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King Sauna
Rating Details »
321 Commercial Ave
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
(201) 947-9955
Palisades Park, NJ 07650
(201) 947-9955
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street, Valet
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- By Appointment Only:
- No
22 reviews for King Sauna
This place is definitely not for the timid. It's a nude campus (same sex) and then you could go to the communal area fully clothed (cult wear - pink for the ladies and white for the men) and meet up with your boyfriend or husband for the dry saunas in those cute little homes or eat Korean food.
I was so surprised the people are comfortable in their own skin - even the "grandmas" are there strutting around. I just have a hard time visioning my mother and I to go to such a place but I would go there alone or with my husband.
For a first timer and a non-Korean - it was quite an experience but the results are AMAZING, particularly the body scrub and massage. Your skin is silky smooth. This is definitely their signature treatment. They scrub you so well that it puts me in shame on how I clean myself.
EXPERIENCE of the body scrub and massage - Felt like they were marinating me and priming me up for the oven (wet steam room). The massage - invigorating not relaxing. At one point, the lady stood on my back and massage with her feet....this part , NOT liking it but overall massage was good.
The body scrub & massage therapist - barely speaks English but just enough to say "go here", "turn over", "up", "go". I got a singer for my therapist, perhaps a BONUS!
Would go back again. I'm still in awe that people have so much time on their hand to just relax ALL day there. I would just go in and get out. What a culture to have.
I came to this place awhile back with a korean friend of course. EVERYONE there was korean and they were all old.. "ahjumas" walking around the sauna half naked! But dude, 25$!?!?! HELLA CHEAP!! Took some awesome naps in the saunas while laying there. I really dont know how people survive in this thing for hours, but i had to go in and out since it gets way too hot! Dont forget, im getting hungry like 24/7! My friend and i probably ate 50$ worth of food in total! I even felt light too, how is THAT? the only problem is that this place is SUPER far away! I would so come here again if i had the time! cheap and fun, what more do you want from them?
Dont forget, please be prepared to be showering naked in front of your friends/PEOPLE!
PS - THE EGGS ARE MAD GOOD!!!
Now that I have been here I officially love saunas.
Though the ones here in the USA are redic. overpriced its still worth the $35 to just come in and RELAX.
I went on a Friday and it was suprisingly not crowded. I hope to get up to Spa Castle next.
Each spa room is quite spacious and the female only pools were nice.
You just sweat all your stress away~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been to King Sauna several times, and I really like it. I'm afraid I've been spoiled by Inspa in Flushing (except for those meddling kids!)-- King just looks a little dated, and a little small. Still, it is a great, authentic Korean spa experience. I usually go early on weekdays, and I am usually the only non-Asian in the place for most of the time. I almost always get the scrub-- but I have to warn you, if you're not into a Korean guy in boxers scrubbing your naked body with what feels like sandpaper, then it might not be for you. I didn't think I would like it at first, but in the interests of cultural anthropology, I decided to try it out. The results are amazing-- soft, clean skin, just like a boa constrictor just after it molts.
Read Joshua P.'s review for all of the other particulars. You can get here by NJ transit bus (I have on several occasions), but it's an easy drive, and they have free valet parking.
Really, being naked is no problem-- I say just get over it and give it a try. Be forewarned: some of the older Korean guys love to expectorate while taking a shower, and that's a little gross. I saw one guy in his 70s today who was a real Spa Ancient Master-- he could brush his teeth while shaving and taking a sit down shower. Awesome-- maybe in a few more visits I'll be able to do that too.
I love King Sauna, this is the closest experience to Japanese public bath I can get around here. You might feel embarrassed to go au naturel and share bath with strangers, but you will quickly realize that there's no need to be self-conscious because no one really cares, everyone's so absorbed in their own relaxation. Asian spa is so much more satisfying than any Western spa, it's all about REAL relaxation! You will get addicted to this place!
