PALISADES PARK, N.J. — A spa official handed us each a burlap bag, saying it was to protect us from burns when sitting on the floor. With a gulp I grabbed the bag and entered the kiln-shaped Bulhanzungmok, a Korean super sauna — an oak-fueled oven reaching 200 degrees. I was enveloped in heat, sweat forming immediately, the hot air sucking at my lungs and the floor hot on my feet. My wife, Carol, who loves heat, looked delighted.
Carol and I were at the King Spa in Palisades Park, the first municipality with a majority Korean population in the United States. The spa, hot tubs and saunas are a Korean tradition reaching back at least 500 years, and we were getting a taste of the modern version, known as jjimjilbang.
We’re not strangers to Korea, having served there in the Peace Corps many years ago. (And, as a disclaimer, despite my name, I am not Korean. )
But I was determined to get a Korean experience on this trip, eating only Korean food for a 24-hour period. And it really did feel like being in Korea. Hangul (the Korean alphabet) lettering appeared on almost every building on Broad Avenue, the main commercial drag in town. Korean was heard far more often than English.
For lunch soon after our arrival, we chose a restaurant called Muk Eun Ji, for seafood noodles and bean paste stew. The portions were large and came with eight panchan items (side dishes), including kimchi, spinach, tofu, bean sprouts, and a bubbling hot steamed egg served in a clay pot. As I paid the bill, the man at the counter politely accepted it with a slight bow as he extended his right hand while holding his left hand towards his body in the Korean fashion. I handed him the credit card in the same manner.
After lunch we walked down Broad Avenue towards the public library on Second Street. Outside the library stands a memorial to the thousands of women from Korea and other Asian countries who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during World War II. Jason Kim, deputy mayor and first-generation Korean-American, and Mayor James Rotundo were instrumental in setting up the memorial to the “Comfort Women,” as they were known.
“I had never heard about it before,” Rotundo said. “When I heard the stories, I knew this was the thing to do.”
We continued our Korean culture quest to one of the more enjoyable traditions: the hot tub and sauna. When I lived in Korea, a weekly trip to the sauna helped get me through the cold winter months. The King Spa on Commercial Avenue, though, is unlike any spa I’ve ever been to. There are about a dozen saunas to choose from, each with a distinct benefit: amethyst stones for better circulation, yellow mud for muscle aches and rock salt for the skin, to name a few examples. After checking in, men are issued a white shirt and shorts, and women the same in pink, to be worn in all public areas of the facility. In the separate spa sections for men and women, where the hot tubs and lockers and some massage areas are, it is strictly clothes-free.
One of the hardest decisions in Palisades Park is where to eat a Korean dinner. There are more than 20 restaurants on Broad Avenue alone. We opted for So Moon Nan Jip, which is known for its barbecue, or bulgogi. The meat is heated over a charcoal grill in the center of the table. We were served excellent panchan: kimchi, tofu, spinach, steamed egg, chopped radish, dried salted fish, apples and potatoes, and bean sprouts.
On Sunday morning, we stopped at a Korean bakery for a breakfast of bean-paste-filled pastries. Kim had told us the day before that first-generation Koreans at Palisades Park frequent the Grand Shilla Bakery, while second-generation patrons are more likely to go to Caffé Bene, and that Paris Baguette appeals to both. We chose Caffé Bene, where we got a bubble tea and a bean-paste bun. Then we bought some hodo kwaja — bite-size cakes with bean paste and walnut inside — at Red Mango.
The cakes were for later. We were taking a taste of Korea home.
If you go
WHERE TO EAT:
– So Moon Nan Jip
238 Broad Ave., Palisades Park
201-944-3998
High-end Korean barbecue with traditional decor and extensive menu. Parking in the rear. Barbecue from $26. Other entrees from $12.
– Muk Eun Ji
217 Broad Ave., Palisades Park
201-363-0600
Prides itself on kimchi aged over a year. Many menu items feature kimchi. Entrees from $12.
WHAT TO DO:
– King Spa
321 Commercial Ave., Palisades Park
201-947-9955
Three floors of saunas, steam baths, hot tubs, game tables, lounges and massage rooms. Plan on staying at least several hours. Free shuttle service from Midtown Manhattan. Check Web site for times. Admission: $45; massages $35 to $85. Tips are expected when checking out. Check Web site for coupons. Open 24/7. Valet parking. No children under 10.
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