- Beitou Hot Springs
- Etiquette
Verified August 2026
Beitou hot spring etiquette, and what to bring
Almost nothing here is mysterious, and almost everything that goes wrong is one of three things: no swim cap, wrong swimwear, or getting into the water before washing. Learn those and you'll pass for a regular. The rest of this page is the detail behind them.
The short answer
Co-ed pools — swimsuit and swim cap, both enforced at the gate. Traditional bathhouses — completely nude, single-sex, no exceptions. Everywhere — wash at the shower before you get in. Bring a cap, a towel and cash; buy the cap at the door for about NT$100 if you forget.
The dress code · 01 — what gets you turned away
What to wear at Beitou hot springs
Three different rules apply depending on which door you walk through, and the price tells you nothing about which. This is the table to check before you leave the hotel.
| Where | Wear | Swim cap | Banned | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City outdoor poolThe public Millennium pool in Beitou Park | A plain swimsuit. Men: fitted trunks or briefs. Women: a one-piece. | Required | Underwear, board shorts, bikinis, going nude | Millennium 千禧湯 |
| Resort co-ed poolsHotel outdoor and indoor bathing halls | Any swimsuit. Bikinis are generally fine here, unlike at the city pool. | Required | Street clothes, underwear, nudity | Spring City, Shan Yue, Wellspring, Nan Fung main hall |
| Traditional bathhouseSingle-sex halls — the real thing | Nothing at all. Nude is the rule, not an option, and everyone else will be too. | No — nothing to cover | Any swimwear, cameras, mixed-sex entry | Longnice 瀧乃湯, Nan Fung nude wings, Pavilion Club, Villa 32 |
| Private roomYour own locked room and tub | Whatever you like, including nothing. Nobody sees you. | No | Nothing — except skipping the pre-wash | JBG, Golden, Water House… |
| Park foot bathsFree public pools around the district | Street clothes; roll trousers above the knee. | No | Soap, getting in past the knees, washing anything but feet | Beitou Park, Fuxing Park, Quanyuan Park |
The sequence · 02 — how a soak actually goes
The order of operations nobody explains
Every bath in Taiwan runs on the same sequence, and following it is what marks you as a considerate guest rather than a tourist. It takes two minutes to learn and it is the entire social contract.
The one rule that matters
Wash before you get in. Not a rinse — a proper soap-and-water wash at the shower stools, sitting down, before any part of you touches the shared water. The pools are for soaking in, not for cleaning yourself. In nude bathhouses this is watched, gently and unmistakably, by people who have been coming for forty years.
Then
- Fifteen minutes in, then out. Sulfur water is stronger than it feels and a hot pool at 42°C will make your head swim before you notice.
- Sit on the edge and cool down, drink water, go back in. Two or three cycles is a full session.
- Keep your towel out of the water — fold it and put it on your head, which is what the locals are doing and it isn't a joke.
- Voices down. These are quiet rooms, even the busy ones.
- Rinse off at the end if you want the smell gone. Many people don't; sulfur fades within a few hours either way.
Absolutely not
- No photography inside any bathing area — this is banned almost everywhere in Beitou and taken seriously.
- No alcohol before bathing. Hot water plus alcohol is how people faint.
- No swimming, diving, or splashing. It is a bath, not a pool.
- No soap or shampoo in the pool itself, ever.
A 90-MINUTE SESSION
- 0 minCounterpay, locker key, cap
- +5Changephone in the locker
- +8Washseated, soap, rinse
- +15Soak15 in, 5 out, repeat
- +80rinse, dress, water
Tattoos · 03 — the honest position
Are tattoos allowed at Beitou hot springs
Taiwan is considerably more relaxed about tattoos than Japan, and Beitou is not a place where you will be publicly refused. But "relaxed" is not the same as "no policy", and the answer changes by venue type.
Private rooms: always fine. No one sees you, no one asks. This is why tattooed visitors overwhelmingly book a room here.
Co-ed swimsuit pools: generally fine. Small and medium tattoos pass without comment at resort pools and the city pool.
Traditional nude bathhouses: at staff discretion, and discretion means it can go either way on the day. Large back or full-sleeve work is the most likely to attract a quiet word.
