How this atlas is built

Methodology & sources

We're mapping every hot spring and bathhouse on earth, then writing each one up properly. Roughly 9,000 locations are mapped from open data; a smaller, growing set are fully researched guides. Here's exactly where the information comes from and how we handle it.

Three tiers of entry

Mapped

Imported from open data. Coordinates, type, country and source link only — clearly marked as a stub, and kept out of search until expanded.

Enriched

Verified against multiple sources, with water temperatures, access, facilities, photography and cited notes. Only these enter the sitemap.

Edited

Human-reviewed, written in our editorial voice, with insider detail. Our most complete guides.

Mapped-only entries carry a clear "About this entry" note and a link to their source. We never auto-generate prose to fill a page — a thin, honestly-sourced entry beats a fabricated one.

Where the data comes from

OpenStreetMap

ODbL

Locations, names, and facility tags for public baths and natural hot springs worldwide, contributed by mappers on the ground.

Wikidata

CC0

Structured facts — coordinates, country, heritage status, opening dates — cross-referenced against other open datasets.

Wikivoyage

CC BY-SA

Traveller-written visiting notes and access tips, cited and linked back on enriched entries.

Wikimedia Commons

CC / public domain

Openly-licensed photography. We download and host only properly-licensed images, with photographer credit.

Operator & tourism-board sites

Credited, linked

Where a venue’s own photography is the only good record (e.g. interiors where cameras are banned), we link back and credit rather than copy.

Attribution & licensing

Every imported fact links back to its source. Photography is either openly licensed (hosted with photographer credit) or used by linking back to the rights-holder with credit — never copied without permission. If you hold rights to an image and want it changed or removed, contact us and we'll act quickly.

Help improve an entry

Know a spring or bathhouse first-hand? Spotted something wrong? We'd love a correction, a visiting note, or a properly-licensed photo. The fastest way to fix the underlying map data is to edit it directly on OpenStreetMap or Wikidata — improvements there flow into the atlas on our next update.