In addition to so many variety of sauna and spa facilities, there's also a food court where you can eat good korean food. You can spend all day here! For the first timer, I recommend going with someone who has been here before so that you can understand the system quickly.
Went to King Sauna with my friend yesterday. Neither one of us has been to a Korean sauna, so we decided to try something new... Well, suffice it to say we were out of there after a 15 minute-long self-tour... After we paid, we were handed a bundle, which when rolled out in the locker room, turned out to be a big towel (expected), a small towel (well, less expected, but ok we saw how we could use it to cover... our heads?) and thick, pink, cut-off.......... pajamas!!! ok, we thought, what do you do with them and WHERE do we wear them??? Our Russian in us kept picturing our bodies in minimal bikinis sweating it all away in a nice hot environment of an all wood room... Suddenly, a female voice floated into our conscience and in broken English muttered out, 'you go in sauna, you put on'... WHAT???!!! You put on clothes to go into a hot sauna? Seemed like a foreign concept for us... The pictures of sweat being absobred into a fabric that was wrapped around our bodies (steaming in your own sweat?) flashed through our minds. Thanks, but not thanks! We returned to the receptionist and asked for a refund. She pointed at the clock and said, 'no, no, one hour...' My friend and I looked at each other. Hhhmm, 15 minutes equals 1 hour? Oh, well... Let her math abilities be judged by someone else... This sauna fits specific taste, not ours.
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!
- pay the admission... you walk into the all female locker room part...
- get ur towels and pink tshirts...
- get naked!
- scrub down in the shower area... exfoliate, shampoo, shave... strip off the funk...
- in the female washroom part there are several pools of different temperature water... my favorite was the one with, what i call the huge tea bag... filled with herbs... there is a steam sauna there too... another one of my favorites..
- put on ur pink tshirts and walk to the coed areas where there are different sauna rooms... my favorite was the pyramid one...
- chill out in the common areas... i took a mini nap by accident... felt so good...
- order some food! tastiness... and cute dining area..
- head out feeling like jello... feeling squeaky clean...
- dont forget to get your coupon for discounts on the next visit..
- go during the daytime hours... people start flooding in during the "after work" hours..
- you can stay all day!!!
- my only issues with the place were that its so far, there isnt another place like this closer to me, and i felt so good coming out that i didnt want to drive home at all...
I really enjoyed my first trip to King Sauna. It was a good stress-reliever and day of relaxation. We got a coupon so it ended up being about $30. I heard they recently renovated the place. The facilities were really nice with 3 floors. They have many sauna rooms, I really liked the extremely hot room which is over 300 degrees and the ice room which is extremely cold in contrast. They have a large room with big comfy leather chairs where you can watch Korean movies, read the paper or just fall asleep. It's nice that these areas are co-ed. The food was alright here. The men's spa was nice as well with hot tubs and steam rooms with the exception of the man doing the "Captain Morgan" pose when I walked in. The Locker room facilities were nice, and for some reason some guy was blow-drying below the belt?! We spent most of the day here and afterwards my skin felt very smooth and refreshed. If you can't drive there, there is a shuttle from Manhattan.
I used to go to the Turkish bath in EV when I needed to loosen my muscles and detox. The place has character but Turkish bath is like a divey bar while King Sauna is like the ESPN Zone of saunas.
It's spacious, there are multiple rooms with varying heat and "theme" like the gold room or the jewel room, etc. My fav is the salt igloo room. Your sweat glands go to overdrive in there.
I do occasionally splurge for the scrub massage. Your skin feels like a newborn's skin afterward. By the way, you need to make an appt when you get there. However, if you don't have the money, buy one of those green scrubber cloth they sell ($1 last time I bought one) and scrub yourself. But I recommend doing that scrubbing towards the end of the day, after you've sweat and sat in the steam room a few times. I think it loosens up your dead skin, making it easier to exfoliate (sounds kind of gross but it's true). Unfortunately for men, they only offer scrub, no massage (too bad).