The practical advice: if your tattoos are large and you want certainty rather than a conversation while undressed, book a private room for NT$400–1,000 and enjoy the afternoon. If they're small, wear a swimsuit and go anywhere.
Where tattoos are a non-issue
| Always fine | Private rooms · your own hotel room bath · park foot baths |
| Usually fine | Resort co-ed pools with swimsuits · the city outdoor pool |
| Ask first | Traditional nude bathhouses · hotel nude wings |
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The bag · 04 — one small bag, nothing more
What to bring to a Beitou hot spring
Resorts supply most of this; the city pool and the old bathhouses supply almost none of it. Pack for the cheap end and you're covered everywhere.
Bring
- Swim cap — or NT$100 at the door. The one thing people forget.
- Swimsuit — plain one-piece or fitted trunks covers every venue.
- Towel — resorts lend them, bathhouses don't.
- NT$500 in cash — older counters and lockers don't take cards.
- Water bottle — you will dehydrate faster than you expect.
- A plastic bag — for the wet swimsuit afterwards.
- Sandals or slip-ons — you'll take shoes off repeatedly.
Leave behind
- Silver jewellery — sulfur tarnishes it, sometimes for good.
- Your camera — photography is banned inside almost every bath.
- A white swimsuit — mineral water stains pale fabric.
- Contact lenses — glasses or nothing; steam and minerals irritate.
- Board shorts — refused at the city pool specifically.
- A big towel — a small one you can fold on your head is the local kit.
Resorts including Spring City provide towels, robes, sandals, lockers, soap and hairdryers — at those, a swimsuit and cash is genuinely all you need. The city pool provides free showers and lockers and nothing else.
Questions · 05
Beitou hot spring rules — straight answers
What is the dress code for Beitou hot springs?
Co-ed pools require a swimsuit and a swim cap, both enforced. The city's Millennium pool additionally bans bikinis, board shorts and underwear — a plain one-piece or fitted trunks. Traditional bathhouses are nude and single-sex, with swimwear banned. Private rooms have no dress code at all.
Do I really need a swim cap?
Yes, at every co-ed pool in Beitou, and it is the most common reason visitors are turned away. Caps cost about NT$100 at the counter. Tying long hair up is not accepted as a substitute.
What should I bring to Beitou hot spring?
Swim cap, swimsuit, towel, NT$500 in cash, a water bottle and a bag for wet clothes. Resorts supply towels, robes and toiletries; the city pool and older bathhouses supply nothing but showers and lockers.
Are tattoos allowed?
Always in private rooms, usually at co-ed swimsuit pools, and at staff discretion in traditional nude bathhouses. With large tattoos, book a private room and the question disappears.
Do I have to be naked?
Only at traditional bathhouses, which are single-sex — Longnice, the nude wings at Nan Fung, Spring City's Pavilion Club, Villa 32. Every co-ed pool requires a swimsuit instead, and there is no mixed-sex nude bathing anywhere in Beitou.
Why do I have to shower before getting in?
Because the pool water is shared and not chlorinated the way a swimming pool is. You wash properly, seated, at the shower stools first — soap, rinse, then in. It is the one rule locals will actually correct you about.
How long should I stay in the water?
About fifteen minutes at a time, then out to cool down for five, repeating two or three times. Beitou's sulfur water is hot and mineral-heavy; longer sessions leave people dizzy. Drink water between cycles and skip it entirely after alcohol.
Can I take photos at Beitou hot springs?
Not inside the bathing areas — it's banned at essentially every venue, including the city pool, for obvious reasons. Thermal Valley, Beitou Park and the Hot Spring Museum are all photogenic, free and entirely camera-friendly.
Will the sulfur smell stay on me?
Faintly, for a few hours. A rinse at the end removes most of it and it fades on its own. What it will not leave is silver jewellery — sulfur tarnishes silver, so leave rings and chains in the locker.
Can children follow these rules?
Mostly, but the temperature is the real constraint rather than the etiquette — 40°C+ is too hot for small children for long. Private rooms let you mix cooler water, and Spring City admits children under 110 cm to its pools free. More on visiting with kids.
Next · 06
The rest of the survey
Verified August 2026 · we earn a commission on bookings made through the links above, at no cost to you. Nothing on this page changes based on who pays us.