P’s Wood Izu Kogen: An Honest Review | Sauna, Cold Bath and Open Air, All in One Line

When a sauna lover picks a place to stay, the first question is not whether there is a sauna. It is how the sauna, the cold bath and the outdoor cooling area are laid out in relation to one another. Walking down a corridor from the sauna room to the cold bath; climbing stairs from the cold bath to the cooling area. In those brief journeys, all the heat you carefully built up drains away.

Listings may say “sauna” and “cold bath”, but they rarely say how those three things are arranged. You only learn whether the layout works by staying. That, we think, is why information is so hard to come by when you are choosing a place for its sauna.

The property in this article, P’s Wood Izu Kogen, is a whole-house holiday rental in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is a log house built from Japanese hinoki cypress, with a free-flowing hot-spring bath and open-air bath, plus a barrel sauna also made of hinoki. It is relatively new, having opened in March 2025, and sleeps up to 12.

To give the conclusion first: on the single question of the sauna layout, this was a highly satisfying stay. That said, as a log house standing in the middle of nature, there are aspects you cannot avoid in certain seasons. We will write up both the good and the things to steel yourself for.

What this article covers

• The basics of P’s Wood Izu Kogen (rooms, capacity, check-in times, facilities)
• The specifications of the hot-spring bath, the open-air bath and the barrel sauna
• What the route from sauna to cooling area was actually like
• What to know before booking (the insects, depending on the season)
• Who it suits, and who it does not

Prices and specifications may be revised. Please check the official website for the latest information before booking.

What kind of place is P’s Wood Izu Kogen?

P’s Wood Izu Kogen is an upmarket whole-house holiday rental in Futo, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The operator also runs a property of the same brand in Sengokuhara, Hakone, both sharing the concept of a log house with a hot-spring open-air bath. The Izu Kogen property opened in March 2025.

The building and the rooms

The building is a proper log house made from Japanese hinoki cypress. According to the official website there are three rooms: two Western-style and one Japanese-style. Western rooms A and B each have two double beds, and the Japanese room has four futon sets, sleeping up to 12 people in total.

Twelve is a large capacity even for a holiday rental. Because it is designed around groups gathering, the dining table is big and the kitchen has a full range of cooking appliances. It is built for groups of friends or three-generation trips.

The baths and the sauna

The bathing facilities are the heart of this property. Organising what the official website states:

Facility	Specification
Indoor hot-spring bath	Granite / free-flowing from the source / up to 4 people
Hot-spring open-air bath	Shigaraki ware / free-flowing from the source / view of the night sky
Sauna	Hinoki barrel sauna / 4 people / löyly permitted

What stands out is that both the indoor bath and the open-air bath are free-flowing from the source. Holiday rentals with hot-spring water do exist, but few provide both an indoor and an outdoor bath with free-flowing water. On top of that the indoor bath is granite and the open-air bath is Shigaraki ware, so even the materials differ. The same water feels different in a different vessel, so there is pleasure in trying both.

The sauna is a hinoki barrel sauna for four, and löyly (ladling water onto the sauna stones to raise steam) is permitted. A barrel sauna’s rounded shape helps heat circulate, so even a small cabin heats up properly.

Barrel saunas and the sauna “reset”, briefly explained

A short note for anyone unfamiliar with the term. A barrel sauna is, as the name suggests, a cylindrical sauna cabin shaped like a barrel laid on its side. It has spread in Japan in recent years as a sauna you can install outdoors.

The advantage of the cylinder is that there are no wasted corners inside. In a square room, heat collects in the corners and circulates poorly; in a round one, heat travels along the ceiling and the temperature evens out. That shape is why a small cabin still heats well. It also brings out the scent of the wood, which pairs well with a material like hinoki.

The other term worth knowing is “totonou” — the sauna reset. You warm the body in the sauna, cool it rapidly in the cold bath, then rest in the open air. Repeating that sequence produces a distinctive feeling of well-being. The important thing is that the three steps are continuous. If a long gap opens anywhere, the body’s response is broken.

Which is exactly why the layout decides the verdict. More than what temperature the sauna reaches or how cold the cold bath is, what matters is how close together they are. Carry that view into choosing a place and you will make fewer mistakes. Note also that sauna use depends heavily on your condition. Avoid using one after drinking, and drink water regularly. If you have a medical condition or any concern about your health, do not push it, and consider speaking to a doctor beforehand.

