The Buzz: King Spa Fitness – Korean Day Spa Review

Here in NYC, we don’t have the luxury of countless amazing Korean day spas at our disposal like they do on the West Coast. But, after a summer of sunscreen, suntan and sun damage, our skin was in dire need of a reboot, so we decided to bite the bullet and check out what the Korean spas were like in our neck of the woods. With a bit of research under our belt (taking into consideration the crowds, the array of facilities, and the price), the editorial team plus a couple of girlfriends headed out to Palisades Park, New Jersey to King Spa Fitness for a day of relaxation.

The King Spa was easy to find and nothing short of enormous at 40,000 square feet. Using an e-coupon we found on the website, admission was reduced to $28 and if you have the whole day free to use all the facilities (as we had planned), it turns out to be quite affordable. The spa caters to both men and women and most of the wet areas are separate and nude-friendly. The rest of the facilities are co-ed, thus leading to the biggest rub of all (and not the rub you want): pepto bismol pink one-size-fits-none uniforms made of very thick non-breathable cotton which you’re required to put on and pull off again as you move from the wet areas to the other rooms. And there are a lot of rooms! To name a few, there’s the amethyst sauna, yellow ocher sauna, mineral salt sauna, ice sauna, heated mugwort sauna, and the real cooker: the Bul Hanzung Mok hot sweat room. Essentially an oven, and the spa’s biggest draw, this women-only sauna is heated by burning oak to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ultimate in mind and body detoxification and purification, and has been used by Koreans for over 500 years to combat illness and pain. If you can survive the heat, you come out feeling reborn and renewed.

For an additional $80 (and a surprisingly outrageous $25 mandatory tip), two of us booked an hour-and-a-half scrub and massage following a deep steam, hot tub soak and sauna. For those who have never experienced a Korean scrub before, picture this: Asian women clad in black lace bras and panties armed with rough cloths for exfoliation, who leave no skin un-sloughed. Over and over, they scrub you until you are as soft as the day you were born – possibly softer. It’s by no means relaxing, but the reams of dead skin washing off of you are oddly satisfying. The massage I could have done without. I am not a big fan of oil slicks and I’m much more accustomed to gentle rubdowns than power washings. However, I must admit, I have never felt cleaner and softer in my entire life. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave the area without putting on my hideous sweat-soaked uniform.

While we were getting detailed, our other two friends were getting foot massages. Upon reflection, I would recommend skipping the massages, but treating yourself to a scrub and taking advantage of all the varied saunas and water facilities. Plan to hit the wet area first, hot tubs and steam rooms before getting the scrub. Then, post scrub, head to the hot saunas to purge your freshly cleaned bod of toxins. Spending all day at a spa makes you surprisingly hungry, and while there is a restaurant, the food is average and a bit pricey, so it might be worth it to pack a power bar. Only 40 minutes away from the city, this spa is worth the trek if only for the fact that it has water facilities (a rarity in New York City). While the award still goes to West Coast Korean day spas, we are happy knowing there’s a place for us to get a good scrub down without having to board a plane to California.

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