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What to Eat After an Onsen — Five Things Your Body Actually Wants

After a hot soak you have lost water and salts. What to eat so you recover instead of feeling heavy.

Thirty minutes in hot water costs you water and minerals, leaves your core temperature slightly raised, and slows digestion. Eat too heavily now and you will feel it; eat nothing and you will crash.

1. Water first, always

A large glass as soon as you leave the pool, before you think about food. Room temperature beats ice cold.

2. Clear ramen — the salts you just lost

Shio or shoyu ramen gives you water, salt and protein in one bowl, and digests more easily than tonkotsu. There is a reason ramen after the bath is routine in Japan.

3. Sashimi — light, cool, high protein

A still-warm body rarely wants hot food. Sashimi or a salmon rice bowl fits, and the protein supports muscles that have just been worked.

4. Cold soba — the right dish for Ubon's climate

It is warm here most of the year. Cold soba with tsuyu is the easiest thing on the stomach after a soak.

5. Matcha or hojicha to finish

Green tea refreshes without the jolt of coffee. Soaking in the evening? Choose hojicha, which has less caffeine.

Avoid — alcohol straight after bathing. You are already dehydrated, and alcohol accelerates fluid loss, which is why people feel dizzy far more easily.

Why this is simple at YUSUNSEN

The restaurant is inside the same grounds as the onsen — under a minute from the bath to a table. No driving anywhere while you are still warm, and the Onsen + Dinner set can be booked as one.

Yusunsen Japanese Restaurant

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