Joyce C.
Yelp
Before I write my review I hope King Spa reads this & makes signage with drawings on them so the nice ajumma's don't have to repeat themselves every other minute (overwork) to those not familiar with Korean Spa culture.
Specifically: Drawing of a Woman with hair tied up outside the Wet Sauna & Pools (& maybe a few cute examples of what you can do with the thin plaid towels around your head) & Drawing in front of the Jjimjilbang (700° F dry sauna) of a covered face with plaid towel & 1 large mat around shoulders & 1 large mat around legs/under feet.
Someone recommended King Spa to me instead of going back to the other "Castle" and I've already been back to NJ in a few months! (Their extra free pass helps) It's pretty convenient to Manhattan, the free shuttle is a 25 minute ride or NJ Transit bus about a 45min ride & 15min walk. I've only been on a weekday and it's moderately busy (& gets busier after 5pm)- I can't imagine what chaos it must be like on a weekend.
King Spa feels very homey and like a Disneyland of rest & relaxation to explore endlessly. So unassuming from the outside as the Paige building in the somewhat the area, but with the newish coffee shop across the street and a 10 minute walk through suburbs to the main street/hub of the town.
When you just literally swipe your bracelet to pay for anything & have cubby holes assigned to you for storage, there's not much to worry about except being on time for your Korean body scrub, massage or nail appointments! There's 3 floors, 2 dining areas, different dry saunas, gendered (nude) wet saunas & plunge pools, an aromatherapy/healing room, a room for Women's V steam therapy for horomones, LED therapy room, amethyst, and charcoal bundles everywhere, loungers, and wide chairs to fall asleep on. I like ending in the ice sauna with a sheet face mask to tighten pores.
Hilights include free plastic bags for shoes at the entrance of the Locker room, UV oven for their haircombs, QTips, Suave lotion to use), Phone charging cubbies & filtered water fountains all around, the dry sauna filled with hanging bags of restorative oak was very cool. The Staff is very nice, although I'm sure they're tired of the new wave of interest in Korean Spas/Culture.
Highly recommend their massages if you're prone to knots & need deep bodywork. Seems like a combination of pushing on your channels & stretching, a little like Thai Massage.
King Spa runs a lot of online specials and it's worth purchasing ahead of time + a free visit pass. During my last visit (a Monday) their shuttle couldn't fit everyone & groups found other options. It's about $60-70 by Uber from KTown. Overheard that they're working with a new shuttle company, the schedule changes seasonally and it doesn't run as often. The high top black van is very nice and clean, I wouldn't say that driving is speed limit conscious but they get there fast.
The food is a bit overpriced, but maybe by a few dollars compared to other large Korean restaurants, and here there isn't tipping. Korean food always seems so labor-intensive. I was happily satisfied with the quality of the food & the portions are huge. I've had the $18 Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (lots of burdock root, clear thick potato starch vermicelli). $19 Seaweed Beef broth Soup (with rice) - known as the healing soup for new mothers and as the "birthday soup." The banchan is just okay, some aren't the freshest (kimchi, mung bean sprouts, cucumbers).
Drinks:
$10 Strawberry Banana smoothie (not very cold, but very thick)
TRY IT!
Not sure why it's not on their menu anymore but they still have it, if you ask. $10 Sikhye, a rice, fermented malt drink. Sweet & super slushie- great to cool down with. I want to try their Ginger tea goji berry Drink next time.
SNACKS! Get these
$15 Bing Soo: the lightest finest shaved ice ever! topped with fruit and condensed milk, red bean paste hidden on the bottom. It's a large portion, but I actually finished all of it. Didn't feel gross like with ice cream. They also have a plethora of ice cream bars, next time I'll have to try it.
$4 Sauna Eggs: didn't know what the big deal about these were (all the Korean spa-ers were eating them). With a bit of Google, realized that they bake these eggs in the 700 F sauna when not in use. The eggs turn a light brown, with a nutty toasty flavor. They're really good, doesn't need any salt, pepper - probably not the correct way to eat them anyway (took 2 of them home in my empty Sikhye cup).
My only tips are to hang out early in front of the Dunkin Donuts for the shuttle, Schedule a massage after visiting the Wet Sauna, Hydrate!, bring socks if you're not comfortable walking around barefoot. Although the workers are constantly cleaning. If you're petite, use the Yellow Kid's uniform.
Only criticism is that the women's pink uniform tops are extremely large and an extra thick sweatshirt material, which I quickly overheated in. Or maybe it's actually better for absorbing sweat?