Baths in Germany are remembered mainly for one reason - the adoption of procedures jointly by men and women. This tradition causes a lot of controversy and misunderstandings, sometimes the most radical ones. Some experts passionately argue that this practice is outrageous, while others selflessly argue the opposite. Let’s not take away expert bread and interfere in the heated process of philosophical discussion. Let's look at the German bath tradition a little more broadly; it's really worth it.
A little dry theory
In Germany (and also in Austria, keep in mind if you are going to ski resorts) there are very unique bath traditions. Locals consider it unhygienic, wrong and even possibly disgusting to bathe in synthetic swimsuits. It seems like these newfangled materials are harmful and unsafe. But at the same time, all German baths are shared - and traditionally men, women, children and old people go to the “therms” completely naked. This doesn’t bother anyone except the numerous Russian tourists who end up there either by accident or out of curiosity. In the first case, the reaction of our people is mainly negative, and in the second, it is not entirely adequate.
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Washing complexes
In Germany you can find a large number of large bathhouse complexes, which often resemble not only bathhouses, but rather water parks. Such establishments are usually divided into several sections depending on their purpose.
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These could be sections with huge swimming pools. In this case, pools can be shallow or deep, filled with cold or hot water. Often there are pools with slides with special descents. A sector with premises for thermal procedures, such as hammam, hydromassage and others, is required in a bath complex. Next to the sauna there is always an area with sun loungers for relaxing from the heat.
What does the sauna process look like?
You come to the bathhouse, pay for the amount of time you need according to the tariff and go to the locker room. Further, the situation differs from the rules in a particular bathhouse - in some you can leave the locker room in a swimsuit, robe or at least a towel, but you will be required to take them off in the steam room or pool. In others, all your embarrassment along with your clothes must be left in the locker room - immediately behind it is the “Freikörperkultur” space. However, no one can forbid you to wear a towel or a robe made of natural materials, but you will look like a black sheep. In the steam room, you can also wrap yourself in a towel, but then you must have two of them, because one must be placed on the shelf in the steam room (so as not to drip your sweat onto it).
This is where all the dubious features end and the pleasant things begin. Each bathhouse has many steam rooms for every taste - Finnish saunas, Turkish hammams, infrared saunas, salt saunas, etc. and so on. Moreover, there can be several of each type, including those with different temperatures (for example, 80,90,110). At the exit from the sauna, two plunge pools will be waiting for you - with ice and hot water, as well as a tub of ice water that you can tip over yourself. There are also areas where you can sit and soak your feet in hot water. Every bathhouse must have a swimming pool, and even more than one, including an outdoor pool that you can swim into from the main one. Both inside and outside there is a relaxation area with sun loungers. Steamed after the steam rooms, refreshed in the pool, you lie down on one of them, grabbing water, tea or a glass of wine from the bar. To say it's a thrill is to say nothing! You can also get a massage, but such a pleasure in Europe is not for budget travelers.
There is also such a thing in German baths as aufguss. This is not another type of perversion, but just succumbing to steam rooms with various herbs and aromatic oils. They happen, like everything else in German life, according to a strict schedule. At a certain time, a specially trained person enters the steam room, pours water with all sorts of additives onto the stones, and then waves a towel towards those steaming. To be honest, we missed the aufguss on our entry, but according to reviews the feeling was very cool.
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Division by gender
The main difference between bathhouse rules in the country is that they accommodate representatives of both sexes and all ages at the same time. Thus, the baths are not divided into zones depending on gender.
It is very rare to find women's days in individual establishments. This custom of performing bath rituals together arose in ancient times. In this way, the indigenous people saved supplies of firewood needed to fire the bathhouse.
My experience in the thermal baths of Berlin
In general, I have never suffered from a craving for nudism (although who will believe me now), and it’s somehow not very interesting to look at others, but I really wanted to relax in a bathhouse after three days of running around Berlin. Well, since this is a local specialty, you can combine business with pleasure - take a steam bath and try something that is much talked about.
