Under fun
King Spa Sauna
321 Commercial Avenue
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
(201) 947-9955/7665/7666
Happy new year! Nothing quite like a good scrubbin' to wash away last year's grit and grime, and to beat the winter cold! King Spa is a bath emporium in the industrial section of Palisades Park. It caters mainly to Koreans, who are very fond of their baths.
King Spa at night.
As you walk in, you'll notice that the lobby is quite small. The basic entrance fee is about $40, but with a coupon (available in Korean establishments in the Bergen county area), you get a $15 discount. King Spa requires that they hold on to your picture id while in the premises. You'll get a numbered key with a barcode that you can wear on your wrist or ankle.
The men's section (the baths are separate) is upstairs, on the third floor. The women's section is on the ground level, to the right. You grab a towel and shirt/shorts (pink for women, blue for men) before you walk in. There are shelves for shoes, which you are required to take off (in typical Korean/Japanese bath house fashion). Your key opens your locker, where you can stash your clothes and personal effects. For the women's section, there is a numbered cubby right outside the wet spa area where you can stash your toiletries and towel/shirt/shorts.
Taking a camera inside would not be prudent given that everybody's nekkid for the most part, so I've taken some pictures from their website.
Women's wet spa. It includes shower stalls and sitting showers. You take a basin and a stool so you can squat down and scrub yourself good. Soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes and toothpaste are available. Should you need the exfoliating pads, you can ask the attendant, who will scan your key. There is a hot pool, a lukewarm pool (with herbs) and a cold green pool, as well as a clear cold pool with a powerful shower (make sure you shower first!). Their herbal sauna is nice and hot-hot-hot!
You can get the full body (and I mean full body) scrub and an oil massage at the wet spa area, available at extra charge. No new age-y relaxation here. They treat you like a slab of tuna and will scrub you to an inch of your life. The massage is more soothing, and they do try to stretch your joints. Afterwards, you can definitely feel that your skin is softer and smoother.
DJKung says that the men's side is pretty much set up the same. They do not have the little cubbys for towels that the women's side does. The men's side also does not have the big ice-cold pool.
You can then get dressed and check out the co-ed saunas on the second and third floors. King Spa has a very nice array of rooms and saunas for a variety of ailments. I prefer the hotter saunas. It is nice just to just close your eyes and relaaax.
This is my current favorite igloo---Bul Hanzung Mok (for women only). It is pretty warm inside and you will start sweating almost immediately. It smells like dried herbs and wood inside. I think this is supposed to be good for your reproductive organs.
Bulgama room (co-ed). This one is supposed to have infrared rays and ions. It is not as hot as the Bul Hanzung Mok. Muzak is usually playing, and it is easy to fall asleep here.
There are a few more igloos and rooms that you can check out. Basic rules apply: don't bring any reading material (although some do), keep quiet, and try to respect other people's space.
There are also private massage rooms. I have never gotten a dry massage here. DJKung had the thirty-minute foot massage before, and he said it was worth it. He described it as a deep tissue massage, with special focus on the joints.
Afterwards, when you are feeling squeaky clean and pleasantly drained, you can hang out by the restaurant and get some food. This is the meeting spot for friends and family that come to King Spa together. After you place your order, they will scan your key and call your number when your food is ready. The food is pretty good and reasonably priced. We like the rice drink, an iced drink with rice and beans served in a big glass bowl. It is so refreshing after a nice long sweat.
Restaurant section. I love the rocco furniture with the stone sculptures. The restaurant section is usually lively and full of shiny-faced, freshly bathed patrons wearing their King Spa shirts and shorts.
There is also a lounge section where you can read Korean newspapers, watch tv, play go, or fall asleep on their leather recliners. It is not uncommon to see people snoring away. Relaxing is really hard work!
Clockwise from top left: string beans, fish in chili sauce, house saland with carrot-gigner dressing, napa cabbage kimchee, pickles (maybe turnip or daikon), kimchee, fried mushrooms, sweet onions. We never really figured out whether these are apps or condiments, really... we just go on attack mode as soon as they hit the table. THe variety of tastes and textures is very pleasing.
Kalbi ribs (bbq beef short ribs). What else can I say. 
