Came here with a gift card and it was so nice!…read more Good: - Went on an all women day and really liked how it wasn't packed! - The place was super clean - Everything was explained to me well - The hot sauna cold plunge was so good! I also liked the steam room since you can rub salt all over you - The hot sauna was really good temperature and I liked that they had a clock inside - The cold plunge was the perfect temp and you can also see the clock - The hot pool was surprisingly amazing and I stayed in in longer than I planned - The hot tea and cold towels were a big plus Bad: - More on the expensive side - I also got a massage but it wasn't super memorable Overall would come again!

Nobody asked for a Kabuki vs OnsenSF comparison, but here…read moreyou go. 1. $$$ Price Kabuki is $49/pp 2.5 hrs OnsenSF in the tenderloin is $50/pp 2 hours 2. Environment & Ambience: Kabuki has a much wider space, calming music, great ambience, wonderful smells and decor. OnsenSF is a dining space when you enter and spa in the back. Everything looks modern and nice, relaxing environment despite being located in the tenderloin. 3. Hot Tub: Kabuki has a rectangle shaped hot tub as opposed to OnsenSF's square shaped tub. 4. Cold plunge: Kabuki has a cold plunge that's perfect for people who don't need it to be extremely freezing. OnsenSF has a cold shower with many heads in place of a cold plunge. Both are enjoyable experiences 5. Steam Room: Kabuki's steam room is also rectangular as opposed to OnsenSF's square room. Kabuki's steam room also has a shower to rinse off excess salt and sweat before entering the common area. 6. Showers: At Kabuki, there's also a line of stools for the seated handheld showers where you can fill a tub of water and pour it over yourself in addition to the traditional shower stalls, where OnsenSF only has the traditional showers if I recall correctly. 7. Sauna: The sauna was great because you could adjust the heat by moving up the wooden bleachers. There was also plenty of space to stretch out and lie down. There were wooden half-cylinder blocks to place under the neck and back to promote blood flow. My partner's favorite standout was the salt scrub they have that's free to take at the refreshments table. You use it to scrub away dead skin in the shower and steam room. My favorite was the bowl of towels buried in ice cubes that helped me keep a cool head in the hot tub and sauna room. I will say that the thing that makes OnsenSF stand out is their dining pop-ups, but there's plenty of dining options on Fillmore and in Japantown. I would definitely go back to Kabuki again. The experience was incredibly relaxing. Highly recommend.

First time went to unwind and actually really enjoyed the community vibes…read more They offer everything you need to relax, there's honestly not a lot of places like this and I appreciate it. Two things that I can't ignore and hope management reads this. 1. There is room for improvement on the locker room getting so crowded. 2. Do NOT trust the sandals. They are plastic and incredibly slippery when wet. Since they are not sized to the individual, it's dangerous. I slipped out of my sandals and fell down the stairs in the large Russian Sauna. This resulted in multiple abrasions and a large laceration on my forearm and I actually got stitches for the first time. Sandals have to be fixed, there's stairs everywhere here. The people in the sauna were super nice and helped me, luckily, I'm pretty fit, but it could've been really really bad. Credit to the staff for not charging me for my time there, honestly, I would've rather paid and left uninjured. I'm not 100% sure that I would return, it just happened today so maybe in time that will change.

Came here for a dinner experience as well as a 3 hour soak in the banya experience!…read more Good: - It wasn't busy Saturday at 4:30 pm! We got a lucky break - They added a super beautiful sauna with an amazing view on the top floor, loved sitting here and reliving the feeling of being in Finland Saunas - I love the aromatherapy experience! It's super hard to sit through it all and I didn't make it all the way but I basically got through the last round and the cold plunge after felt so great - The food experience was amazing, I loved the tom yum soup with chicken - it feels great to do 2 hours into your experience - Ample spots to sit and I have only felt the squeeze in the hot tubs Bad: - It can get quite packed during peak hours so try to visit when there's less people, otherwise it gets messy and a bit dirty too

This place was AH- Mazing!! Was a little worried from the outside but it did not disappoint…read more 4 seating areas were all ZEN. Exquisite staff and all areas cleaned and stocked. Nora was my massage therapist and she was 10/10! Will def go back next time I'm in SFO!