Other facilities and basics

• Check-in 16:00 / check-out 10:00
• Barbecue on the wooden deck (for a fee, using a portable gas stove, until 20:00)
• High-speed Wi-Fi throughout
• Kitchen appliances / a dining table sized for a group

Check-in at 16:00 and check-out at 10:00 is standard for a holiday rental. That gives you about 18 hours, so if you plan to make the most of the baths and sauna, do not pack your arrival day too full.

What we learned by actually staying

From here on, the parts you cannot learn from the official website.

The size of the bath

When people hear “bath at a holiday rental”, many picture something slightly larger than a domestic one. This bath takes up to four people at once, and is on a clearly different scale from a home bathroom. Not having to queue when you are staying as a group is a practical benefit.

* Having actually stayed, our impression was that four people fit with room to spare. There is also a small window you can open to look outside while you soak.

The route between sauna, cold bath and cooling area

This was the single biggest factor in our verdict. As we said at the top, satisfaction with a sauna is decided less by the equipment than by the arrangement.

The barrel sauna is outdoors, and immediately outside it is a tub you can use as a cold bath. The distance from opening the sauna door to cooling your body is very short, so you make the switch while still hot. And once you climb out of the cold bath, you are already outside. There is no separate journey to a cooling area; you simply stand in the open air.

Having the sauna, the cold bath and the cooling space grouped together outdoors sounds simple when you write it down, but the difference is obvious in practice. Because no journey breaks the rhythm, it is easy to slide into that reset state.

* The sauna temperature was just right, and with the cold bath outside, the route from sauna straight into cold water is as good as it gets. After the cold bath you cool off in the open air on the spot, and the reset landed properly. You can finish by warming up in the indoor bath, which makes it complete. (Whoever designed this certainly likes baths and saunas.)

Honestly, what gave us pause

Listing only the good points is no use to anyone, so here is what bothered us. That said, this is less a problem with the design or the running of the place than an unavoidable consequence of where it is.

There are insects in summer. It is a log house standing in the nature of Izu Kogen, and the sauna, cold bath and cooling space are all outdoors, so structurally there is nothing to be done. The longer you relax outside, the more you meet them. Put the other way round, it is a measure of how close to nature the place is.

The practical answer, if you visit in summer, is to bring insect repellent and something for the bites. It is a property built around spending time outdoors, so arriving equipped brings the annoyance down considerably. It is the kind of weakness you can handle if you know about it in advance.

Who it suits

Groups of close friends

A capacity of 12, a big dining table, a wooden deck you can barbecue on. This is plainly designed around group stays. Because you have the whole house, there is no need to think about other guests, and it suits the kind of evening where you talk late into the night.

Recommended if you:

• Want to gather a decent-sized group of friends you know well
• Want a stay that is complete within the property itself
• Want to do round after round in the sauna without watching the clock

People who want a digital detox

It is not somewhere surrounded by shops, so you naturally end up spending your time in the house. With the baths and sauna, a kitchen and barbecue equipment, a whole day can pass without going out. When you deliberately want to get away from a screen, this kind of setting works.

That said, there is high-speed Wi-Fi throughout, so whether you actually disconnect is up to you. If you want somewhere with genuinely no signal, this may not match your expectations.

Recommended if you:

• Want to keep the itinerary loose and spend the time at the property
• Are here for the baths and the sauna rather than for sightseeing

Who it may not suit

• Anyone who really cannot stand insects and is considering a summer stay (I am not fond of them either, but we saw nothing large, so unless you are extremely averse it should be fine)
• Anyone expecting meals to be provided (as a whole-house rental, cooking for yourselves or a barbecue is the norm. There is a convenience store and some shops about 15 minutes’ walk away)
• Anyone in a small party looking for something compact

About the whole-house rental format

P’s Wood Izu Kogen is not a ryokan or a hotel but a whole-house holiday rental. The format behaves differently from a ryokan, so if it is your first time, knowing the ground rules reduces the gap with expectations.

The good side

The greatest advantage is that you are the only people in the building. You never pass another guest, so the bath and the sauna are effectively private. Doing round after round in the sauna without watching the clock is particular to this format. With children or older relatives along, there is a comfort in not having to think about anyone else.

The generous shared space is another feature. At a ryokan you tend to choose between staying in your room or going to a communal hall; in a whole-house rental the living room, dining room and kitchen are all your own. For a trip whose purpose is gathering and talking, the format fits well.

