Originally Posted by
evergrn
Problem I have with those little stools is that I'm put off by sitting on something that was in direct contact with another dude's butt crack and 'crown jewel' only minutes before. I myself grew up with one of those in our ofuro, but I guess it didn't bother me when I was a kid. Anyways, now I rinse off the stool real good with the showerhead, then try to sit as shallowly as possible to minimize the contact between my butt and the stool. To the point where I almost fell off it once or twice.
I guess you are not a fan of renting bathing suits. A city run onsen/pool in Beppu is happy to rent you one since you have to have a bathing suit to go into the outdoor(co-ed) warm pool.