Spa World Osaka with Kids: Our Family's Experience

Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Kay

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Spa World in Osaka is one of the largest tourist draws, or at least with Japanese people, and is especially popular with families with kids.

I first visited with my friends before I had kids and had a blast because the concept was so novel, especially since social media wasn’t a thing back then. I mean, an onsen theme park featuring countries around the world with a waterpark as well? I don’t think anything like that exists anywhere else in the world!

However, I had always been wary about visiting with my daughter. Years had passed since my last visit, and I had heard it was dated now. This made me wonder whether it was worth the time, effort, and cost of going with my family.

Well, my daughter’s bff’s mom took her kids there and said her daughter really enjoyed it, especially the waterpark. So, I decided to see for myself (especially since my mom friend’s recommendations are usually spot on, as our kids are basically like twins).

Not to spoil anything, but I am so, so glad we decided to go. Even my Japanese husband was impressed, and he hates touristy things.

In this article, I’ll share my experience visiting Spa World in Osaka with my family. Hopefully by the end, you’ll have a good idea of whether or not you want to go with yours!

Where is Spa World in Osaka?

Spa World is located right next to Tennoji Zoo and Tsutenkaku Tower in central Osaka. In fact, we could see both from Spa World’s waterpark! (How to Get to Spa World Osaka)

Now, I will say that we passed by a few… let’s just say not-very-family-friendly shops when we were walking to Spa World. Thankfully, my daughter didn’t notice any of the goods for sale (which were based on a part of a man’s body). If you don’t want your kids to see this, I recommend avoiding going down the smaller streets near Spa World. Stick to the main streets, if possible. This should be easy if you’re coming from Dobutsuen-Mae Station.

What to Know Before Visiting Spa World with Kids

Spa World is open for about 23 hours a day; for instance, the onsen is open from 10 AM until 8:45 AM the following morning. Children visiting with a parent can also stay into the evening and overnight.

You will be charged 1300 yen extra if you stay past midnight. The surcharge applies from midnight to 5 AM.

Children under age 12 cannot enter Spa World by themselves and must be accompanied by a guardian.

You need to be naked for the onsen part of Spa World, but you need a swimsuit for the waterpark area. You can rent swimsuits if you need one, but there’s also a store that sells swimsuits.

Swim diapers are allowed in the pool area, but not in the onsen area. If your child is not potty trained, you might want to reconsider taking them to the onsen just in case they go #1.

If you have a tattoo, you are not allowed to enter Spa World.

You might notice that Spa World is also referred to as SPAWORLD HOTEL&RESORT. This is because it’s also a hotel that you can stay at if you want! The hotel is connected to the onsen/pool area, so it’s quite convenient. If you’re curious about the hotel, you can find out more here.

How Much Does Spa World Cost?

Admission to Spa World starts at 1,500 yen for adults (junior high school age and up) and 1,000 yen for children of elementary school age (age six) and younger (yes, even babies) if you’re just using the onsen.

If you want to go to the waterpark/pool as well (and you absolutely should), admission is 2,000 yen for adults and 1,200 yen for children on weekdays, and 2,700 yen for adults and 1,700 yen for children on weekends and holidays. Note that Spa World sometimes charges higher admission during peak periods.

The water slides cost extra, so keep this in mind if your kids want to go on them. There’s also an additional late-night fee if you stay between midnight and 5 AM (1300 yen).

What to Bring to Spa World in Osaka

Based on my experience at Spa World, here is what you should bring to Spa World when visiting with kids:

A swimsuit
A swim ring (if you have one; you can rent one at the waterpark at Spa World as well)
A bag for your wet swimsuit
100 yen coins for the locker. These coins will be returned to you after you finish using the locker. There is also a change machine (ryōgaiki) that will exchange bills to coins if you need it.
Waterproof phone case
Any travel-sized bath products you want to use (although the onsen does provide shared bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash; however, there are no child-specific ones)
Hair ties for long hair for the onsen
.
You’ll be provided with a towel, so you don’t need to bring your own. You also don’t need to bring sandals or anything for the waterpark area, especially since you need to take off your shoes at the entrance of Spa World anyway!

