A Korean body scrub house in Princeton
Mugwort is a family-run scrub house. Here is how a scrub goes, what each room is, and the few house rules, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
The scrub
From the warm-up to the last rinse is about an hour and a half. One attendant stays with you in the scrub room the whole time.
A short sit in a warm room before the scrub. Your attendant tells you when it is time to move on, and you can leave any time you feel dizzy or unwell.
A quick rinse in the scrub room, so you begin clean. You wear the disposable underwear we give you, or a swimsuit if you would rather.
Your attendant works one area at a time with a textured mitt and warm water: back, arms, legs, then the front. It is firm, and you set the pressure.
A last rinse and a towel, then a cup of tea. Take your time getting dressed; nobody is waiting for the table.
The rooms
Each room is a different kind of warm. Use as many or as few as you like, and rest in between.
Walls and ceiling of pale salt bricks, wooden benches and a heated wood floor. Bring a towel to sit on.
A domed ceiling coated in dark charcoal clay, with straw mats on the floor. A quiet room: lie back and stay a while.
Warm ochre clay walls, a rounded ceiling and thick mats on the floor. Come in with a towel and stay as long as you like.
A small dry cabin with a glass door and a wooden bench, for one or two people at a time.
A stone bench, a jug of water and cups, and a cool floor. Sit here between rooms.
Mats, wooden pillows and tea. Phones stay off here, and voices stay low.
Who you will meet
Mija and her brother Dongmin run the scrub room, and Leola leads the massage table. Ask for any of them when you book.
Owner and licensed skin care specialist
Mija grew up going to her family's neighborhood bathhouse and opened Mugwort to bring that routine to Princeton. She greets most first-timers and explains the scrub before it starts. Speaks Korean and English.
Scrub attendant
Dongmin learned the scrub in the family bathhouse and works the scrub room most weekends. He tells you what he is doing before he does it. Speaks Korean and English.
Lead massage therapist
Leola leads the massage table, with the pressure and the draping the way you ask for them. She also looks after anyone who wants a quieter visit. Speaks English.
From our guests
“I was nervous about my first scrub. They explained every step before it happened, so I knew what was coming the whole time.”
“My mother and I come on Sundays. It is the first place in New Jersey that feels like the bathhouses she grew up with.”
“The house rules page answered everything: shoes, towels, hair, phones. I showed up knowing exactly what to do.”
Sample reviews.
Questions
The short answers. The rest are on the questions page.
Firm, and you set the pressure. Say so if it is too much and your attendant eases off; say so if you want more and they go a little firmer.
For the scrub, the disposable underwear we give you, or a swimsuit if you prefer one. In the sauna rooms, the plain top and shorts from the front desk.
About an hour and a half for a scrub, with the warm-up and the rest. Add time if you want to stay for the rooms.
Yes. Mija and Dongmin speak Korean and English. Tell us which you would like when you book, and we will plan around it.
Yes. Book two tables for the same time and you will be side by side. The scrub and the sauna rooms are for ages 18 and over.
On the booking page, next to each time, before you confirm. How we set them is on the pricing page.
Book a table online, or buy a gift card for any amount, for a scrub, a massage or time in the rooms.