"Ever since San Francisco's Onsen closed during the pandemic, I've romanticized the one evening I spent at the spa in 2019. There is nothing more up my alley than a soak in a hot tub followed by a gorgeous meal. So when Adam Wren, Onsen's former general manager and now owner, revived the Tenderloin restaurant/Japanese ryokan-inspired bathhouse earlier this year, my dream of reliving that experience finally came true."
"Despite a not-so-peaceful walk down Hyde Street from a nearby parking garage to reach Onsen for our 6 p.m. reservation (their website recommends people take a taxi or Uber), once inside, it was like being transported to Japan. The sturdy wooden door led us right into the handsome restaurant, with exposed brick walls, paper cranes hanging from the ceiling, diners huddled over squat birch tables and tantalizing smells wafting from the open kitchen."
"My fiance and I had booked a combination dinner and bathhouse reservation - $50 per person for a two-hour soak, and $80 per person for a set menu dinner from the pop-up of the night, Claws of Mantis. After being ushered through the restaurant toward the spa in the back, we were each given a pair of slippers and instructed to remove our shoes. In the locker rooms, towels and robes were waiting for us in our respective lockers."
"The bathhouse was co-ed on our visit, and therefore, bathing suits were required. After showering, we slipped into the 103-degree communal tub among our bathing companions. Despite being at its max capacity of 15 people on a busy Sunday night, the small spa retained its tranquil atmosphere, with people speaking in polite hushed tones. The cool gray tile, red brick, wood paneling and lush ferns dangling from the skylight also helped set the mood."
Onsen in San Francisco recreates a Japanese ryokan atmosphere combining a restaurant and a back-of-house bathhouse. Combination reservations include a two-hour soak ($50 per person) and an optional set-menu dinner from rotating pop-ups ($80 per person). Guests remove shoes and use provided slippers, towels, and robes. The co-ed bathhouse requires bathing suits and features a 103-degree communal tub, a dry sauna, a humid steam room, and a cold shower. Design elements include exposed brick, cool gray tile, wood paneling, paper cranes, birch tables, and skylight-hung ferns, all contributing to a tranquil communal experience despite compact capacity.
Read at SFGATE
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