Spa World in Osaka with Kids: My Family’s Experience

We visited Spa World on a weekday morning at 10:30 AM, as I heard weekends and evenings tend to be crowded.

There are two machines where you can purchase your tickets for Spa World, but since my husband was using a discount through his company, we had to purchase our tickets at the desk.

After we paid, we each received a waterproof paper wristband, which we had to put on by ourselves. Do not lose this wristband, as it has a QR code that you need to scan to pay and leave Spa World at the end of your visit. Staff will scan your QR code and use it to charge you for any purchases you make at Spa World for food and drinks. After all, you can’t carry your wallet around in a spa!

One thing that happened to us, which I want to highlight for parents, is that we didn’t put the wristband tightly enough on our daughter, and it ended up falling off at the pool! We had no idea where it went, and we were panicking. We asked a staff member what to do, and thankfully, they told us that you cannot use the children’s QR code to purchase anything. So if your kid wants to buy something like a drink, they need to get a parent to scan their code. When it came time to leave, we had to scan our QR codes to open the exit. So, we had to explain to a staff member near the exit what happened, and then they let our daughter out manually.

After we scanned our QR codes to enter Spa World, we had to take off our shoes and place them in lockers.

Each locker requires one 100 yen coin and only fits one pair of shoes, so make sure you have enough 100 yen coins for your whole family! As mentioned earlier, you’ll get these coins back when you’re done with the locker.

After putting our shoes away, our family took the elevator to different floors — my husband went to the men’s floor, and I went to the women’s floor with my daughter. Thankfully, the elevator labels which floor is for which gender, so make sure you check. If you accidentally end up on the wrong floor, it’s no biggie since the entrance to the onsen changing room is a short walk away from the elevator.

The onsen at Spa World is divided into two large themed areas that are located on different floors: the European Zone and the Asian Zone. Men and women use different zones, and they switch every month, so which one you can visit will depend on when you go.

The European Zone has baths inspired by places such as Ancient Rome, Greece, Atlantis, Spain, and the Mediterranean, as well as a Finnish sauna.

The Asian Zone includes a Japanese-style outdoor bath, an Islamic hammam-inspired bath, Persia, Bali, Singapore, and a hinoki cypress bath.

When we visited, the European Zone was for women, while the Asian Zone was for men.

There’s a game room on the 4th floor where you can do karaoke, darts, ping-pong, or billiards, but this costs extra and is charged per hour.

Enjoying the SpaPoo Waterpark at Spa World

Yes, the waterpark at Spa World is called SpaPoo, which is bound to make kids like my daughter laugh. Don’t worry, there is no “poo” here. “Poo” is short for “pool”.

Before going to the pool, which is what we wanted to do before cleaning off and relaxing in the onsen, my daughter and I needed to change into our swimsuits at Spa Europe on the 4th floor (my husband did so at Spa Asia on the 6th floor).

Note that once you go through the entrance, you are not allowed to take photos, as people will be naked in here!

To our left, we saw a resting room where people were relaxing, wearing roomwear that you can rent for free from an information desk near the onsen entrance, which is located to the right.

My daughter and I changed into our swimsuits, grabbed a towel, and then took the elevator to the pool. The elevator to the pool is located inside the changing room near the information desk and onsen entrance.

My husband was waiting for us at the entrance of the pool. We scanned the QR codes on our wristbands to get inside and then went inside.

One thing I noticed right away is that there is very little space to place your things! We had a waterproof bag for our towels and my daughter’s swim ring and goggles, but the only place we could put it was at one of two small seating areas that were already rather crowded with towels and bags. It’s important to note that people will be sitting here while wet, so if you don’t want your things to get wet, you might want to bring a waterproof bag that zips up.

