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If you hardly publish anything, then no wonder that you get the feeling you are way behind things. So guess what?
On the other hand, despite all the geothermality on offer locally, there's conspicuously little finding it's way to even some obscure website. So if there's nothing to share?
So a little info on Southeast Asia to start off with. And then a lot on Eastern Asian bathing traditions and experiences.
Adventures and sunsets (Jul. 6, 2025) has some real news to share:
'Bali’s beautiful new hot springLocated in Kintamani at the base of Mt Batur, Cinze Natural Hot Spring has almost 15 levels of bright blue hot springs pools that look like they’re maybe even modeled after the grutas tolontongo in Mexico or some other famous tiered springs! They’re v aesthetic with the volcano, lake, and mountains surrounding itthe perfect place for a drone flight!
They also have some villas on site with little private pools. We stayed at a Glamping site nearby though that we loved - more on that soon!How it works is that the very top pool is the actual hot spring, and the pool at the bottom is cool. The pools gradually get cooler and cooler the further down you go!It’s 150k for entry (about $10) and includes a towel and welcome drink. They also have a small and basic restaurant for refreshments!
More Indonesia.
You have a deal. To preserve and protect. In this case a deal with UNESCO. Concerning conserving a spectacular rainforest. But the deal predates the thought to exploit the available geothermal resource. Mongabay (Sep. 30, 2025) has the details:
'Indonesia is seeking to redraw the boundaries of a UNESCO World Heritage rainforest to pave the way for geothermal projects — part of its renewable energy push but a move environmentalists warn could devastate biodiversity and tarnish the country’s green reputation.The Ministry of Forestry has proposed excluding two degraded areas — Suoh and Sekincau in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung province — from the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (TRHS).The TRHS is a 2.5 million-hectare (6.2 million-acre) site that also spans Gunung Leuser and Kerinci Seblat national parks, making it one of the largest conservation areas in Southeast Asia and the last habitat for many endangered animals.Officials say the boundary change would free up some of the site’s vast geothermal potential, estimated at 5 gigawatts (GW), while maintaining TRHS’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) required by UNESCO.“TRHS sites cannot [be used for geothermal], but we know there is huge potential there. It would be a pity not to make use of it,” said Satyawan Pudyatmoko, the ministry’s director-general of ecosystem conservation, as quoted by local media Sept. 18.The government submitted the proposal in November 2023, with a decision expected in 2027'.
But UNESCO rules forbid this. The article continues:
'The narrative that geothermal is clean and low-impact often overlooks these risks, said Ki Bagus Hadikusuma, energy researcher at the NGO Auriga Nusantara.He cited Sorik Marapi in North Sumatra, where gas leaks since 2022 have sent dozens of people to hospital and killed five, including two children.Geothermal is also a water-hungry industry, like mining, which could threaten critical water sources in protected forests, Ki Bagus added....For conservationists, the risks extend beyond biodiversity loss.“Altering World Heritage boundaries for extractive projects like geothermal in TRHS not only threatens ecosystems and local communities but also risks damaging Indonesia’s standing in global diplomacy,” Atina said'.
More from Mongabay and Indonesia, this time (Jan. 16) on Flores:
'When Indonesia designated Flores a “geothermal island” in 2017, identifying up to 21 geothermal sites, the policy was framed as a cornerstone of the country’s renewable energy transition. Backed by international lenders and enshrined as a “national strategic project,” Flores was positioned as a global showcase for clean energy.Eight years later, key geothermal projects on the island remain suspended, derailed by sustained resistance from Manggarai communities who argue that the transition has come at the expense of justice, safety and cultural survival, found a study published Nov. 13 in the journal Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space....For now, geothermal operations in Wae Sano and Poco Leok remain paused, not resolved. Whether Indonesia’s energy transition can move forward without repeating old injustices, researchers say, remains an open question'.
Báo Phú Tho (21 Aug. 2025) in a Vietnamese article looks at exploiting the local hot springs of Than Thuy. Translated:
'Possessing abundant tourism resources, especially natural and unique hot mineral resources, Thanh Thuy commune is focusing on exploiting its potential and strengths to attract tourists and become a key tourist area of the province'.
'The Te Teuk Pus (Hot Water) geothermal site is being developed into a community-protected natural area and nature tourism corridor, adding to the almost 200 community-based conservation sites that the Ministry of Environment manages, across 15 provinces....A rare geothermal site, its water temperatures reach up to 70°C. The six hot springs in the area emit water with a scent similar to sulfur and limestone. They cover an 80-square-metre water surface within a 5-hectare natural area filled with tall grass, reeds and red sandstone.According to the provincial administration, the Suoy indigenous people believe Te Teuk Pus is a sacred site that brings good fortune to visitors. It is also believed to have healing properties, with some locals claiming that washing one's face in its clear waters can help cure ailments'.
