“Nice to experience for 1 night but probably not more than that”
The location was good—close to train stations, good restaurants, coin laundry, and other amenities. The idea of staying in a cat spa was appealing, and the cats were indeed very cute and entertaining to look at. We received one complimentary hour per day to be with the cats with our reservation, which was nice. The bathroom and shower were clean and had everything we needed, and the bedding and other facilities were also clean. We were a family of four, so we had the whole place to ourselves. When we arrived, someone quickly checked us in and then basically ran away. I wasn’t sure if she was really busy or nervous or both, but she forgot to mention that the cat spa guests can use the hostel’s kitchen and common area, which is in a different building right next door. For two days we thought that the tiny common area of the spa was all we had to prepare and eat meals. Using the hostel’s common area and kitchen really saved this stay for us. As I mentioned above, the idea of staying in a cat spa was appealing, however I think we would have enjoyed it for just one night instead of five. The biggest thing I found troubling was that there was a camera recording the common area, so we were told not to walk around without clothing. Even though we had the whole place to ourselves, we had to bring all the clothes with us to the shower or change in the capsules, which wasn’t very comfortable. It just felt icky and wrong. Next, some of the cats were very cute and playful, but there were a few cats that stayed in cages the whole time, which is understandable if they can’t play nice with other cats, but they yowled really loudly and non‑stop (during the night as well). The entryway to the capsule area and the cat area smelled pretty bad. And the cat area itself, especially, probably because they had litter boxes right there where people were playing with the cats. I’ve been to a few cat cafes before and never had a litter box right there next to visitors. That was really gross. Lastly, the beds were so thin and uncomfortable. I’m a side sleeper and I got bruises on my hips from how hard it was. I slept in another ryokan right before staying here and it was much more cushy and comfortable. I hope this helps another family make a decision about booking this place.
Alina·Vor 3 Monaten