Judge Orders Palisades Park Nude Spa To Let Transgender Women Use Female-Only Areas

By The Garden State Gazette Staff

PALISADES PARK, N.J. — A Superior Court judge has ordered a popular Korean spa in Bergen County to let transgender women use its female-only nude areas, regardless of whether they’ve had gender-affirming surgery.

The ruling stems from a discrimination lawsuit filed by Alexandra Goebert, 35, a transgender woman who says staff at King Spa & Sauna in Palisades Park questioned her body for nearly two hours and then blocked her from the women’s nude facilities, according to court filings and public records.

The complaint: “female” ID, but told to stay out

According to court records, Goebert visited King Spa in August 2022 with a friend. She says she presented a driver’s license that lists her as female and was initially given a women’s wristband, allowing access to the women-only hot tubs and sauna where nudity is required.

The lawsuit alleges that after she asked about additional services, a manager pulled her aside and asked whether she had “changed [her] front” and if she still had what the staffer called “boy parts.” When Goebert clarified that she is a woman and had not had surgery, she says she was told she could not use the female side.

Court filings say staff then suggested she could only enter the women’s nude area if she wore special shorts — a rule that did not apply to other guests — and ultimately barred her from nude-required spaces, telling her to “think about the other guests.” Goebert says she cited New Jersey anti-discrimination law on her phone before leaving and later filed suit, claiming economic and non-economic harm.

Attorneys for King Spa argued that staff believed Goebert was a returning male customer who had previously used the men’s side and maintained she was not denied use of the facility overall, only the women’s nude section.

The consent order: policy, signage, and pronouns

In August 2025, both sides agreed to a consent order signed by Bergen County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Sarlo. Under that order, King Spa must:

• Allow clients to use sex-segregated facilities in line with their gender identity or expression, not their anatomy.
• Update policies, signage, and advertising to clearly state that access is based on gender identity.
• Post anti-discrimination rules at the front desk and at every gender-segregated entrance.
• Address clients by the name and pronouns that match their gender identity when requested, without requiring a court-ordered name or gender change.
• Provide staff with the written non-discrimination policy and train employees on the new rules.

The case centers on New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Goebert’s filings argued the spa’s actions violated those protections.

The order also spells out what happens if other guests are uncomfortable: anyone uneasy about sharing communal nude spaces — including the possibility of seeing or being seen by transgender clients — may request private facilities instead, but cannot demand that trans patrons be excluded from the communal areas.

What changes for nude spas in New Jersey

While the consent order is specific to King Spa, the underlying law reaches far beyond one business. Under New Jersey’s existing anti-discrimination rules, nude spas and other sex-segregated facilities in the state are expected to give transgender customers full access to facilities that match their gender identity, without a surgery requirement.

King Spa, which markets itself as a traditional Korean jimjilbang-style spa with gender-segregated nude bathing areas and co-ed clothed zones, has since updated its public policy to say customers may use the locker room that matches the gender identity listed on their government ID.

Public reporting on the case notes that Goebert pushed primarily for policy and practice changes rather than a financial payout — aiming to ensure similar situations don’t play out again for other transgender customers in New Jersey.

This article is based on publicly available court documents and prior news coverage as of November 28, 2025. If additional official information is released, The Garden State Gazette will update this story.