The Vientiane Times (Jul. 1, 2025) on a long shot initiative:
'Bokeo authorities have begun transporting hot spring water over a distance of nearly 50 kilometres to the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, aiming to install hot spring facilities for visitors and promote tourism in the area.The Poung Loc hot spring contains metasilicic acid that is rich in various nutrients that are beneficial to the human body and have health benefits.It promotes heart health and blood circulation, strengthens bones, and nourishes the skin....The water temperature in the Poung Loc hot spring is as high as 90 degrees Celsius. After being transported to the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone through a 47.45-kilometre pipeline, the temperature can be maintained at around 60 degrees Celsius.The daily water volume is stable at 2,000-3,000 cubic metres, which isconsidered sufficient to lay a stable foundation for future developments'.
From Thailand, a national Top 10 hot springs for relaxation. WanderOn (May 29, 2025):
'Thailand’s got a secret: hot springs. Not just any hot springs, but steamy pools hidden in jungles and mountains. It is one of the best places to visit in Thailand. Imagine stumbling across a natural hot tub while hiking, that’s what we’re talking about.
These aren’t your average puddles. The water’s hot enough to boil an egg. Locals swear by them for fixing everything from sore backs to skin problems. Some people even drink the water, claiming it’s good for their insides.
You’ll find these hot springs in Thailand all over, from Chiang Mai in the north to Ranong down south. Some are wild and untouched, perfect for adventurers looking for adventure activities in Thailand. Others are decked out with massage rooms and fancy pools'.
A good overview.
More Thai. Channel News Asia (Jul. 24, 2025):
'The Thai government is pushing a nationwide policy to position the kingdom as a top-tier wellness destination, with a hefty budget and multi-year strategy to develop infrastructure.
...
The policy aims to build up the capacity and connectivity of lesser-known hot spring areas
...
A survey by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in 2023 identified 118 hot springs throughout Thailand. They vary in kind and location, from natural areas to urban settings. Others are more rural and isolated, with the majority located in the country’s north, while there are 13 located in Ranong.
“Our concept connects hot springs with nearby attractions to create an international Thai hot spring brand and distribute income to secondary cities,” Nattareeya Thaweewong, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, announced in May'.
Though it's understandable that governments want progress, it seems the focus on hot selling these to foreigners is a bit off emulating Japan's mostly locally used hot springs.
Guess who is stuck in the pai hole?Pai is about so much more than just chilling in hot springs. It was about watching my mind and beeing overwhelmed about how it looks like and how big it is. It was about dealing with my mind screaming inside of my head. It is about finding my intuition back.Pai is not only about finding answers, it is more about realising that i don't even have all the questions and to enjoy the journey of finding them. Its about getting trust in life.One more thing i learned: A bunch of beautiful red flowers braided in the hair of a horse is kind of toxic. So instead I let them be part of the soap bubbles emerging from the side of a cube, dancing in the wind.#paihole#pai#northernthailand#thailandtravel#hotsprings#friends#travelbuddies#meditation#travelsolo#wanderlust#fernweh#weltreisen#nature#naturelovers#healing#backpacker#backpacking
Stay
The wider region then.
Think GeoEnergy (Jan. 27):
The West Australian (Jan. 24) looks at global bathing traditions. (East) Asia? Onsen and jjimjilbang.
So what makes these so special? Starting with the latter.
Think GeoEnergy (Jan. 27):
'In the past two to three years, more and more of the locals in the village of Dazhaozhuang in Wucheng County in Shandong Province, China, have decided to return and stay, despite the harsh winters. Much of the credit for the revitalization of the village goes to the 1500-meter geothermal well that now supplies the heating systems of the villagers’ homes.And then bathing traditions. Those foreign to foreigners.
...
Zhao Jinli, the village property manager, explains that the geothermal well in the east of the village discharges water at nearly 60 °C. The water is then filtered and purified before it enters the heat exchanger, which produces water at 40 °C. This is then supplied to the village’s heating system and fed to the homes of the villagers.
The West Australian (Jan. 24) looks at global bathing traditions. (East) Asia? Onsen and jjimjilbang.
So what makes these so special? Starting with the latter.
Sydney Morning Herald (Mar. 23, 2025):
'For my 50th birthday, friends wanted to treat me to a Korean bath experience. Having had a conservative upbringing, I was horrified. I’d have to get my kit off in front of my friends. Fortunately for me, the Korean baths they’d chosen had closed and we enjoyed a high tea instead'.