What to watch out for

On the other hand, there is essentially none of the service you get at a ryokan. Meals and the like are on you. Food in particular is your own responsibility, so how you plan the shopping decides how comfortable the stay is.

Given check-in at 16:00 and check-out at 10:00, going out to shop after you arrive makes for a rushed evening. The practical approach is to stop at a supermarket on the way and pick up food and drink in one go. If you are planning a barbecue, it is worth checking in advance whether charcoal and firelighters are included.

What to bring

Because the facilities are mostly outdoors and there is a sauna, a few things beyond the usual travel kit are useful.

• Insect repellent and something for bites: close to essential for a summer visit (we have a feeling the property provided some as well)
• Drinks for rehydrating: repeated sauna rounds take more fluid out of you than you expect. Bring plenty
• Something to throw on: you cool down after the open-air rest, so a layer is useful whatever the season

Conversely, kitchen appliances and Wi-Fi are provided, so there is no need to bring cookware or your own connection. The equipment list is on the official website and the booking sites, so a quick look before you pack will lighten your bags.

Things to check before booking

1. The season you visit

Because the facilities are mostly outdoors, the season matters a great deal. Insects are a nuisance in summer, while in winter the open-air rest is at its best. If the sauna is your purpose, a colder time of year tends to feel more satisfying.

2. Sorting out food

As a whole-house rental, food is fundamentally your own affair. A barbecue is available for a fee, using a portable gas stove, until 20:00. Deciding where to do your shopping before you arrive makes the day much easier.

3. Numbers and who sleeps where

With two Western rooms (two double beds each) and one Japanese room (four futon sets), it is smoother to agree in advance who sleeps where. If some of your party prefer beds and others futons, this layout works in your favour.

4. Check-in time

Check-in is at 16:00. If you want to make the most of the baths and sauna, getting in early beats cramming sightseeing into your arrival day. Check-out is relatively early at 10:00, so if you are after a morning sauna, work backwards from that when setting your alarm.

5. Getting around, and where to shop

Holiday rentals in the Izu Kogen area tend to be scattered through the countryside, so a car is usually assumed. The official website describes nearby attractions as “a few minutes by car”, but we recommend confirming actual journey times and public transport options before booking.

Factor in how dark it gets at night, too. There are few streetlights, and once the sun goes down the surroundings are very dark. Do your shopping while it is still light.

If you plan to eat at a restaurant nearby, check opening hours. Restaurants in tourist areas often close earlier than in the city, and if you relax after check-in and head out later, you may find them shut.

* We took a taxi from Izu-Kogen Station and got lost on the way. Even giving the address to the driver, the location is a little hard to find, so take care. At night there are no streetlights and it is extremely dark, so we recommend doing your shopping in daylight. There are a few restaurants nearby, but they close early.

6. The current state of the facilities

As the property opened in March 2025, facilities and operations may change.

How the experience changes with the season

Having the sauna, cold bath and cooling space all outdoors means the season affects you directly. This is the kind of property where the quality of the experience shifts with when you visit.

Spring and autumn

Mild temperatures, and the most comfortable time of year for the open-air rest. There are fewer insects than at the height of summer, so for sheer pleasantness of time spent outdoors this is the best-balanced season. There is a temperature swing after dark, so bring a layer.

Summer

A season where you have to accept dealing with insects. On the other hand, barbecues are available from April to October, so this is the window if you want to eat outdoors. The higher air temperature also means you do not get too cold during the open-air rest and can stay outside longer. Come prepared with repellent and it is a season you can thoroughly enjoy.

Winter

For a sauna lover this may in fact be the most promising season. The colder the air, the greater the contrast with a body warmed in the sauna, and the sharper the open-air rest feels. Insects are barely an issue. The outdoor journeys are cold, though, so sandals and a layer matter even more than in spring or autumn. For an open-air bath under the stars, the clear winter air suits it well.

In other words, the weakness of “insects in summer” is also, inverted, “avoidable if you choose your season”. If your dates are flexible, you can aim for the time of year when this property is at its best.

Facilities check for children and dogs

Here are the items we end up asking about every single time we choose a property with a child or a dog. The figures and yes/no answers are based on what is stated on the official website.