The absolute worst. I received a $200 gift card for my birthday but since my husband had really bad…read moreknots, I recommended he utilize it for a deep tissue massage. I called to book him an appointment the day before and told the receptionist that I would prefer someone good and I asked if a male masseuse would be better. She stated that actually the female masseuse would be better if I was comfortable and I appreciated that and said yes I would love the female masseuse for my husband. She the tells me all the accolades the female masseuse that will be working on my husbands back has. Next day, my husband arrives and ends up with Rafael. My husband said Rafael did what he could but unfortunately did not get most of his knots out. When he got home, I massaged his back and was surprised with the amount of knots he still had. It was as if he never got his deep tissue massage. I'm deeply saddened because my husband still ended up paying out of pocket (expensive massage) and he did not feel relaxed after. On top of that, my husband sends me pictures of the locker room that was under construction and said guys were going on and out while he was changing. Very disappointing experience compared to the many other massage spots in SF.

Absolutely amazing experience!…read more Highly recommend both of the bathhouse and the dining experience! Order all the add-ons - they were all amazing! Beautiful space, great food, great atmosphere!

This review is from my visit experience at Onsen several months ago, so I hope their system is…read morebetter now. I hate to leave a bad review, especially since the lady at the check-in desk was extremely kind, polite, and nice. However, various aspects of this place were unacceptable. It was my first visit, which I will never revisit due to the following reasons. First, Onsen charges $50 for an entrance fee, which we are allowed to stay for two hours. However, the overall service I got was not worth the price at all. 1. I was there for the ladies-only day. The locker room area was TOO small and fully crowded to use. I waited for 7-8 minutes until people started leaving and had more space inside to squeeze in, while other people who were standing, naked and covered with towels, tried to get to their lockers. That was the check-in, and when I left, it was the same case for getting ready for check-out. I became one of the towel-covered naked people who were waiting to get to the locker, while other people were staying in the same form. I felt like I was in a low-budget high school female locker room. 2. The lotion in the female locker area was out. I purposely placed the bottle at the edge of the amenity area so that they would refill it, but in the end, the empty bottle was returned to the original spot with the inside still empty. 3. The bathing area is relatively small. And there are only two shower heads we could use, with very low pressure and dripping water, besides the larger water shower head for those who prefer cold water after bathing. The pressure was too low, and we could hardly wash our bodies to rinse off the soap. Nobody was washing their hair, and I couldn't wash mine either due to the amazingly TOO low pressure shower, which was rather dripping water from the showerhead. 4. Including the empty lotion in the powder room, their amenity inside had no label, only a self-posted "shampoo" label. It would have been nicer if we could have known what we were getting for our body, such as organic, vegan, not animal-tested, or a decent brand, etc. 5. During my two-hour stay, the cleaning person came inside the female bath area a few times to remove the used towels, but didn't care about cleaning other things inside. In such a small bathing space, there were about 20 used cups left all over, which was quite disturbing. 6. I know this is not their fault, but two young ladies inside KEPT talking for two hours quite loudly. At first, I thought I was being too sensitive, but when I moved to the sauna area, people inside whispered and complained about the chat noise they were making. I couldn't relax at all because of their private and personal stories about their work, guys they met, etc. In the end, I couldn't stop wondering if those types of young ladies are regular customers at Onsen. 7. This is the most disgusting part, which, as mentioned, I will never go back to this place. When I was getting ready to leave at the exit spot, I saw a cleaning person using the same wet cloth she had wiped the floor with, rubbing the used sandals they were providing to their guests. According to my common sense, those shared sandals/slippers are sanitized after each use, or if not, they are at least rinsed with hot water and soap, and possibly treated with a sanitizing spray. I've been to other spas in the city, like Pxxxx Spa, which constantly cleans the shared items, such as slippers, combs, and hair dryers. I didn't see any of those "caring" and "safe" considerations to maintain cleanliness for shared items for the guests at Onsen. Lastly, I felt like naming this place 'Onsen' is almost a big joke and an insult to real onsens in Japan, where we could relax in such a clean and pampering atmosphere in tranquility.