In our bathhouse you only had to undress in the steam rooms; throughout the rest of the area they wore bathrobes, and in the pool you had to wear a swimsuit. Like any normal person, undressing for the first time was awkward. It seemed to me that we would enter the steam room and everyone there was dressed, and only my friend and I were like two fools)) But no, in fact everyone was sitting or lying on the towel they had taken off.
There is semi-darkness in the steam room and without special efforts you won’t be able to see your neighbor. The Germans themselves go to the baths often and have already seen so many naked bodies that two more can hardly surprise them. If someone looks at another person, they do it as discreetly as possible - indecent) But only those who specifically came for this will be considered - for example, Russians)) Such people are usually given away by a wild look, and you can simply stay away from them. We went to a new and quite expensive establishment, the cost of which eliminates the undesirable contingent. In general, there were few people, and often we sat in the steam room or hammam together.
Overall, we had a great time - everything in the bathhouse was very high quality and beautifully done, we steamed, swam, and at the end drank a glass of wine on the sun loungers overlooking the garden. Have a rest! As for bare features - in Germany this should be taken for granted. You can not? Then just don't go. I can't say that I like it, but it has to be done. I saw these people for the first and last time in my life. I couldn’t go with friends and colleagues like the Germans))
About the culture of behavior
The women's bathhouse in Germany, a religious institution, is more likely for newcomers who are unaccustomed to the generally accepted practice than for the natives, and even a delight for the female part of the country's Muslim diaspora. The traditional public bathhouse in Germany, on the contrary, has its own rules of cultural behavior, because the Germans are a cultural nation, no matter what evil tongues may say. So, the main theses of the unwritten code of the real German bath wolf:
- No clothing except a natural towel and no rubber slippers.
- A real German bath towel should have the following dimensions. The length is the height of its owner, plus two more palms. Width - the distance from the fingertips of an outstretched arm to the middle of the chest. These parameters are not taken out of thin air. In the steam room you can sit only on your own towel, with your hands resting on it. If you occupy the second and third shelves, then your feet rest on the lowered edge of the towel. The dripping sweat ends up on the towel and stays there. No greasy shelves and no burns. Although the Germans were the first who began to massively use the African maple - abash for arranging paired rooms.
- There is no talking or loud expression of emotions in the steam room or thermal pool. If you can’t relax yourself, don’t bother others.
- There is no need to eat through the eyes of visitors, and especially female visitors. A wild look and lack of reaction to the environment is the first sign of an unusual and complex guest of the federal republic. If the reaction, on the contrary, is gushing and excessive, such a client will also be carefully taken out by the staff of the establishment and also, according to the good German tradition, shot. When visiting public baths in Germany, one can have a different attitude towards the manifestation of shame, considering it the boundary separating man and animal, or vice versa - an extreme degree of hypocrisy. In any case, the culture and customs of the host country must be respected.
A man's view of German baths
Our Vanya is just from that category of people who go to a German bathhouse out of curiosity. Of course, he examined everyone, but he assures that he did it as inconspicuously as possible, so as not to confuse anyone and not to look like a fool himself. He says there were some pretty girls, but not many)
In the bathhouse where he and his friend went, you had to be naked everywhere - even in the pool.
Another difference is that their thermal baths had many more steam rooms, and the pool had access (or swimming) to the street. Their cost of visiting was lower, and therefore the contingent was simpler. There were several Turks huddled in the pool, who probably didn’t just come to take a steam bath.
In general, Vanya’s impressions are even more pleasant - he wanted to go to the German baths, he went to the baths. I think he will repeat it at the first opportunity)
Most visited complexes
The Berlin Liquidrome complex is the leader in attendance among all establishments in the country. Its popularity is partly due to the presence of healing springs directly below it. Here you can also swim in a pool filled with sea water and undergo a full course of procedures completely free of charge.
