❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Korean spa in New Jersey updated its policies to allow biological males claiming to be women to use a nude women-only section after facing a lawsuit from a transgender “woman.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: King Spa and Alexandra Goebert, a biologically male transwoman who filed the lawsuit.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed in 2022, with a settlement reached in August 2025. The spa is located in Palisades Park, New Jersey.
💬KEY QUOTE: “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.”
🎯IMPACT: The policy change has sparked debate over men invading sex-segregated facilities for women, and the resulting threats to women’s safety.
King Spa in Palisades Park, New Jersey, has updated its policies to allow guests to use facilities that align with the gender identity displayed on their government- or state-issued photo ID. This change comes after a lawsuit filed by Alexandra Goebert, a biologically male transgender “woman” who alleged he was denied access to the female-only section of the spa despite his ID identifying him as a woman.
The lawsuit stemmed from an incident in 2022 when Goebert visited the spa and was initially assigned a male wristband. He was later granted access to the women’s locker room but was questioned by staff about his male anatomy and ultimately asked to leave after confirming he had not undergone so-called bottom surgery to remove his penis and testicles. The spa offered him access to the female facilities if he wore a bathing suit, but he declined, according to court documents.
As part of a confidential settlement reached in August 2025, King Spa implemented a policy change and provided additional training for its staff. The updated policy explicitly states that clients may use sex-segregated areas corresponding to their gender identity, regardless of physical traits. It also emphasizes that clients uncomfortable with this arrangement may request private accommodations or forgo use of communal facilities.
The policy 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.”
Image by Oriel Frankie Ashcroft.
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