noun
public bathhouse; sento
A friendly, slightly old-fashioned term for a public bathhouse. Often used by children or in nostalgic contexts.
子供のころ、よく近所のお風呂屋に行った。
When I was a child, I often went to the neighborhood public bathhouse.
お風呂屋の煙突から湯気が出ている。
Steam is rising from the chimney of the public bathhouse.
More formal and standard term for a public bathhouse. お風呂屋 is a colloquial, warmer alternative.
Compound of honorific prefix お, 風呂 (bath), and 屋 (shop, establishment).