After long hiatuses, two beloved local day spas have reopened their doors.
It’s been five years since San Francisco’s popular Japanese-style bath house, Onsen, last welcomed guests to its tubs, sauna, and steam room. Now, it’s back with the blessing of its original founders, the help of a few investors, and the tireless work of new owner Adam Wren, who was the spa’s manager when the pandemic forced its closure in 2020.
“I think this place is extremely special and so unique in terms of the design,” says Wren. Even the materials used to build it—old-growth redwood that’s difficult to get ahold of today—are one of a kind.
Meanwhile, south of the city, Peninsula hotspot Menlo Park has been waiting seven months for the return of the luxe Asaya Spa at the Rosewood Sand Hill. A glow-up by design firm Nicole Hollis now blends California elegance with the Bay Area’s natural beauty, giving the sanctuary a whole new feel.
The redesigned Asaya Spa at Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park(Courtesy of Asaya Spa)
“Everything from the colors to the walls is different,” says spa director Ania Mankowska. They went with a palate of green and earth tones to “bring the outdoors inside,” completely changed the Finnish hemlock sauna and basalt-and-limestone steam room, integrated brand-new massage tables, and began serving functional mushroom wellness teas from local company Good Pharma. A beautiful new garden graces Asaya’s outdoor courtyard lounge.
But it’s not just the spa’s design that’s changed. Asaya is now using products by European skincare pioneer Dr. Barbara Sturm—anti-inflammatory cosmetics derived from 25 years of research—and the spa’s treatment menu has been revamped to combine the latest in tech with tried-and-true methods.
“We have some tools but we’re really trying to incorporate traditional ways,” says Mankowska. The Cadillac of Asaya facials, the 90-minute Sturm Exoso-metic Growth Factor Facial, for example, combines microdermabrasion, LED light therapy, and nanochanneling with an extensive facial massage. ““It’s a more modern approach to wellness,” Mankowska argues. “So many of us just want human touch.”
A brand new treatment room at Asaya Spa(Courtesy of Asaya Spa)
There are other fresh elements too, including body brushing and therapies like The Sleep Ritual, a mind-body treatment for exhaustion and burnout, which will debut around Mother’s Day. A new suite for couples’ treatments has a Hinoki Japanese soaking tub and a private outdoor whirlpool and shower, and a nail, lash, and brow studio will open later this spring.
“It’s not just about the treatment, it’s about everything around the treatment,” says Mankowska.
Unlike Asaya, Onsen’s devoted original followers won’t find a whole lot of changes to the tranquil Japantown bathhouse. Its original structure is essentially the same as it was pre-Covid, says Wren—and that’s a wonderful thing.
They have updated the “user interface” though, which now has specialized reservations via Tock for its coed and gender-specific bathing times. (Currently, Thursdays and Fridays from 2pm to 6pm are reserved for the use of either men or women and nonbinary guests. In May, Onsen will switch to gender-specific days on Monday and Tuesday, with everyone welcome Thursday through Sunday.) Each two-hour reservation includes use of a robe, towel, and sandals; bathing suits are required at coed times.
The sauna at Onsen(Courtesy of Onsen)
Tock reservations will also soon include options for dining at the bathhouse’s on-site cafe. With a new chef and bento boxes available at lunch, the food will be a little different than it once was while still adhering to healthful Japanese culinary traditions.
“I just want people to reconnect with the space and to be in awe of it as I am every day,” says Wren. “It’s such a cool community to be a part of.”
// Onsen is open Thursday and Friday from 2pm to 10pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 10pm; 466 Eddy St. (Japantown), onsensf.com
// Asaya Spa at Rosewood Sand Hill is open daily from 7:30am to 7:30pm; 2825 Sand Hill Rd. (Menlo Park), rosewoodhotels.com
The entrance to SF's beloved Japanes bath house, Onsen(Courtesy of Onsen)