The bath part is single sex (and yes, everyone is totally nekked) but the heated rooms are co-ed and they give you uniforms to wear (t-shirt and long shorts). Don't let the naked thing deter you from going there. Trust me, you get over it after about a minute.
Winter time is the busiest time, especially weekends. I think Sat is slightly better than Sun, and forget about holiday weekends, there are people who come as far as Virginia on tour buses to experience King Sauna (mostly Korean expats who miss the sauna experience).
I love the cafeteria food btw. It's all Korean food but tasty and very reasonable. I always order bibimbap when I'm there. It comes with seaweed soup and a 4- 5 side dishes for just $8! Also, a great refresher after being baked and steamed for hours is patbingsoo (shaved ice with red bean and fruits).
For $20 entry fee (with coupon), you can spend the entire day there. Too bad it's not open 24 hours like in Korea. I would love to hang out there on a Friday night after a long week... The place closes promptly at 11.
Update: The place recently went through a major renovation. There are 2 new floors and additional sauna rooms. Not sure about the men's bath but the women's bath has a new room, which is spanking new and more modern (I believe the room is for ladies with locker number above 800) . The new mud room is crazy good and currently the favorite. There is also the new ice room (cold as a meat freezer but looks really cool). You have to check it out.
I don't know who you are, but if you're reading this review, trust me when I say this place is no good. All of these reviews are lies! Don't go!! And tell all your friends not to go either!!!
I can't help and be selfish about this amazing get away. =P
I don't really know where to begin. I love King Sauna. Passionately. The rest of this review will detail my experience, and what you can expect if you've never been to a Korean spa before.
1. Read this: http://www.kingsaunaus...
2. Go to the website and read the sauna descriptions to determine what you want to concentrate on (i.e. increase metabolism, maintain firm skin, cure cancer, get rid of hangovers, etc). With so many options, time management is key. Then print out the e-coupon to get 17$ off admission, making it only 18$ for a whole day of pore cleansing.
3. Arrive bright and early and prepare yourself for awesomeness. It may be helpful to bring the following: slippers or socksie-booties (though it looked very clean, I felt kind of gross walking around everywhere barefoot), toiletries if you're picky (they provide soap, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, qtips, hair dryers, tooth brushes, and toothpaste), some reading material, and clean clothes to change into afterwards.
4. Give the person at the front desk your ecoupon print out, and if you're a dude, make an appointment for a massage and/or body scrub (more on this later). If you're a chick, go into the locker room and prepare for an onslaught of nakedness. Change into the funny clothes (go commando), and leave everything in your locker except your key. Make an appointment for a massage and/or body scrub for a few hours later, and venture upstairs to meet your male friends, avoiding the naked room (you'll be back later).
5. Enjoy the saunas. Eat Korean food (no cash needed, everything is charged to your locker number), play Go, watch TV, gossip with friends, admire how some women can tie their hair up ph-so-stylishly with the mini towels. MAKE SURE YOU STAY HYDRATED. There are plenty of water coolers throughout.
6. After digesting, and at least half an hour before your appointment, go back downstairs, and go into the women-only sauna that's so freaking hot that you need to sign a waiver to go inside. Watch in fear as a worker opens the door for you with a string (the door is too hot to touch). Stay for five minutes. Have a near death experience. Leave and cool down in the room outside. Repeat if you're brave.
7. Strip and go in the naked room (big towels are not allowed). Wash yourself while perching precariously on a weird plastic bucket seat thing, then enjoy the steam room and hot/warm/cold spas. Keep an ear out for your locker number when your appointment time nears. The body scrub and massages are done in the back of the naked room by women wearing black panties and bras. They don't really speak English. There are many other naked women around you. They hose you down from time to time. This isn't Bliss.