What follows are the sharing of a bath in Lake Baikal.
Again from Australia, Escape (Jun. 27, 2025):
'Call me crazy, but I generally try to avoid getting naked in large crowds. Obviously, it’s generally frowned upon in the eyes of the law, but there’s also a level of… let’s call it ‘quiet discomfort’ that comes with getting down to skins in front of hundreds.Unless, of course, I’m in South Korea and I’m headed to a bathhouse, then all rules go out the window and I can’t strip down fast enough....I dump my clothes, gather my courage and strut my naked self through the change rooms out to the hot springs (they give you a hand towel, but it is nowhere near enough to protect your modesty). Everyone has to scrub down at a washing station before entering the bath and I do, but the minute I enter a body of 40-degree water some five minutes later, a spa mistress becomes incensed that I haven’t washed my hair (which is up in a bun) and starts shouting at me to get back out and try again....Is a Jjimjilbang experience for you? Only if you’re completely comfortable with public nudity. Me? I plan to go back, but next time, I’ll be sure to bring ear plugs'.
We' re now well and truly in the experiences. All following of Japan.
CNN (Oct. 17, 2025) on what's it really like ... to visit a Japanese hot spring:
Onsen are baths filled with geothermally heated, mineral-rich water. They’ve long been part of Japanese culture, but foreign travelers often struggle with the nudity aspect. Boaz Rottem/Alamy Stock Photo...Growing up in the UK, bathing nude with strangers was not something I ever experienced — or even imagined experiencing. But in Japan, it’s a part of everyday life....Today, countless onsen are dotted across Japan, from local towns to large purpose-built resorts — more than 3,000, according to the Ministry of Environment — each filled with hot spring water....“At first, I was a bit shy, not only because I was undressing in front of a friend, but also among total strangers,” says bathhouse expert Stephanie Crohin. Originally from France, Crohin quickly realized that she was the only one thinking about nudity.“Everyone else was just scrubbing, chatting, or soaking — so I relaxed,” she recalls.It wasn’t until years later, when visiting a type of public bathhouse called a sentō with a university friend, that she fell in love.....Hot spring newbies may think they’re going to stand out or draw attention in a local onsen, but Crohin says the reality is the opposite.“Every body comes with its own imperfections, and this is the only place I know where nobody cares,” she says.Her advice for bathers who are feeling first-time nerves: treat it as a cultural experience, not just a bath. After a few minutes, the discomfort of being naked in public is quickly forgotten....The same sentiment is shared by Hoshino Resorts. Opening its doors in 1914 as Hoshino Onsen Ryokan, a small family-run ryōkan, as traditional Japanese inns are called, in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, the company has since grown and now has accommodation options across Japan and the rest of Asia.“For Western visitors to Japan who are feeling nervous about their first visit to a public bath or unsure about the etiquette, our primary advice is: don’t worry!” says Chanel Cai, a resort representative.“In fact, Japanese people are not observing or aware about other people’s bodies in the public bath, it’s simply a part of daily life here.” As soon as they are immersed in hot spring waters, she says, bathers are in a world of their own.“There’s no need to feel self-conscious.”...Then, I made my way to the hot spring pools. Under the freezing night sky, snowflakes falling, we sat and soaked among groups of women and small children, chatting about life, problems and hopes.That calm atmosphere stayed with me. Whenever I travel around Japan, hot spring visits are a must.There really had been nothing to worry about'.
Another UK perspective on onsen culture. Metro (Jul. 12, 2025):
'But I didn’t quite expect a deeply respected tradition that dates back centuries to be so…revealing.I’m talking nude public bathing. Or, rather, onsen....Being nude is considered part of the cultural practice, and wearing clothes is considered disrespectful and unhygienic'.
Vogue (Apr. 9, 2025):
'... my first priority when I arrived in Japan last spring was to experience a Japanese hot spring pool, known as an onsen....I was delighted to discover a public onsen located two floors below my room in the Sheraton. As I entered the women’s changing room, I noticed a woman with an amputated arm bathing herself in a long line of women seated on small stools rigorously scrubbing their bodies. All bodies are welcome here, I reassured myself....Worse, I worried other women would see my thin body as a representation of diet culture and resent me. I tried to remind myself my worries were mostly a projection of my own insecurities and that the women around me were likely more preoccupied with their own reflection to care.....After letting my gaze linger a little too long, I realized all the other women had their eyes downcast, suggesting that here, a woman’s body is no one’s business but her....Turns out there is real evidence that getting naked boosts confidence. Research by Dr. Keon West, a professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, finds that spending time naked around others—what he refers to as ‘naturism’—improves body image, self-esteem and life satisfaction. The research describes naturism as an important counterforce to overexposure to the idealized bodies we grow up believing are the norm.own. But what struck me most was the silence. There was an air of confidence that can only come from women who are living in their bodies, fully embodied and present. A woman in the corner of my pool had her back turned to me and was transfixed on a tree in the inner courtyard. In the changing room, another woman gazed at herself in the mirror—not fixing or perfecting, just observing, as if seeing herself for the first time....Unlike the quiet Japanese onsen where you keep to yourself, the Korean jjimjilbang was boisterous and convivial, and everything was shared ...'.
