Saitama Soapland: Working Away From Home

Today's topic: working away from home (dekasegi) at soaplands in Saitama. (Soapland is a bath-based fuzoku format.)

I've got 20-plus years in this world, so I'll mix my own firsthand experience with what I've dug up through research.

The basics

Let me lay out the fundamentals worth knowing in this area.

ElonMy first time at a Yoshiwara soapland was at 25 — back before I'd had the pearls put in. Now, watching the reaction when I go in with the pearls is one of the pleasures. The conversation with a girl who asks "what is that?" turns out to be surprisingly fun.

Watch this industry long enough and you'll see the same topic get judged completely differently depending on whether you're looking at it from the customer's side or the girl's side.

What I can say from experience

Let me talk from what I've actually lived through.

ElonI don't aim to conquer every soapland in the country, but I've been through the "signature soaplands" of each region. My conclusion: service quality and cleanliness don't correlate. Even a budget shop can have god-tier hospitality.

I believe firsthand experience beats theory. Especially in this business, it's a world where reps matter more than book knowledge.

My takeaway

Elon42, single, living alone. When nearly your whole paycheck disappears into fuzoku, you naturally develop an eye for it. That's not a brag and it's not regret — I'm just putting it down as a fact.

The place I keep coming back to in the end is First Class Ruby. The reason it shows up again and again on this site is simple: it's a shop I actually repeat at. Use it as a reference.