8. Get a body scrub: a wonderful experience that literally sloughs off so much dead skin, it's almost nauseating.
9. Get a massage: it's not relaxing in the traditional sense, but it will make you feel very refreshed afterwards.
10. Leave feeling like a whole new person.
A few additional notes:
- Obviously most of the clientele is Korean, but as a non-Korean, I didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
- Ladies, you should probably avoid this place if it's that time of the month.
- Everyone, you should definitely avoid this place if you have any weird contagious skin conditions.
- During the scrub and massage, don't flip out. She/he is not molesting you.
- Double check the prices at the front desk; tip isn't included, but they automatically add a generous amount (scrub + massage was 70$, tip was 25$).
King Sauna Deserves a 6 Yelp Rating !!!
Although I've been to Korea, this was my first jimjibang (Korean spa + sauna) experience.
If you're not used to Asian / European-style bath houses, it'll take a some getting used to seeing all the dis-robed people walking around.
The first floor is for women-only, the second floor is co-ed (also has a cafeteria with decent food), and the third floor is for men-only. If you go with co-ed friends, don't worry. There are plenty of little igloo-like saunas to enjoy together with them on the second-floor.
There is no need to carry cash / credit cards around or to tip since upon check-in you are given a bracelet with an ID and a locker key. This ID bracelet is used to keep track of which services you've paid / what food you've ordered.
Admission is $35 (still VERY cheap) and there is no time limit. They give out $15-off admission tickets and also the website has a $17-off admission coupon. I paid $18 for entry and stayed 6 hours, and still felt like I could have stayed longer.
I highly recommend the full body scrub, and I plan to return once a month. And yes, I am a guy.
My gf and I were dropped off at this Korean sauna one day. We had the deer in headlights looks bc we didn't know what to expect. Were we going to be hanging out with naked korean grandma's and grandpa's in communal hot tubs? Alas, no. You get a nice uniform of cotton shorts and a t-shirt. Men wear white, women wear pink, and then you are lead to a wonderful new world of Korean spa. In the spa are various sauna rooms, big ones with huge kilns and small igloos made of rock salt, gold, and other goodies to sooth your body. This place was glorious, and I forgot to mention co-ed. We spent 4 hours there chilling in the saunas, napping in the big couches spread all over the building, and eating some awesome korean food in the food court. Count me in as a new fan of korean jim-chil-bang.
Decided to try this place out today and had a very nice, relaxing experience. For men, you first go up to the third floor, take your shoes off, go to your locket, and strip down immediately. The men's spa on the third floor has two saunas: a steam sauna and a dry sauna, and a series of pools. I did some time in both saunas and then decided to do the "step down" in each pool. Of course, being a rookie, I didn't realize that the freezing cold pool is next to the hot one! But that's ok.
Went down to the 2nd, coed, floor, where you have to wear your uniform, started to try the various saunas but got called for my body scrub. Very effective and I wasn't as shocked as I thought I was seeing all the dead skin that I had removed! Men's body scrub takes about half an hour.
Had some time before my massage appointment so I did the circuit of the 2nd floor saunas. Some are a bit cramped, and I can't say I can really tell much of a difference between the various chambers, but they definitely relaxed me.
Massage was good. Note: this is a real massage, not a back rub. I was so relaxed at this point I nearly fell asleep even though the masseuse was doing some real awkward twists. I've never had my elbow and shoulder pinned down one way with my thigh being twisted the other way! Massage took a little over one hour.
Next, the food court. The food is not quite as good as the better Korea town restaurants but it is reasonably priced and you get very generous amounts.
After that, back to another round of the 2nd floor saunas and then another circuit on the 3rd floor, where I got the order of the pools correct this time!
Overall thoughts:
Reading some of the reviews, I was concerned that it would be difficult to make my way around. Don't worry, you'll figure it out. The first time you go here, just try the different saunas and you'll figure out what you like and what makes you feel better.
Go to the website and request an e-coupon the day before you go. It lowers the price of admission, as of this writing, from $40.00 to $23.00, a great bargain. You will end up paying quite a bit, however, if you opt for the massages or the body scrub.
