besides being relaxing.”

Japan’s archipelagos perch atop the world’s premier volcanic region, making it rich in hot springs. Hot springs are also popular in Iceland, Germany, Italy and France.

In the United States, hot springs can be found in high-temperature geothermal zones, such as California. Hot-spring or mineral-water resorts are also in Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

On Okinawa, five onsens are official natural hot springs. Local governments of each prefecture issue licenses to onsens with spring water hotter than 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which contain minerals considered therapeutic.

“Believe the healing power of the hot springs,” Goda said. “Set a time aside for your health and visit an onsen. You will be surprised to see the process, how your body restores a healthy rhythm.

“More often,” he said, “it is more effective than relying on medication.”

Onsen bathing benefits vary, depending on water temperature, chemical content and the natural surroundings. The law requires that each onsen post chemical and temperature information.

Some Japanese contend onsen bathing can rejuvenate skin, relieve muscle pain and heal burns, cuts and other skin troubles, such as atopic dermatitis. It’s also said to alleviate chronic digestive disorders.

Who doesn’t benefit from hot springs? People with fevers, malignant cancers, heart disease or severe anemia. Women in the early and late stages of pregnancy also should avoid onsens.

People with tattoos are restricted. The Japanese culture disdains tattoos, traditionally a sign of the criminal underclass. Some onsens do allow tattoos, but they are rare.

Bathhouses not meeting these requirements are called sento, or public bathhouses, to distinguish them from onsens. Unlike onsens, they usually are in accessible, urban areas.

JA Aroma Bath House in Ginowan near the Okinawa Convention Center is one of Okinawa’s five licensed onsens.

“Most of our customers are regulars, and they spend at least two hours, some of them for half a day,” said Satoshi Tonaki, a JA Aroma Bath House employee.

Camp Courtney car saleswoman Natalie Cutugno, 25, who lives in Kitanakagusuku, is a frequent bathhouse patron.

“It’s extremely relaxing,” she said. “And I firmly believe it’s good for my health — it cleanses my skin and reduces my stress level.”

She tries to visit the bathhouse at least once a month.

“I started going about two years ago,” she said. “I went with a friend, who showed me the ropes, and now, I’m the guide for my friends. I took my mother when she came over for a visit, and she just loved it.”

Cutugno said each visit lasts about four hours.

“There’s so many wonderful things to do,” she said. “One of my favorite rooms is the sea-salt scrub room. It’s a hot, steamy room where there’s a salt lick in the middle of the room, and what you do is pick up some salt and rub it all over yourself, then rinse with some very icy cold water.

“When you’re finished, your skin is silky smooth.”

The visits also take a bite out of stress, Cutugno said.

“Whenever I start getting really irritable, my boyfriend will tell me it’s time for the bathhouse,” she said. “It does wonders for my disposition.”

Of all the pools available on Okinawa, Cutugno’s favorite is under a saltwater waterfall.

“I sit under it, and the water gently massages my back and neck, and all my troubles seem to disappear,” she said.

Kadena’s Information Tickets and Travel offers monthly visits to Okinawa onsens.

This month — the day after Thanksgiving — the bus goes to the JA Aroma Bath House 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Nov. 29. The cost is $25 per person, including transportation and entrance fees.

“This is one of our most popular regular tours,” said April Marling, Kadena ITT director. “If you’ve never been to an onsen, you’re really missing out on one of the unique aspects of Japanese culture.”

Marling said everything is provided by the bathhouse, from shampoos and lotions to bathrobes.

“An onsen experience is the most relaxing experience you can imagine,” Marling said. The baths are segregated by gender.

“There’s usually a series of baths you can take — hot baths, ice baths, herbal baths. They even had a wine bath once,” Marling said. “It’s a very relaxing atmosphere where you just sit back and kind of veg out.

“Most people are so relaxed they fall asleep on the way home. It’s a good way to soak away a week’s worth of tension.”

Where to test the waters on Okinawa ...

JA Bathhouse Aroma, Ginowan

Directions: Take Highway 58 south from Camp Foster’s Kitamae Gate. At the very next stoplight, turn right to the Ginowan Bypass. Proceed with the road and turn right at the third stoplight, behind Uni Qlo clothing store. JA Bathhouse Aroma is on the left side of the street after passing a nursery.

Hours: 9 am.-10 p.m. daily

Admission: 1,500 yen (about $12) for adults, 700 yen for toddlers and children under 12 years old. Free admission for infants.

Telephone: 098-898-1126

Yamada Spa, Onna

Direction: Take Highway 58 north from Kadena Air Base’s Gate 1. Within a half-hour drive, Ramada Renaissance Hotel Okinawa appears on the left side of the highway. The spa room is on the second floor.

Hours: 6 a.m.-midnight daily

Admission: 1,050 yen (about $8) for adults, 525 yen for children at 12 years of age and younger. Children of 6 years old and younger are free.

Telephone: 098-965-0707

Loisir Hotel Bathhouse, Naha

Direction: Take Highway 58 south from Kadena Air Base’s Gate 1 and before reaching Naha military port, turn to the right at Asahibashi intersection. Proceed until you find Loisir Hotel ahead of you, where the road makes a sharp right turn. The bathhouse is on the second floor.

Hours: 6:30 a.m.-midnight daily

Admission: 3,150 yen (about $25) for adults, 1,500 yen for children of 12 years and younger. Admission is free for children 4 years old and younger.

Telephone: 098-868-2222

Rikka Rikka Yu, Naha

Direction: The bathhouse is in an annex building of the Central Hotel, located in back of the Mitsukoshi Department Store on Kokusai Street.

Hours: 6 a.m. - midnight daily

Admission: 1,300 yen (about $10) for adults and 750 yen for children of 12 years old and younger. Admission is free for children of 2 years old and younger.

Telephone: 098-867-1126

Iriomote Onsen, Irimote Island

Direction: Take a flight from Naha to Ishigaki. A ferry ride from Naha port is an option. About a 35-minute ferry ride from Ishigaki will take you to Iriomote Island. An outdoor Onsen in jungle surroundings is a part of the facilities of Painumaya Resort Hotel.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Admission: 1,200 yen for adults (about $9.50) and 600 yen for children ages between 3 and 12. Free admission for children 2 years old and younger. Fifty percent discount for hotel guests.

Telephone: 098-085-5900

For more information on the bathhouse tour, call Kadena ITT at 634-4322.

Those who have tattoos may try Yufuru Land, a public bathhouse near Camp Kinser. Contact MCCS Tours at 646-3502 for additional information.

For more information on the benefits of onsens and thermal therapy, surf the Forum on Thermalism in Japan at: www.onsen-forum.co.jp/ on-line/doctor/sodan.html.

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