During my amazing trip to the southern coast of Spain, we heard about this Arab bathhouse that had been in the same location for centuries. After much sorry attempts at translating directions, we came to the special spot, with facades dating back to the days when citizens enjoyed the bathhouse as a daily regimen for their health. Candlelit massages, sparkling pools and beautiful mosaic walls made a lasting impression on us.
So imagine my surprise when I find out there is a similar kind of spa here in Dallas. I had to check it out to be sure. The King Spa and Sauna, a Korean bathhouse, is open 24/7 (an incredible feat for this area) so my boyfriend and I head over there Sunday night for a bit of R&R. When we arrive to the place off Royal Lane and I35, we are surprised to see the large, arena-like parking lot almost full, and a sort of fear grows in the car. You don’t exactly expect a relaxing spa to be the size — or attract the crowds — of an amusement park. Still, we headed inside to check it out.
Just $21 includes tax and gets you inside. Once there, men and women separate into their respective locker rooms, where you shower (scrubbing rigorously, or else the employees will instruct you to bathe better) and change into your complimentary cotton short outfit. Once back out in the co-ed area, go at your own pace to around almost a dozen different saunas, offering temps from below freezing to 220 degrees. There is a salt room, an oxygen room and an aroma room, and the Fire Sudatorium, claimed to be the largest and grandest sauna in the world.
Then there’s the food court, offering Korean faves from dumpling soup to curries and noodles. We were feeling a bit drowsy after the saunas and the food, so we went to the movie room, decked out with luxurious recliners, and watched a bit of the cute movie Up. When it came time to change in the locker rooms, we enjoyed the various heated pools in the spa, which are separated because it’s all nude (not for the shy!)
An incredible experience! I suggest anyone who likes to be pampered, and believes in the healing abilities of ancient bathhouses, give King Spa and Sauna a go.
King Spa and Sauna, 2154 Royal Lane, 214.420.9070, www.kingspa.com/dallas
