Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 25, 2025

Tattoo Friendly Onsen (“we”, “our”, or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you visit our website.

1. Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect personal data like names, phone numbers, or IP addresses just for visiting the site.

We set one strictly-necessary, first-party cookie to remember the choice you make in our cookie banner. It stores no personal identifiers and is never used for tracking.

2. Analytics

We monitor site performance with Plausible Analytics only. Plausible is cookieless and stores no personal data, so you can browse without individual tracking. Processing is based on our legitimate interest in understanding aggregated usage (Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR).

3. Affiliate Disclosure

Tattoo Friendly Onsen is a personal project built to help tattooed travelers enjoy Japan’s rich bathing culture with confidence. Some “Book now” links are affiliate links. If you click one and make a reservation, we may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. This support helps keep the site ad‑free and funds ongoing research.

When you click a booking link labeled “affiliate link,” you are redirected through our partner, Travelpayouts. Travelpayouts then sets a referral cookie (up to 30 days) on the partner’s domain (for example, Trip.com) so that any reservation you make is correctly attributed to us. Tattoo Friendly Onsen does not set or read this cookie—we receive only anonymous commission statistics, not your personal booking data. You can delete or block these cookies at any time via your browser settings.

4. Cookies

We set no other first-party cookies. You can delete or block any cookies at any time via your browser settings or by revisiting our Cookie Settings page.

Legal basis (EU/EEA):

  • Strictly-necessary cookies – Art. 6 (1)(c) GDPR (legal obligation to record consent) or Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in site functionality).
  • Affiliate cookies – Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in funding the site through commission).

5. Contact Form

We offer a contact form on our “Contact Us” page, where you can submit:

  • First and Last Name
  • Email Address
  • Subject (e.g., general inquiry, recommendations, partnerships)
  • Message contents
  • Consent confirmation (“I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions”)

When you submit the form, we collect and process the information you provide so we can:

  • Respond to your questions, feedback, or partnership requests
  • Assist with onsen recommendations or business listings

What we don’t do with your data:

  • We don’t share your personal info with third parties (unless required by law)
  • We don’t use form data for marketing without additional consent

Legal Basis (EU/EEA): Processing is based on your consent when you check the consent box.

We retain your contact form data only as long as needed to address your request. After that point, we securely delete any identifying information.

6. Newsletter & Email Signups

If you choose to subscribe to our newsletter:

  • We collect your email address to send occasional updates related to Tattoo Friendly Onsen.
  • Your email is stored and processed through MailerLite, a GDPR-compliant email service provider.
  • We do not sell or share your email address with third parties.
  • You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in our emails or contacting us directly.

Legal Basis (EU/EEA): We collect and process your data based on your explicit consent at the time of signup.

We retain your email address until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

This website is not intended for children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect or store personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child has submitted personal data, we will delete the information as soon as possible.

8. Your Rights (EU/EEA Visitors)

If you are located in the European Union or EEA, you have the right to:

  • Request access to your personal data
  • Request correction or deletion of your data
  • Object to or restrict how we use your data
  • File a complaint with a data protection authority

9. Security

We use HTTPS to encrypt data in transit and rely on secure third-party services (like Webflow and MailerLite) to store any personal information. While no system is 100% secure, we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.

11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy if we add new features, such as affiliate links, embedded content, or additional data collection.

The “Last Updated” date at the top will always reflect the latest version (July 25, 2025).

Let’s Connect!

Have a question, feedback, or a tattoo-friendly onsen recommendation? I’d love to hear from you!

📧 Contact Us to share your thoughts, experiences, or ask for advice on your next trip.

Together, let’s make onsen culture more inclusive—so that everyone, regardless of ink, can enjoy the beauty of Japan’s hot springs.