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Regarding photos and videos in German baths
I've been surfing the Internet, and the most popular request for German baths is related to photos and videos. So, my little lovers of XXX footage, entering the bathhouse with phones is strictly prohibited, and since everyone in the steam rooms is naked, I can hardly imagine where you can hide even a small camera. Therefore, basically all the photos on the Internet are staged. And this is good, hardly anyone wants to be filmed as a souvenir.
Rules for using the sauna
One of the arguments that Germans like to give to foreigners is that most swimwear is made from synthetics. When heated strongly, these materials can cause significant harm to the human body. You should know that you cannot sit on the wooden shelves in the sauna without first laying down a large terry towel.
In addition, it is worth laying another similar towel under your feet, because the Germans are convinced that a person’s sweat, flowing from his body under the influence of high temperatures, can ruin the wooden coverings of shelves and floors. To create a comfortable, friendly atmosphere in the baths, dim lighting is used.
Swimwear - out
On the banks of the Rhine and other German rivers there are many sauna and health complexes, as well as saunas, steam rooms, swimming pools... Women and men will find something special for themselves in a sauna in Germany. Baths are not just baths in our everyday understanding, they are extensive health centers. Many of them are located on natural thermal waters. There you can not only enjoy the delights of the bathhouse, but also receive treatment with mineral water.
For the convenience of clients, such complexes are equipped with massage and beauty salons, as well as restaurants and cafes. Once you get to such an establishment in the morning, you can build a leisure program until the evening.
General baths for men and women in Germany are divided into two zones. In one, where the swimming pools and water slides are located, you need to wear swimsuits. In the second, where saunas and steam rooms operate, you need to completely expose your body. The most you can use is a cotton towel wrapped around your body.
According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, over the two years 2013-2014, more than 3 million German residents visited thermal baths or thermal pools at least once a year. This rating will tell you about the best thermal baths in Germany, according to German media.
In Germany there are a large number of swimming pools with thermal or mineral water, thermal baths, saunas, spa centers and thermal complexes. First of all, older people prefer to visit thermal baths, since thermal baths perfectly combine relaxation and therapy to improve health. It is unlikely that anything works better for rheumatic complaints than thermal mineral water. At the same time, the thermal baths offer a wide selection of saunas and areas for rest and relaxation.
1. Therme Erding, Bavaria
At the Erding Thermal Baths near Munich you can find a large number of pools in one pool. Erding Baths are considered the largest complex of this kind in all of Europe! For an additional fee you can enjoy the so-called Oasis or Sauna Paradise.
The heart of Erding Baths, however, is the central thermal pool complex, which is surrounded by palm trees and numerous tropical plants. Above the central pool is the largest opening glass dome in Europe. The dome allows you to turn an indoor pool into an outdoor pool. In addition, Erding Baths offer almost everything that the best resorts can afford. These include steam baths, various therapies and salt caves.
However, it offers not only rest and relaxation, but also entertainment. 20 different slides with a total length of 1,700 meters guarantee a fun time at Galaxy Erding. A visit to Galaxy Erding is included in the entrance fee to the thermal baths.
Location: Erding, near Munich. Working hours:
Monday – Friday: 10.00 – 23.00 Saturday and Sunday: 09.00 – 23.00
On weekends and holidays it is worth arriving in the morning.
Entrance fee. Minimum rate: 2 hours - 16 euros, 4 hours - 22 euros. Children under 3 years old are free.
Website: www.therme-erding.de Video about the thermal baths:
2. Baths Tuscany - Bad Sulza, Thuringia (Toskana Therme - Bad Sulza, Thüringen)
The Baths of Tuscany, also known as Toskana World, in Bad Sulza in Thuringia will offer the opportunity for complete relaxation. Particularly attractive are the five cascading pools with thermal water and two outdoor pools, also with thermal water. There are three swimming pools with water massage, of course, also with mineral water. There is a whirlpool with regular water, and children will enjoy the children's pool.
