Onsen, the Japanese-inspired restaurant and urban bathhouse in the Tenderloin, is finally set to open after years in the works. Local couple Sunny Simmons and Caroline Smith have been working to transform the former City Automotive auto body shop at 466 Eddy St. since 2013, and plan to open their doors in the first week of November.

Getting Onsen going wasn't easy, especially since city regulations restricted new businesses from offering massages in the Tenderloin. However, Supervisor Jane Kim recently helped pass an ordinance that would allow businesses offering massage therapy to apply for conditional use authorization. Since Onsen's main business is a bathhouse, it's allowed to offer massage as an accessory.

Onsen's restaurant will start out offering dinner from 5-10pm, though the owners hope to eventually add both lunchtime and later hours. The menu will consist of light, seasonal and Japanese-influenced food, along with tea, kombucha on tap, wine, Japanese beer, and a list of premium sake.

The other component of Onsen (whose name comes from the Japanese term for “hot spring") will be a 3,200-square-foot elevated bathhouse featuring an eight-person soaking pool, a sauna, a steam room, and a cold plunge shower installation. It will offer six different treatment rooms for acupuncture, massage, reiki, body treatments, and facials.

Smith is an artist and acupuncturist, and Simmons has been a craft builder for the last 20 years. They instantly fell for the brick-walled space, which they’ve been building out by hand with assistance from some friends.

All of the redwood used for creating Onsen's ceiling, doors, walls, cabinetry, restaurant tables, and chairs comes from Sunny’s personal wood collection, which he's been storing for the past 20 years. 

"We have received a lot of positive feedback" from the neighborhood, said Smith. "Businesses like other businesses moving in. There’s such a great sense of community here. People want to see positive change that’s neighborly and not shutting people out."

The couple hopes that people use Onsen as a gathering space, rather than meeting for happy hour.

"We wanted to make a place where people can connect with each other," said Smith. "I like the concept of people sitting around and drinking tea, not hanging over computers or on their cell phones. We want the space to be relaxing but not insular—more of a communal experience."

We'll keep you posted on Onsen's opening; to stay abreast of their official opening date, you can follow them on Instagram.