Most recently I had a 60 massage with Eva who is one of the best therapists I've had here. I had an…read moreacupressure massage and she was very good, checked with me often about the pressure and was able to release tension in my neck that has been there for years. I have been going to this spa for a few years and have had consistently excellent experiences. I have tried every wet treatment , scrub and combo along with a variety of dry room massage services. The first time I had a scrub I was a little shocked at how effective it was. While the exfoliating technique is between medium and intense, the results are undeniable. The basic scrub is 30 minutes but I highly recommend going for the body scrub acupressure 90 minutes service. Having tried all the spas in the area I can say with confidence that the water temperatures at Imperial are the most reliable. The hot tub is perfectly scorching and the cold dip is perfectly icy, almost unbearable, as it should be. They offer hot and cold water, sometimes have tea. They have a really nice selection of hair dryers to use on the way out, Dyson style. I prefer to go during the week when it's slow but I have also found that during the busiest of times here, the staff does a great job of enforcing the rules of silence. Overall I have enjoyed every single experience here. I can't post pictures because it's not allowed to take photos inside, but the facility is clean, inviting and enjoyable.

First time checking this place out. Not bad for a $100, 45-minute "Swedish massage," though the…read moretechnique was a bit unexpected. Instead of the usual kneading, there was a lot of poking, finger-tracing, and some elbow work. I ended up opting out of the back-walking part. The facilities are a bit tight--the parking lot only has five spots, and the steam and sauna rooms only fit about 4-5 people at a time. The men's and women's areas are separate, which is nice, but the shoe lockers don't actually lock (though you do get a bracelet for your main locker). A few quirks: the water cups are so tiny they are like shot glasses, and they leave the massage room doors open during the session. I think I'll try Kabuki Spa next time to compare.

I utilized a generous gift card and got a facial with Joy today. She lives up to her name and I…read moreleft glowing. Seriously. I highly recommend her services.

My review was removed by Redmint on Google and Yelp so I will rewrite it. I booked an 80 min…read moresession and received a 60 min massage. Brought it to their attention and price was not adjusted. Pay attn to your start and end time. I also asked for a deep tissue massage. Candy was stroking me lightly. When I asked for more pressure, she told me "deep tissue is suppose to be soft". After insisting, she elbowed me all in the wrong places. It was very painful and inexperienced.

I had the Goddess Ritual a few week ago and I'm STILL thinking about it! It was divine…read more The space itself was small but cozy and welcoming. Everyone greets you with a smile and a lovely tea, warm towel, and mindfulness note. The gentleman at the front desk was so kind! I believe my masseuse was Jay, a kind and seasoned young practitioner who took such care of me. The ritual consisted of dry brushing, exfoliating, foot scrub and massage, whole body massage, and a scalp massage. A whole head to toe experience. Jay has a talent for this. I truly felt taken care of. As someone who is intuitive to my own body, lift weights, and hold lots of stress in my body, she melted my stress away and released a large knot in my shoulder that was both painful but blissful. I felt like a Goddess! haha I can't wait to come back and try their other offerings.

I love this little massage spa! It's homey, so thoughtful, and with great therapists. I had the CBD…read moremassage after hurting my back and Adina was so helpful and intuitive. I left feeling great!

the only person i'd see and go back for is trang. she genuinely seemed like she cared and did a…read moregood job on my nail design. the lady who originally did my pedicure did an awful job and i had to go back in the next day. it also chipped within a week. i think the prices more pricey too since everything is a la carte. i would go back here and only see trang but with the prices, i can't justify going back at all.

While I like getting my toes painted, I love the skin care they deliver and the kindness they have…read morefor their customers.