5 best cafés with foot baths in Tokyo

More of a relaxation/massage centre than a dedicated foot bath café, Hogushiya Honpo Riraku has several branches around Tokyo. The flagship salon is located at Shinjuku’s Yasukuni-dori avenue, close to the bustling nightlife district Kabukicho. Thanks to its late opening hours, you can get a multitude of massages, including Thai, foot, full body and Samran (using oil and hot towels), plus facial treatments, right before your big night out.

Grab one of the seats along the large glass windows and dip your feet into the ashiyu tub while gazing out over Shinjuku’s mesmerising neon streetscape. Hogushiya Honpo Riraku’s foot bath sessions last a long 70 minutes – and you’ll be served all-you-can-drink corn silk tea, rooibos tea or hojicha (roasted green tea) for ¥1,210. An additional ¥770 will see a ten-minute shoulder or foot massage added for full relaxation.

With a comfortable interior that fuses Chinese and Japanese design elements, Mominoki House focuses on massage treatments using the healing practices derived from Indian Ayurveda traditions. The ashiyu is installed under the seats along a large window that offers views of the bustling area below. For ¥1,100, you get a 45-minute foot bath and an Ayurveda herbal tea. You can even add a five-minute shoulder massage to your experience for an additional ¥550. Mominoki House also serves food and drink like sweets and coffee starting from ¥330. Who says Tokyo is expensive?

Footbath Cafe & Bar Donyoku delivers on its name – it's a café/bar that also has footbaths, so you can sip on a cuppa while dipping your toes in the hot baths set up under the tables. But what sets Donyoku apart even more is the warm community it fosters with its patrons.

Along with two tables with footbaths, it has a couple of conventional tables, hammocks and counter seats. Families and teenagers are also welcome to drop by and chat with the staff or pick up a book to read from the ‘travelling bookshelf ’, where customers regularly drop off and pick up tomes for free.

As for the food, Donyoku’s Vietnamese sandwiches are especially noteworthy, and it also has salads and Japanese rice bowls on the menu that start from ¥1,078.

Yu Select is known for its ashiyu with a twist. Instead of a tub, the café in Tokyo’s Ota ward uses its original ‘foot bath boots’ called Onpon. The concept is simple: take a seat on the sofa and insert your feet into the ashiyu boots next to you. Equipped with removable plastic inserts, which hold the water, this knee-high footwear is made from a soft quilted fabric that encloses layers of aluminum foil, keeping the water warm for a long time.

Your 20-minute ‘private’ foot bath comes with a drink of your choice and costs ¥800. You can choose from eight different types of foot bath additives, with options catering especially to those with tired feet, who are extremely sensitive to the cold, simply want to relax, or wish for flawless skin.

Guests with a sweet tooth can also upgrade their experience to the cake set for ¥1,200, which gets you a chocolate cupcake, a piece of cheesecake or fluffy chiffon cake. If you enjoy the session, you can even purchase a pair of Yu Select’s special boots to recreate the experience back home.

Due to its easy access from Shinjuku Station, Mt Takao is one of the most popular green spaces in Tokyo. After exploring the trails, take a rest at Takaosan Fumotoya, an Italian restaurant at the foot of the mountain. Here you can not only indulge yourself in creamy pasta dishes and Naples-style pizzas but also make use of the foot bath located on the restaurant’s terrace.

The use of the foot bath is free as long as you purchase something from the restaurant. Those who would like to enjoy the ashiyu only are asked to pay ¥200 in advance – don’t forget to bring along a small towel.