Onsen Bathhouse, a Japanese communal bathing space in the Tenderloin, reopened for business Friday after a five-year hiatus. Sandwiched between an auto-body shop and The Healing Well, a dilapidated building where free yoga classes are offered to unhoused people, is a beautiful, 3,200-square-foot retreat with a steam room, redwood sauna, cold plunge, and 15-person heated soaking pool.
“This is a place to get some tranquility in an otherwise chaotic universe,” said Adam Wren, Onsen’s former general manager and new owner, who notes that unlike many traditional bathhouses, Onsen doesn’t enforce silence. “We don’t shy away from the social aspect of the bathhouse — we allow conversation.”
The reopening comes amid a turbulent period for San Francisco’s clothing-optional communal sauna scene. Russian bath Archimedes Banya in Bayview faced heat for a regressive transphobic guest policy; Japantown’s Imperial Day Spa received criticism from trans guests. Both spas have since updated their policies to be more inclusive…