Women-Only Spa Faces Legal Battle Over Transgender Access Policy

Olympus Spa, a Korean American–owned, women-only Korean-style jjimjilbang (찜질방, traditional Korean sauna and spa) near Seattle, Washington, is at the center of a transgender access lawsuit. The spa denied entry in 2020 to a transgender woman with male genitalia, prompting a complaint from the Washington State Human Rights Commission. The case has since escalated to federal court, highlighting tensions between gender identity rights and customer expectations in single-gender spaces.

Spa owner defends policy amid legal and political criticism

Myoon Woon Lee, CEO of Olympus Spa, said the decision to bar transgender individuals was driven by repeated customer discomfort. “If someone with male genitalia enters a space where women are naked, what would the typical reaction be?” he said during a June 3 interview.

After being reported to the state commission in 2020, Olympus Spa sued in federal court but lost. On May 29, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in a 2–1 decision.

Lee sharply criticized the outcome, calling it politically motivated. He noted that judges Margaret McKeown and Robert Gould, who issued the majority opinion, were appointed by former President Bill Clinton, and said “90% of Washington’s political and judicial figures are affiliated with the Democratic Party.”

He also raised concerns about safety and the potential for sex crimes in shared spaces. “In a space with multiple rooms, no one knows what could happen. There’s a risk of impulsive sex crimes like harassment or assault,” he said. He cited multiple complaints from patrons who said transgender individuals “kept staring at their bodies.”

The spa also serves minors, which Lee said makes the presence of individuals with male genitalia in nude spaces “emotionally and educationally inappropriate” for young girls. He questioned why transgender individuals would seek access to women-only spaces when unisex saunas exist. “Unless it’s intentional, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Owner pledges to continue the legal battle

Despite the court loss and ongoing criticism, Lee said closing the spa is not an option. “If the state imposes an executive order mandating transgender access, we’ll consider creating separate spaces,” he said. “But Olympus Spa has been a family-run business built on our values for over 20 years.”

Lee added that the fight is not over. “Although we lost at the appeals court, we will take this case to the U.S. Supreme Court and fight to the end.”

BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]