Gabriel S.
Yelp
This place bills itself as "the first authentic super sento style Japanese Onsen in Singapore". To a large extent, it delivers - with one obvious flaw. In fact, in some ways, this beats most authentic Japanese onsen, primarily because of the variety of pools. So comparing the entrance price ($40 with GST) with that of the average Japanese onsen is not going to be a fair comparison, simply because you're getting more at Yunomori
The men get 8 pools and rooms:
1) Soda Spa
2) Jet Bath
3) Bubble Bath
4) Silk Bath
5) Onsen/Hot Bath (labelled as the former onsite and in the brochure as the latter)
6) Cold Bath
7) Sauna
8) Steam Room
The female side (yes, like virtually all onsens this one is gender-segregated, for better or for worse!) has all of these except for the sauna and onsen
Missing the latter isn't much of a loss though - it was my least liked pool as the water was a light purple colour and didn't have the right smell (i.e. the characteristic sulphur odour of a real onsen). And that is, I'd imagine, the main reason most people visit onsens
That said it was still a good experience as I got to experience various sorts of baths most Japanese onsens lack (you'd probably have to go to an onsen theme park for 1-4), even if the water pressure was weak for the jet bath (where everyone gets his own mini-pool to lie in and be massaged by water jets - this was definitely not up to the pressure of even a decent jacuzzi). I'm not sure the dissolved carbon dioxide in the soda bath or the dissolved hydrogen in the silk bath did anything for my skin, but it was nice to try different sorts of baths
Besides the variety of baths, the mostly non-Japanese patrons also made it different from Japanese onsens:
- They can't ban tattoos in Singapore (unlike in many onsens in Japan) so quite a few were on display
- It was sometimes noisy (I'm told the female side was very noisy because people were there with friends)
- Some patrons wore the modesty garment (a flimsy black cloth that didn't really cover much, a concession to local sensibilities even though in Japan clothing is not allowed); I'm told this was more common in the women's side since most of them came in groups - the men seemed mostly content to be nude, even if many self-consciously covered up with the small towels
- Some patrons were disgusting and put their towels in the baths, had their long hair floating in the baths or went in without washing themselves
So if you feel or would feel restricted by the onsen etiquette in Japan, the more casual atmosphere here might appeal to you
I was impressed by some of the little touches - the toilet had rubber slippers outside, and was equipped with a Japanese-style bidet with 2 modes - for rear washing and for feminine washing. Unfortunately it didn't have the more advanced functions, but there was only one cubicle so the running water sound maker was not needed and who needs a seat warmer in Singapore anyway?
Unfortunately, maintenance of the facilities wasn't as good as it could've been though. Although it had been officially opened for less than 8 months, many of the pools had chips, stones and loose tiles at the bottom, and the ceiling at the showers outside the sauna and spa had some discoloration and some ants crawling around. I'm told the female side was alright, though
Also, the dressing area, though well stocked with combs, cotton buds, moisturiser and hair gel, was rather cramped, and the lockers weren't very big (backpacks probably wouldn't be able to fit). I counted 138 lockers, and there were at most a quarter of that number - I'd imagine that at full capacity one would not have a pleasant time
Yunomori also can be a whole day experience, with features not found in many Japanese onsens - there is an onsite cafe which is quite cheap, and a decently-sized rest area with long couches one can recline or even sleep on (I counted 25 in all). The food at the former seemed decent - the Green Tea Cheesecake was quite good, even if the Hokkaido Milk ice cream had some ice crystals but was otherwise good being rich and milky.
The flip side of all these facilities is that you're not allowed to leave the premises (except for a quick smoking break), but one can take a soak, have a nap, eat a little, and then go soak some more, which makes for a nice relaxing afternoon