Half of Sento Establishments Face Worsening Performance Due to Soaring Heavy Oil Costs; FY2025 Profits to Halve; 7 Sento Businesses to Close in FY2025 Amidst Accelerating Consolidation Due to Rising Fuel Costs

株式会社帝国データバンク is a business consulting firm that conducted a survey and analysis on the "Sento Industry."

### SUMMARY Fueled by the sauna boom, the Sento industry is projected to see its market size expand, with sales expected to reach around 120 billion yen in FY2025, reaching its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, profitability is deteriorating due to the surge in crude oil and labor costs. In FY2024, one in four companies reported deficits, and profit levels in FY2025 are expected to halve compared to the previous year. With significant constraints on price pass-through, if fuel costs continue to rise, the risk of closures will further increase, particularly for Sento businesses with weaker financial resilience.

[Survey Target] Companies primarily engaged in the "Public Bathhouse" business. [Note 1] Performance data is compiled based on corporate profile files (COSMOS2, approx. 1.51 million companies), corporate credit research reports (CCR, approx. 2 million companies), and external information held by Teikoku Databank as of March 2026. [Note 2] Total business sales (including segment sales and estimates). FY2025 figures are based on each company's forecasts.

### Half of Sento Establishments Face Worsening Performance; Hit by Soaring Heavy Oil Costs Our survey of companies operating "Public Baths (Sento)," including super Sento and bathhouse businesses, revealed that in FY2024, one in four companies was operating in the "red." When including companies that experienced a "decrease in profit" compared to the previous year, approximately 50% saw their performance worsen. For FY2026, preliminary figures as of the end of March show that the proportion of "worsening performance" exceeded 60%, reaching a post-COVID-19 high. While benefiting from the tailwind of the "sauna boom," the industry faces rising costs such as crude oil prices and labor expenses, and the struggles of the Sento industry continue.