The website says that on weekends, the services such as massages are first come, first served. But I did make appointments when I was there. I think on weekdays, you can actually call in advance to book your times.
The place is expanding. There is going to be an entire new set of co-ed saunas on the second floor. Some of these I can't really tell what the difference is between what's already there. But there will be an Ice Room, as well as a co-ed Bul Hanzung Mok. That last one is apparently the one where you walk into the gates of hell. Right now they only have that facility for women on the first floor (sorry, no reviews of that for me). The new facilities look almost completely ready and the woman at the front desk said they were hoping to have them ready by Valentine's Day.
2/16/09 UPDATE: Went again today, this time with the wife. The new facilities are up and running and really add to the place. The Bul Hanzung Mok is incredible, and it's great to contrast it with the new Ice Sauna. The three other rooms are pleasant, sort of like what you already had on the co-ed floor.
Great facility to relax in if you don't mind getting butt naked in front of about fifty people. You can easily find coupons for this place from Korean hair salons and restaurants, which will allow you to enter the sauna for $20. This amount gets you hours of relaxation in tea baths, detoxing rooms, etc. You can pay extra for message and exfoliating where you are scrubbed from head to toe and everywhere in between. (This is NOT a sensual thing, and is not unusual for Koreans). Best part is you can relax upstairs and have freshly squeezed juice of your choice and have a small Korean meal. Check out the New York Times review.
http://www.kingsaunaus...
So let me start by saying that the only reason I even found out about King Spa Sauna is because I'm half Korean, and all us ladies in the family went for a pre-nuptial spa day to help get my aunt ready for her big wedding day. The spa is in Fort Lee -- which my cousin jokingly calls "South Korea, New Jersey" -- but don't worry about getting there. If you don't have a car, you can go to the 8th Avenue bus depot at Times Square and take a very short bus ride to King Spa -- the 11A NJ Transit bus goes there, among others. If you want something different in a spa experience and want to walk out with the best skin you've had in ages, plus a blissed-out feeling of utter relaxation, take the trip. It's worth it.
So when you walk in, if you don't speak Korean, it's better to know what you want. They do have the list of services in English and Korean, but if you're not familiar with the Korean spas then you won't really understand how to take advantage of the spa and its environment. Women go to the spas to do the "de" skin scrub, followed by a massage. In between, you spend some time in the hot sauna rooms (there are myriads in this expansive, 3-floor facility) and finally you get some delicious Korean grub in the restaurant.
The "de" skin scrubbing is a pretty intense experience. It's this thing that Korean women do about once every 3 months, if they are into it, and it involves a spa worker basically scrubbing your skin with harsh exfoliation mitts until you can see the outer layer coming off. It's hilarious -- you don't realize how dirty you are or might be until you get scrubbed. And this is no wimpy scrub -- they scrub you for a whole hour as you lay on a table, until you think you are probably as clean as you have ever been in your whole life. Afterwards, you rinse off your "de" and sit in the steam sauna for about 10 minutes. Then, you go back on the table for the massage. But be warned -- this is not a Swedish massage, hot stone massage or anything fancy. It's a very rough, basic, all-over body massage and they don't work any one part of your body specifically unless you ask them to. It's a bit more vigorous than the type of massage you might get at an American spa, but you have to relax and go with it, and by the end of the massage you will be amazed by how some lady in a bathing suit kneading and slapping you like a piece of meat actually melts away all your tension. The massage ends with a a cucumber facial mask and a relaxing hair wash and scalp massage. I got all this and some food for about $140 (including a very generous tip to my "de" lady).
If you go, plan on spending a good 4-5 hours here to get the full experience. This is something to be enjoyed and it is a memorable, weird and cool spa experience. Don't go with people you don't want to be naked around because they do all the scrubs and massages in the same big room. Do laugh at how silly you look in the pink and blue t-shirts and shorts that all the women are required to wear (which totally look like prison outfits) and visit as many rooms as you can. And don't forget to have a red bean and ice dessert!