Metropolis Japan (Apr. 15 2025) a Japanese soaking experience from a US perspective:
'What the Japanese Bathhouse Can Teach Us About Body ImageDoes it feel weird to be naked in a sento?...You walk in, strip down, wash thoroughly and then soak. It’s not revolutionary—but what is different is the total absence of self-consciousness. No one’s comparing sizes, scars, shapes or skin. The rules in the bathhouse are simple: be clean, be quiet and don’t splash. That’s it.Somewhere around visit three, something clicked. I stopped walking with my arms crossed. I stopped turning my back to the room. The bathhouse taught me something no Instagram therapist ever could: When you stop hiding your body, you stop hiding from yourself.It wasn’t about confidence—it was about neutrality. I wasn’t suddenly proud of my thighs or excited about the curve of my stomach. I just… didn’t think about it. That silence was more powerful than praise'.
Rolling
So if onsen bathing is such a positive experience, why then is the tradition as such under threat?
The Nikkei Asia (May 11,2025) notes this :
'As Japan's traditional bathhouses, or sento, face a wave of closures across Tokyo, the metropolitan government is launching initiatives to help find new ownership and to assist with renovating facilities.With aging owners confronted with a shrinking customer base and costly repairs, many sento are shuttering rather than passing the torch. As a result, the number of the public baths across the capital has plummeted to just one-sixth of its peak.Starting in fiscal 2025, Tokyo is rolling out a new program to support ownership transfers. It will help current owners work with consultants to find successors for their bathhouses and to cover part of the rent and renovation costs typically borne by new management'.
designboom (Jun. 14, 2025) looks at Nude Architecture. Well that's the title of a book:
'Architect and visual storyteller Yuval Zohar brings more than ten years of travel across Japan to life in his latest book, Towards a Nude Architecture, published by the Dutch imprint nai010. Using a curated mix of photographs, hand-drawn diagrams, collages, and maps, Zohar takes readers on a journey through Japan’s unique bathing culture....As communal bathing becomes less common in modern urban life, many of these traditional places are disappearing or being transformed, with Zohar’s book reflecting on this change....Zohar, based in the onsen town of Yugawara, takes readers on an immersive, almost topographical journey, where water and steam become guiding metaphors for transformation and collective intimacy. His visual documentation, both personal and precise, includes baths nestled in mountains, forgotten rural sento slowly reclaimed by vegetation, diagrams showing how volcanic activity shapes site planning, and collages where human bodies dissolve into clouds of vapor.Even though architecture here serves as a membrane between the social and the elemental, the story Zohar tells is also one of disappearance. As local bathhouses shutter due to aging owners, dwindling visitors, and the rise of mega-facilities or in-home baths, the future of Japanese communal spaces faces an uncertain future. The book becomes a quiet call to action, aiming to protect these fading sanctuaries of the everyday, where the unclothed body exists without hierarchy and where architecture hosts a fragile form of coexistence'.
Nikkei (Mar. 22, 2025) also chimes in, a very nice read. And review:
'After a four-hour boat ride Zohar arrived at the remote, sulfuric island, where he rented a bicycle and pedaled through tropical shrubbery to his destination -- a natural hot spring bath right on the ocean known as Higashi Onsen."The sky was a perfect blue, the emerald water was striking, and I couldn't wait to get in," Zohar says of his experience."I stripped off my clothes, stepped into the baths, and looked out into the beautiful landscape while steeping in the heat. The feeling was magical; it is not often that my jaw actually drops. I just stared out at the water and kept saying "wow ... ."Zohar's journey to Higashi Onsen, a place of exceptional beauty but so remote that he had the emerald waters of the onsen (hot spring bath) almost entirely to himself, underscores his passion for soaking in these Japanese baths -- an experience he describes as "a beautiful connection between nature, architecture and the naked body."...The unusual title, Zohar explains, was inspired by the Japanese concept of hadaka no tsukiai, which can be translated as "naked friendship," a phrase used to describe the honest and equal relationships between people from all walks of life that happens when they are sharing a bath, stripped of all the accoutrements of social status....Despite its history, though, public bathing faces an uncertain future. The number of sento and onsen is dwindling, partly because most people have their own baths at home and partly due to a growing labor shortage.As numbers fall, the kind of bonding that flattens the hierarchy of normal daily life and is only achieved by being naked with strangers is disappearing, Zohar noted.Even Dogo Onsen has had to experiment with new ways of attracting visitors, particularly young people who may not find the act of soaking in a hot bath with strangers as appealing as older people with ailments.When I visited Dogo Onsen more than a decade ago, the town put on a mesmerizing projection on the facade of the 130-year-old Honkan building and several hotels turned their rooms into art-filled galleries. My hotel room was decorated with photographs of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and red dots that covered everything from the refrigerator to the shoji screens. Other hotels featured different artists....Whether or not Zohar succeeds in raising public awareness of the benefits of communal bathing, "Towards a Nude Architecture" will deepen international interest in and appreciation of Japanese bathing culture'.
