A Washington women’s spa where nudity is mandatory has been ordered by a judge to admit pre-op trans women with penises after an activist complained when the owner tried to ban them.
The Olympus Spa had tried to sue the Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC) after it was ordered to change its rules.
Trans woman Haven Wilvich had attempted to apply to join the Korean spa but was turned down on the grounds that the spa had told her “transgender women without surgery were not welcome” and complained to the commission.
Now a district court in Washington has dismissed the lawsuit filed by the spa and upheld the WSHRC’s original decision. The Pacific Northwest state is one of several Democratic-run territories where transgender people are unquestioningly allowed to use facilities that match their gender.
In her ruling, District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein upheld the WSHRC’s decision, stating that the actions taken to prevent the spa from adopting a women-only policy were lawful.
Haven Wilvich, pictured here, had attempted to apply for spa membership but was turned down
Wilvich claimed the spa said “transgender women without surgery are not welcome” and complained to the commission
In her first complaint to the commission, Wilvich said she was a transgender woman who was “biologically male” and had not undergone sex reassignment surgery.
Wilvich claimed she went to the spa in January 2020 to seek treatment but was discriminated against there.
She claims Olympus Spa told her that “transgender women are not welcome without surgery because it could cause discomfort to other customers and staff.”
In March 2021, WSHRC served spa owner Myoon Woon Lee and spa president Sun Lee with a discrimination complaint.
The commission asked her to respond to Wilvich’s claims, with Sun Lee releasing a statement commenting on her decision.
Lee explained that Olympus is a family-run “traditional Korean health spa for women,” noting that nudity is required for certain treatments.
He wrote: “We firmly believe that adhering to this adjustment to a women-only regime is essential to the safety, legal protection and well-being of our customers and employees.”
Lee explained that Olympus is a family-run “traditional Korean health spa for women,” noting that nudity is required for certain treatments
Wilvich claimed she went to the spa in January 2020 to seek treatment but was discriminated against there.
The spa denied Wilvich’s claims, claiming they had no documentation showing that she ever applied for entry to the facility.
Lee also taught about the traditions of jjimjilbang, large, gender-segregated bathhouses in Korea.
Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein upheld the WSHRC’s verdict, declaring that the actions it took were lawful
He concluded her response by saying that the spa “is willing to consider a review.” [its] current policy for biological women only.
The caveat Lee expressed about this was that “we’re not ready to remake the ‘Jjimjilbang'” since they’ve “worked so hard to build and maintain it for many years, simply for the sake of gender neutrality. “
The two also said that they are both Christians and cited their faith as reasons for not wanting to place men in the facility.
The spa denied Wilvich’s claims, claiming they had no documentation showing that she ever applied for entry to the facility.
However, the WSHRC upheld its ruling and offered the spa a tentative settlement agreement to avoid prosecution.
The preliminary settlement required the spa to remove all references to “organic women” on its website and to provide staff with “inclusiveness” training.
This led to a lawsuit from the Spa, alleging that their First Amendment rights had been violated.
The court offered Olympus Spa 30 days to amend and resubmit their complaint.
Wilvich had previously bragged about the success of her complaint on Facebook after the first WSHRC ruling.
She said, “I did it!” I worked with the WSHRC and got the Olympus Spa (the main nude spa in the area) to change their policy and allow entry to all women who identify themselves as women grant, regardless of surgeries and genitals.”
In another post, she said, “Making fun of Viagra or small penises is not the feminist act you think it is. It hurts trans women and femmes with penises.”
Wilvich had previously bragged about the success of her complaints on Facebook after the first WSHRC ruling
The spa denied Wilvich’s claims, claiming they had no documentation showing that she ever applied for entry to the facility
Wilvich previously served on the board of directors of the Seattle Nonbinary Collective and described himself as “a tall, bearded trans woman from King County.”
Wilvich also posted on Facebook and wrote, “I realized something important today. ‘I’m more a woman than any other TERF will ever be because I’m a conscious woman while they’re just on the side.’
Prior to Wilvich’s transition, she served on the board of directors of the Seattle Nonbinary Collective and described herself as “a tall, bearded trans woman from King County.”
Olympus Spa isn’t the first Korean spa in the United States to be caught in the crosshairs of gender ideology debates in the last two years.
In 2021, a Korean spa in California made international headlines after a trans identified sex offender was granted access to the women’s facilities under California state law.
Suspect Darren Merager has been on the run for 15 months following the controversy that sparked riots between Antifa and suffragettes.
Merager faces five counts of indecent exposure.