The waterpark at Spa World consists of two indoor areas and one outdoor. The main indoor pool area has two large water slides, Panic Tornado and ZokuZoku Burn, as well as a flowing amusement pool. There’s also a separate kids’ pool with five types of slides and lots of smaller water-play equipment.

Nearby, there’s an indoor heated circular pool called Green Oasis, and an outdoor infinity pool overlooking Tsutenkaku.

The water slides, Panic Tornado and ZokuZoku Burn, have a minimum height requirement of 115 cm. These water slides cost 500 yen per ride, or you can get an all-you-can-ride pass for 1500 yen. You can purchase these from the staff attendants at the water slides. Note that you need to have your pass checked every time you ride and get handed a raft, so make sure to tell your kiddos that they cannot just grab one without permission and run up the stairs. (I say this because I saw someone try to do this.)

My daughter (age six when we visited) didn’t quite meet the height requirement for the slides, which was a shame because these slides use rafts that fit up to three people. It would have been so fun to ride as a family of three! (Next time, our kid is almost 115 cm!)

Notably, if your kiddo wants to ride alone, the only water slide they can go on is ZokuZoku Burn, which I discovered when I decided to buy the all-you-can-ride pass for myself. The slide is really fun, and in the morning, there was no line, so I could ride as much as I wanted with zero wait until about noon, when it started to get crowded. But even then, I only waited for about ten minutes at most. Note that you cannot take your phone with you on the slide, or wear goggles.

Meanwhile, my daughter and husband enjoyed the lazy river pool, which they went around and around and around in for who knows how long! But interestingly, you’re not allowed to use your phone while you’re the pool, so keep that in mind.

There’s also a section here where you can play beach ball if you have an inflatable ball with you!

As mentioned earlier, there’s also a section here for younger kids called SpaPoo Kids. Only those ages 12 and under can enter this area. (Parents, however, are allowed to accompany their kids.) There are small slides here that are free, as well as two paid slides that are 800 yen for all-you-can-ride.

The free slides are for kids ages three to seven.

The larger paid slides are for kids who are at least 90 cm tall. The Twin Slider water slide has two side-by-side slides, so kids can race each other. It’s aimed mainly at kids ages 8 to 12.

The Challenge Slider is a 2.5-meter-high slide aimed mainly at kids ages 5 to 8 who want something a little more exciting than the smaller slides.

My daughter played in the SpaPoo kids pool area for about 10 minutes max, and she had no interest in going on the paid water slides. I think she was too old for it, but I think it’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. It wasn’t crowded whatsoever when we visited, either.

In terms of the Infinity Pool, which is located in the Roof Terrace area (same floor but you have to leave the main waterpark area), Spa World currently states on their website that anyone under 130 cm tall cannot use it, which I honestly didn’t know until I started doing research for this article.

I knew there was no diving allowed, and the sign outside the pool (in Japanese only) stated that elementary school kids needed to be accompanied by a parent, while preschoolers and those under couldn’t even enter the area, so we figured our daughter was okay since she was in elementary school.

I told my daughter she couldn’t swim underwater there, and despite being under 130 cm, my daughter was able to use the pool with my husband during our visit, so this rule wasn’t something we encountered while we were there. A few kids around the same height as our daughter also used the pool with their parent.

So, just to be safe, if you have a child who is under 130 cm tall, you can try going to the Infinity Pool but don’t be upset if the staff tell you that your child is too short and you need to leave. (Or they deny you entry.) I really have no idea why, on the day of our visit, they didn’t care about enforcing the rules.

The view of Tsutenkaku Tower was stunning from the pool, and for us it was the highlight of the pool at Spa World, so I am glad we were able to enjoy it. It’s also heated throughout the year, which is another plus.

I also enjoyed a drink at the pool bar, which wasn’t worth the price, to be honest.

Note that you have to pay extra to use the loungers and tables. During the summer season, Spa World charges an additional fee to enter the Roof Terrace, which is 500 yen for junior high school students and older and 200 yen for elementary school students, starting from July 16. Prices and dates may vary depending on the season, but honestly, I don’t think it’s very much to pay considering how lovely the pool is.

