Japan’s first hotel with a human washing machine is now ready for you to come and bathe in it

But in fact, the situation is more complicated than that, and it is my great pleasure to inform you that we are now all officially living in the future, as determined by the fact that the first hotel in Japan has installed a Mirai Ningen Sentakki, or “Future Human Washing Machine,” for visitors to use.

Developed by Science, a bath fixtures company based in Osaka, the Future Human Washing Machine, also called the Human Washer in the Future, caused a stir during its display at the Expo 2025 world’s fair. The user sits down in the pod, closes the canopy, and relaxes, watching tranquil images and listening to soothing music as the pod fills with soapy water. After soaking, the bathwater drains and rinsing nozzles spray away any leftover lather, leaving you clean without ever having had to lift so much as a finger.

Even before the expo ended people were already asking when Science could possibly have human washing machines ready for commercial use, and the first customer to step up to the plate is the Dotonbori Crystal Hotel III in Osaka’s Namba neighborhood. On December 9, the hotel started welcoming customers for its Future Human Washing Machine Plan. The pod isn’t installed in an overnight guestroom, however, but rather in the hotel’s day spa facility, insider a private room with its own sauna and lounge space.

The room can be rented out in 90-minute blocks, and with the entire human washing machine cycle (including filling with water) taking roughly 20 minutes, reservations can be made for groups of up to four people. The human washing machine is only sized for one bather at a time, though, which is why the room also has the sauna, lounge, and a fridge apparently stocked with ice-cold beer (or at least beer can be ordered, if the promotional images are anything to go by).

Six sessions are available per day, all priced at 18,000 yen (US$118), with starting times between 10:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. 

Casey Baseel