Washington
Washington judge says 'female-only' spa is akin to 'Whites-only' policy
A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge said Monday that the Washington-based Olympus Spa’s female-only policy is akin to a “whites-only” policy.
Olympus Spa, a Christian Korean-run operation, is currently arguing in court that its mandate limiting patrons to “biological females” is protected by constitutional rights. The legal counsel of the spa appeared before a three-member panel of the Ninth Circuit on Monday due to the state’s Human Rights Commission accusing the business of discrimination in 2020.
The spa was accused of discrimination for denying services to a transgender woman who had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery, conservative radio host Jason Rantz reports.
Judge M. Margaret McKeowna said on Monday that the Washington-based Olympus Spa’s female-only policy is akin to a “whites-only” policy. (iStock)
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Judge M. Margaret McKeowna, a Bill Clinton appointee, slammed the female-only admissions policy.
“If you have a law that says ‘White applicants only,’ this is ‘biological women entrance only.’ It seems to me they’re quite parallel there,” McKeown said.
“And you can’t have ‘White people only’ come into my restaurant, and then you say, ‘Well, no, we have a religious, spiritual nature to our restaurant, and when you get there, we serve you special food.’ This seems quite different.”
According to Rantz’s report that cited court documents, the spa restricts transgender women except for those who have “gone through post-operative sex confirmation surgery.”
Furthermore, Olympus Spa’s rule maintains the policy is “essential for the safety, legal protection, and well-being of our customers.”
Olympus Spa, a Christian Korean-run operation, is currently arguing in court that its mandate limiting patrons to “biological females” is protected by constitutional rights. (Google Maps (Screenshot))
The Christian-run service provides a Korean body scrub service called seshin that requires nudity. The owners maintain religious convictions that only married men and women can be unclothed in the same vicinity as each other. Their policy bars biological males from entering the facility. However, according to its website, “biological women are welcome” as well as those with “post-operative sex or gender confirmation surgery.”
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Legal counsel for the spa operators argued in court that their nudity policy is consistent with state laws and codes.
“It is the spa’s position that the women sharing in this cultural and spiritual experience have associational and free exercise rights,” the spa’s attorney, Kevin Snider of Pacific Justice Institute, said during arguments Monday.
“It’s not really ‘biological women are welcome,’” McKeown also said on Monday, challenging Snider’s interpretation of the spa’s policy.
The state’s Human Rights Commission accused Olympus Spa of discrimination against a transgender woman in 2020. (Adobe Stock)
“It means nonbiological women are not welcome. I mean, that’s the reality.”
The remarks made in the hearing on Monday came after the state forced the spa to accept men if they identify as women.
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The spa’s counter-lawsuit against the Human Rights Commission was struck down by a Washington-state judge last year. In an attempt to uphold their female-only policy, the spa argued that their Constitutional rights were violated.
Olympus Spa has locations in Tacoma and Lynnwood.
Federal authorities are planning a “summer surge” aimed at reducing crimes committed by young people in D.C. sources tell News4.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro is expected to announce Friday that the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force will do additional enforcement and get more resources, law enforcement sources said.
The move comes about two weeks after the D.C. Council chose not to vote on extending Mayor Muriel Bowser’s emergency youth curfew zones over the summer.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March 2025 that established the task force. He declared a crime emergency and temporarily federalized the locally run Metropolitan Police Department in August 2025.
Trump threatened to seize control of MPD after teens attacked then-Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee Edward Coristine, who was known by the nickname Big Balls.
Pirro has repeatedly railed against youth who commit crimes and told News4 she would like to see children as young as 12 prosecuted as adults.
“The time for coddling young people – 14, 15, 16, 17 – is over. And it’s time that we lowered the age of criminal responsibility,” she said in August.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The owner of a popular Washington Avenue restaurant says he was arrested after a dispute with city health inspectors over whether his business had a valid permit to operate.
Surveillance video recorded May 6 inside Betelgeuse Betelgeuse shows owner Chris Cusack speaking with Houston Health Department officials before he was taken into custody.
“I was pretty dazed, and all I could do is comply until it all got figured out,” Cusack said.
Cusack was charged with failure to comply with local health and sanitary laws after authorities accused the restaurant of operating without a food dealer’s permit.
The Houston Health Department says food dealer permits are valid for one year and must be renewed annually.
Cusack disputes the allegation, saying he has paperwork he believes proves the business had renewed its permit in March.
“I pulled it off the wall and showed it to him,” Cusack said. “He said it wasn’t the right business. I said it has my business’ name and address on it.”
Cusack said inspectors questioned whether the permit was tied to the correct business identification number.
“(The inspector) saw the first ID and said, ‘Ah ha, that’s the one you’re working under, so therefore this isn’t valid,’” Cusack said.
ABC13 reached out to the Houston Health Department with questions about the arrest. The department referred questions to the Houston Police Department.
According to HPD, the health department ordered the business closed in October 2025 for operating without a permit, though officials did not specify which type of permit was involved.
Police said the business was instructed to remain closed until it complied with health regulations. On May 4, inspectors learned the restaurant was open, according to HPD. Inspectors returned two days later, when Cusack was arrested.
Cusack said he was never told to shut down the business and questioned why inspectors waited months before returning.
The restaurant, known for pizza and drinks, reopened following the arrest and was serving customers again on Wednesday.
Cusack also expressed concern about what he described as aggressive enforcement targeting Washington Avenue businesses.
The entertainment district has faced increased law enforcement scrutiny in recent years as city leaders attempted to curb reckless behavior and nightlife-related crime.
“Washington Avenue business owners are just being confused by these intense raids on businesses for what are typically really basic scenarios,” Cusack said.
Court records show Cusack is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday on the charge.
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Metro is not recommending the construction of a new Metrorail station at the Commanders’ future home at the RFK Stadium site, documents released Tuesday reveal.
The transit agency instead recommended the creation of a rapid bus line called the Gold Line that would connect to Metrorail and buses at Union Station.
Metro also recommended major improvements to the Stadium-Armory Metro station. Without these measures, they warned it could take more than two hours to clear crowds after events at the stadium.
Metro said it projects that building a new rail station would cost about $1 billion and not be complete by the time the stadium is set to open in 2030.
More than half of people heading to events at the new stadium are expected to take public transportation.
Metro studied potential locations for a new Metro station, including Oklahoma Avenue and Benning Road NE.
Neighbors have repeatedly said they’re worried about traffic and parking.
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