Men enjoy a wild time with pink companions at Japanese hot spring resorts

A pink companion is an old-fashioned term for a cross between a hostess, stripper, and sex worker at a hot spring resort.

Hot spring (onsen) resorts are now places for wellness and luxury, but traditionally were closely associated with erotic pleasures, either for newly married couples or guys looking for a good time with geisha, hostesses, and sex workers. It’s also why sex museums were often at such resorts.

Pink companions (sometimes called super companions) will officially stop short of providing actual sex to guests, but they wear provocative clothing or nothing but underwear while serving men in the banquet room, and sitting intimately with each man to ensure he has a very good time.

Basically, the yukata-clad guys drink and eat, and then start having naughty fun with the ladies — often right in front of their mates.

We scoured the internet for some illustrative pictures of pink companions entertaining male clients.

While this style of accommodation and service is no longer as prevalent as it is used to be, and the term itself has a distinctly late-Showa aura, it is still possible to book trips to resorts that offer pink companions for entertainment purposes.