A popular Korean spa in New Jersey, where nudity is compulsory, will now let transgender women use the female-only section — even if they have male genitals — after being slapped with a lawsuit.
King Spa in Palisades Park recently changed its policies after they were sued by a trans woman for refusing to let her use the female facilities — despite her still having male anatomy, according to court documents obtained by The Post.
Under the change, the spa’s policy now clearly states that any guest may use the locker room that aligns with the gender identity displayed on their government- or state-issued photo ID.
If any spa-goer is uncomfortable with sharing facilities with a trans person who may have different genitalia from them, the policy states the customer can either request a private spa or give up use of the communal facilities going forward.
The wellness facility, which models itself after the traditional Korean spa known as a jimjilbang, requires men and women to be segregated in certain areas where clothing and any form of covering is banned.
The changes were made after the customer, Alexandra Goebert, filed a suit in 2022 following an incident where she alleged she was booted from the facilities for complaining about having to use the male-only spa and sauna.
When Goebert arrived at the spa with a female companion, she alleged she was initially given a male wristband despite her Garden State ID identifying her as “female.”
She was eventually given access to the women’s locker room but was quickly questioned by staff on whether she still had “boy parts” and had undergone surgery, the suit stated.
Goebert was ordered to leave the female segregated section after conceding she still had male genitalia and was told to use the male facilities.
After complaining that she would feel uncomfortable in the men’s section because she’s a trans woman, the spa offered to let her use the female facilities if she wore a bathing suit — but she declined, according to court filings.
The spa reached a confidential settlement agreement with Goebert in August, records show.
The policy change, as well as additional training for staff, were implemented as part of the settlement.
“All clients will be permitted to access and use the sex-segregated facilities and areas that correspond to that client’s gender identity, regardless of whether the client is transgender or not, and regardless of any physical or other traits the client has which may or may not align with traits stereotypically associated with that gender,” the updated policy now reads.
“Clients who choose to access and use sex-segregated areas where partial or full nudity is either required or permitted do so with the understanding that other clients using those areas may have bodies that do not appear to align with the stereotypical body parts associated with the gender designated for that area,” it continues.
“No client may force another client not to use the sex-segregated area corresponding to the other client’s own gender identity because of the requesting client’s own personal discomfort, nor will the spa agree to any demand by any client to prohibit any other client from using any communal areas in any manner or with any conditions not equally required of all clients using such areas,” the policy adds.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the new policy was enforced, or if there had been any objections to it so far.
The Post reached out to King Spa but didn’t receive an immediate response.
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