Place is a zoo. Not to mention classless and clueless. They try to have you share a locker (to sell another admission I suppose). We agreed at first - no big deal - until they wanted us to "hang around" together everytime we wanted to purchase anything using our locker bracelet. They also wanted us to leave our credit card or a photo ID and a $20 deposit for the locker key - this AFTER we paid for te admission with a credit card. Just hated the fact they treat you like crooks instead of clients. I guess you get a feeling once you see the type of clientele this sauna caters to - all kinds of disgusting stuff and behavoir inside.
STAY AWAY if you don't want to catch anything or end up just paranoid and stressed out rather than chilling out ... which is why you chose to go in the first place!
Great place to get your spa on. It can get crowded, but still, it's so worth it. Great dry massage, awesome body scrub + wet massage, amazing foot massage. The food is not so great, but still. I went there with a group of friends -- a great weekend activity. Internet coupon makes admission $18 -- what a deal! We've been taking the NJ Transit bus from Port Authority. Only $4.05 one-way.
if the baby soft skin on my fingertips could add a 6th star, they would happily do so. this place is a perfect getaway from the city and guarantees a day of serious relaxing and sweating out of all those nasty toxins you've been inhaling, eating and drinking all summer long.
here's the routine my friends and i followed yesterday for sheer sunday funday goodness:
-signed up or e-coupon a couple of days prior to visit. print 1-copy for your group and this sucker will get you all in for $18 each!!!
-rented a zipcar for 5 friends which added up to $25 each total for a whole day rental. we met at union sq and headed over the GW and arrived within 25 minutes (got there about noon).
-paid $18 at the counter and made appointments for our dry shiatsu massage for 2:30.
-we separated from the boys and after us girls got buck naked we made our way to the wet room and made appointments for body scrubs for 1:00. i absolutely recommend if you don't have skin problems or overly-senstive skin. this lasted about 30-40 minutes. i think a pound of dead skin must have come off. she did a great job and even got the calusses off my feet.
we steamed and sat in the various hot pools before drying off and headed upstairs to meet the boys for a korean snack before our 2.30 massages. our dry shiatsu massages were perfect.
from there we visited and napped in a couple of sauna rooms (there are so many fun ones to visit). i spent my final hour back in the wet room, which also has this crazy hot room that you have to sign a waiver to enter. it's soooo hot and within seconds you sweat so much crap out of your system while surrounded by korean ladies gossiping. this room is quite surreal: the http://www.kingsaunaus...
at about the 5th hour, we met upstairs and headed to our favorite korean restaurant in fort lee and had a cheap feast. was back in the city by 7pm and slept the best sleep i've had in months.
this is the cheaper, non-disneyland version of the brand new "inspa world" in queens. YES you can get all of your cracks & crevices scrubbed & massaged (baby oil & milk, real cucumber mask, etc.) for an hour and 45 mins by a scary strong korean woman who only knows how to say "turn over" in english for a mere 70 bucks. you'll be so soft when it's done that you won't be able to stop petting yourself. in fact, my friends couldn't stop petting me either. :-/
i've been here twice- once in august and once yesterday. both visits left me feeling deeply relaxed and i had a fabulous sleep last night
the body scrub and massage.. it's amazing how exhausted this makes you, but it's good exhausted so you go into the sauna rooms feeling super relaxed. then when you get too hot you can chill in one of the many recliners and have the best nap of your life
i also got the foot massage, which was great
the food is not so great, we think it's just ramen and frozen food
we ended up spending 300 for the two of us, so it's on the expensive side if you do all the fun things
The East Side Gets it done, and especially with Spas. King Sauna was the first Spa that I have been to in the States, and the different Sauna rooms were amazing. I love the Salt and Gold heat rooms. The Spas over here in California, particularly in K-town are small and have no Co-Ed sections. If someone could make a King Sauna in Los Angeles, it would dominate all other Spas here.