In terms of food, there are lots of food stalls located throughout the pool areas. My family ate at the little restaurant located in the main pool area. The seats by the window look out to Tennoji, which I liked. The food, though, was not very good. It’s mostly fried food, but they do have kids’ meals that have rice and udon noodles.

Overall, our kid had a blast at the pool at Spa World, and we stayed there for three hours. I think she would have gladly stayed longer had we let her! We also saw lots of older kids having a lot of fun going on the waterslides repeatedly.

Taking My Kid to the Onsen at Spa World

After the pool, my daughter and I soaked in the Spa Europe baths. My daughter was initially upset about being torn away from the pool, but she ended up really enjoying the onsen!

If you’re wondering what to expect when taking your kiddo to an onsen in Japan (and what exactly to do), make sure to read my guide to onsen with kids before you go!

My daughter has been going to onsen ever since she was a baby, so she’s not really impressed by many anymore, but she loved the onsen at Spa World! The onsen in Spa Europe had different themes that are based on (surprise, surprise) Europe. There’s an Ancient Roman bath modeled after the Trevi Fountain, a Greek herbal bath, an Atlantis-themed bath surrounded by tropical fish, a recreation of Capri’s Blue Grotto, as well as German and Finnish-inspired bathing and sauna areas.

So, needless to say, it’s not really like a traditional onsen bath in Japan, but this is exactly why my daughter liked it. The different areas were so fun for her to visit, especially the Atlantis bath where she could see an aquarium with actual fish. I think that was her favorite, especially since you lie down in shallow water to see the fish.

If you want to enjoy a long soak as a parent, though, it might be difficult. My daughter was hopping from one bath to another, so I wasn’t able to spend more than maybe 5 minutes in a single bath! And then she got too hot from all the baths, and despite cooling down in some cooler baths, she demanded we leave.

We spent about an hour in the onsen area before leaving. Before we left the changing room, I rented (for free) some kids’ roomwear for my daughter that she could wear while we went to the kids’ space on the third floor.

Yuttamari Kids Space

The 3rd floor of Spa World has some restaurants where you can eat, as well as a space for kids called Yuttamari (ゆったまり). This is a paid area. Children from age 0 through elementary school pay 700 yen on weekdays or 1,000 yen on weekends and holidays. Adults pay 500 yen on weekdays or 700 yen on weekends and holidays.

So, for one adult and one child, Yuttamari costs 1,200 yen on a weekday or 1,700 yen on a weekend or holiday. Children age 6 and under need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Yuttamari has a few different play areas depending on your child’s age. The Asobanban play area, which has things like the ball pit and larger play equipment like nets, is for children aged 9 and under. I thought it was particularly good for babies and toddlers.

The Goyururi area can be used by children aged 12 and under. There are games here, as well as toys, books (in Japanese), and a nice seating area that has low tables that are perfect for kiddos.

I told my husband he could get a massage at the massage parlor next to the play area while I stayed with our daughter in the play area (so only one adult had to pay), but he said he didn’t want to. There is a stone sauna as well on the same floor, which also costs extra, so one parent can enjoy that while the other watches the kid(s) in the play area.

When we were done, my daughter and I went back to the onsen changing room. We returned her roomwear, changed her into her regular clothes, and then left. We decided to have dinner at a nearby kushikatsu restaurant called Kushikatsu-Oji, which was quite good, before heading home.

(For those who don’t know, kushikatsu is a popular Osaka dish made with pieces of meat, seafood, and vegetables on skewers that are breaded and deep-fried. For more Osaka recommendations, read my Osaka food article.)

Overall Thoughts About Spa World Osaka with Kids

My daughter absolutely adored Spa World in Osaka, and I know she wants to go again. We were there for about six hours, so plan for this to be an entire-day activity.

Note that Spa World does get more crowded in the evening, as well as on weekends and holidays.

If you’re wondering what else to do in the area, read my article on Tennoji with kids.