Item	Details
Cot / baby bed	Not stated on the official website (ask the property)
Co-sleeping and child rates	Free for age 5 and under (preschool children are not counted in the party size when booking). Age 6 and over pay the adult rate
Baby food	Not provided. As a whole-house rental you have a kitchen, so you can bring your own and prepare or warm it
Baby items for loan	Not stated on the official website (ask the property)
Children in the baths	As you have the whole house, the indoor hot-spring bath, the open-air bath and the barrel sauna are all private to your party
Kids’ space	Not stated on the official website (ask the property)
Dogs	Not permitted (the official website states that pets are not allowed)

* Confirmed on 26 July 2026 via the official website of P’s Wood Izu Kogen and the Rakuten Travel property page (Japanese). Facilities and rates are subject to change, so please always check the official website for the latest information before booking.

Frequently asked questions

Is it a real hot spring?

The official website states that both the granite indoor bath and the Shigaraki-ware open-air bath are free-flowing from the source. On the water itself it says the spring quality is gentle on the skin. If you want the detailed composition, the surest route is to ask the property directly.

How many people fit in the sauna?

It is a hinoki barrel sauna with a stated capacity of four. If you stay as a party of 12, you cannot all go in at once and will need to take turns. Given that the stay is about 18 hours, loosely agreeing an order works better with a large group.

Is löyly allowed?

According to the official website, yes. A barrel sauna’s shape helps steam circulate. How it may be used, and any cautions, are set by each property, so follow the instructions on site.

Are meals included?

As a whole-house holiday rental, the format is essentially without meals. The kitchen has cooking appliances, and a barbecue on the wooden deck is available for a fee. Plans may differ, so check on the booking site.

How much of a problem are the insects?

It is a log house in the middle of nature with the sauna and cold bath outdoors, so in summer you will encounter insects. Bring repellent and something for bites and it should be manageable. If you can choose your dates, aiming for a season with fewer of them is another approach. (Indoors, they were not much of an issue.)

Is there Wi-Fi?

High-speed Wi-Fi is provided throughout. You can keep an eye on work messages if you need to. Conversely, if you want to be completely offline, you will have to put your devices away yourself.

Can a small party stay?

The capacity of 12 is an upper limit, not a requirement. Note, though, that pricing for whole-house rentals varies by property, and the cost per person rises when there are fewer of you.

Is it usable with children?

Having the whole house, and so not having to think about other guests, is a real advantage with children. On the other hand the sleeping quarters are on the first floor, so take care with small children.

A checklist for choosing a property with a sauna

Here is what this stay taught us, put in a form you can use when considering other properties. Places advertising a sauna are increasing, but what decides your satisfaction is the following.

• How the sauna, cold bath and cooling area sit relative to one another: are the three close together?
• Whether there is a real cold bath: “cold bath available” sometimes means a shower or a substitute tub
• Whether it is private: sharing with other guests limits when you can go in and creates queues
• Whether it is outdoors, and when you are visiting: outdoors means weather and insects come with it

Judged that way, P’s Wood Izu Kogen satisfies “private” and “free with your time” from the outset simply by being a whole-house rental. Add the short route between the three, and it is well set up as a property chosen for its sauna. The one weakness that remains is the seasonal effect of everything being outdoors.

Booking sites usually show this kind of information only as photos and a short bullet list. If something matters to you, asking the property before booking is the quickest and surest route.

Summary

• P’s Wood Izu Kogen is a whole-house holiday rental in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, opened March 2025
• A hinoki log house with a free-flowing hot-spring indoor bath (granite) and open-air bath (Shigaraki ware)
• The hinoki barrel sauna takes four, and löyly is permitted
• Sauna, cold bath and cooling space are grouped outdoors, so no journey breaks the rhythm
• Three rooms — two Western, one Japanese — sleeping up to 12. Built for groups
• There are insects in summer. Hard to avoid at a property built around outdoor facilities

Properties with saunas increase every year, but few satisfy once you include the layout. Straight from the sauna into the cold bath, and straight out into the open air — that sequence is sound design. For anyone choosing a property for its sauna, this arrangement carries a great deal of value.

At the same time, having the facilities outdoors means the season tells. The summer insects are best accepted as the flip side of that. Know it in advance and prepare, and it should not be enough to pull the verdict down.

Gather with people you get on with, and drift between the bath and the sauna doing very little. If that is the point of your trip, this is a strong option.

You may also like

Reviews of other properties we stayed at for the hot spring and the sauna. One scored a flawless 5 for both sauna and open-air rest; at the other the facilities were good but too crowded to get in, and it scored 3. Worth reading side by side as an example of how differently two “properties with a sauna” can turn out.

References

• Ito City Tourist Association (Japanese)