- 體驗簡單與自然， 捨棄對於物質的執著與不滿；接受不完美， 欣賞無常， 活在當下。
For something different.
Japanese musician Meitei on a recent release of his ambient music (Aug. 2025) which includes the sounds of onsen bathing. Listen to for instance Sen'nyū. How the musical project came into experience:
'In the final month of 2024, Meitei arrived in Beppu, a city long steeped in vapor, myth, and mineral memory. Invited to create onsen ambient music commemorating Beppu’s 100th anniversary, he immersed himself in the city’s geothermal psychogeography, where sound rises from the ground and time clings to mist.Known for his Lost Japan (Shitsu-nihon) works, which channel forgotten eras into flickering auditory relics, Meitei took residence in the warehouse of Yamada Bessou, a century-old inn perched by the bay. Over two weeks, he listened intently to steam, to stone, to the atmosphere itself. The resulting work, Sen’nyū, traces the inner spirit of onsen culture. Like water finding its path, the music emerged with quiet inevitability, shaped by Meitei’s synesthetic sensibility and deep attunement to place.Equipped with a microphone, he wandered Beppu’s sacred sites: Takegawara Onsen, Bouzu Jigoku, Hebin-yu, and the private baths of Yamada Bessou. There, he captured the breath of the springs, bubbling mud, hissing vents, wind against bamboo, and the murmurs of daily visitors. These field recordings became the sonic bedrock of Sen’nyū, an act of deep listening that attempts to render even the rising mist and shifting heat into sound.Unfolding as a single, continuous piece, Sen’nyū drifts like fog through sulfur and stone. It traverses the veiled madness of Bouzu Jigoku, the spectral resonance of Yamada Bessou’s inner bath, and the hushed voices of Takegawara Onsen. It is a gesture of quiet reverence, for water’s patience, the land’s memory, and the hands that have bathed here for generations.Where Meitei’s earlier works conveyed his personal impression of a fading Japan, Sen’nyū is grounded in tactile presence, music not imagined but encountered. Here, his practice moves closer to the spirit of kankyō ongaku, environmental music born from place, shaped by it, and inseparable from it.As part of the project, Meitei conceived a two-day public sound installation inside Takegawara Onsen, culminating in a live performance. Bathers soaked in mineral-rich waters while submerged in sound, an embodied ritual of place, body, and listening'.
'Japan's famous "onsen" hot springs were long considered unexportable, until an idea struck Naoki Mita one day: what if he could condense them like espresso coffee?Mita's Tokyo-based venture firm, Le Furo, has invented a technology it calls "craft onsen" -- whereby hot spring ingredients are extracted and filtered into an ultra-high concentration....The entrepreneur says many commercially available "onsen powders" are synthetic and put an emphasis on mimicking the relaxing colour and scent, and don't necessarily contain the necessary ingredients.Only after solid metals such as iron, magnesium and zinc dissolve into water does it become possible to chemically resemble onsen and recreate the therapeutic effect, Mita said.Le Furo's technology sticks to the natural soil and minerals of hot spring sources, and uses a special method to make them soluble in water'
Finally in this section, the perceived threat to onsens, physically. Think GeoEnergy (Nov. 18, 2025). See also f.i. earlier mention of Indionesian developments:
'The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) have launched the Geothermal Frontier Project to address long-standing barriers to geothermal development. These include high exploration risk, long timelines, complex permitting rules and limited access to promising sites within natural parks.Yuzawa City has been confirmed as the first candidate site for the programme. JOGMEC will conduct drilling surveys and fumarolic tests in designated areas and share data with operators. The agency will also take over completed wells at the request of developers, reducing upfront risk and cost'.