But this is not what distinguishes the Tuscan baths from other baths in Germany. Here the pools are equipped with the Liquid Sound system. The system allows you to play music underwater and also includes a light show. And, of course, Terme Tuscany offers saunas, steam baths, Bronharium, and hydrotherapy baths.
Location: Bad Sulza, Thuringia. An hour's drive from Leipzig.
Opening hours of Thermal Baths, Swimming Pool with “Liquid Sound”, Sauna of the Future:
Monday – Thursday, Sunday: 10.00 – 22.00 Friday and Saturday: 10.00 – 24.00 Wellness Park: daily from 10.00 to 21.00
Mineral baths in the Wellness Park: daily from 10.30 to 20.30
How much does it cost: minimum rate for 2 hours – 15 euros.
Website: www.toskanaworld.net
3. Therme Europa, Bad Fussing, Bayern Europa Therme, Bad Fussing, Bayern
Therme Europa is located in the Bavarian town of Bad Füssing on the border with Austria. Here you can find two thermal water pools and one large outdoor pool. The outdoor pool is of course heated during the cold season. Therefore, even in winter you can relax here in hydrotherapy baths, massage pools and simply in swimming pools. What makes Terme Europa different from others? There is a special channel with a current, 120 meters long. And, of course, there are saunas, steam baths and various massage treatments, although for a fee. Very close to the thermal baths of Europe there are thermal baths in the towns of Bad Birnbach and Bad Griesbach.
Location: Bad Fussing, Bavaria. On the border with Austria. Almost two hours from Munich or an hour and 20 minutes from Salzburg.
Working hours
Thermal baths: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 07-00 – 19.00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 07.00 – 22.00
Every day according to this schedule, even on holidays.
You can enter one hour before closing.
Only on December 24 they are open from 07.00 to 12.00 and on December 31 from 07.00 to 17.00 New Year, after all.
Opening hours for the Sauna World, massage studio and medical treatment studio vary. Check on the official website.
How much does it cost: minimum tariff 10.50 euros.
Website: www.europatherme.de
4. Thermal Friedrichsbad, Baden-Baden (Baden-Württemberg) Friedrichsbad – Baden-Baden (Baden-Württemberg)
If you are bored with ordinary thermal baths, be sure to try the Friedrichsbad Baths in Baden-Baden, a favorite city of the Russian aristocracy. Friedrichsbad's traditions date back to Roman times, but the thermal complex itself was opened in 1877. Both then and now Friedrichsbad is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful thermal complexes in Europe.
The thermal baths have 17 different baths and pools. These are steam rooms with warm and hot air, baths with thermal water, and hydromassage baths. After water procedures, relaxation continues in a special quiet room for relaxation. In addition, everyone is recommended to undergo a relaxing soap and brush massage. Then your holiday in the Friedrichsbad thermal baths will be complete.
Where is it located: the city of Baden-Baden (who doesn’t know Baden-Baden?)
Working hours: Monday – Sunday from 09.00 to 22.00
Last entry two hours before closing.
The thermal baths are closed on December 24 and 25.
On December 31, the baths are open from 09.00 to 20.00
How much does it cost: the minimum rate for 3 hours is 25 euros, massage is not included in the price.
Website: www.carasana.de/de/friedrichsbad
5. Baths of Caracalla, Baden-Baden (Baden-Württemberg) Caracalla-Therme – Baden-Baden (Baden-Württemberg)
Also in Baden-Baden, next to the Friedrichsbad Baths, there are the equally famous and equally popular Baths of Caracalla. Under the huge dome there is a main cascading pool with thermal water of different temperatures. Two outdoor pools also with warm and hot thermal water will allow you to enjoy the thermal complex even in the cold season. Here is a list of what the Caracalla thermal complex offers:
- Indoor pools with streams of water gushing out of special holes for massage, showers for massaging the back of the head, water fungus, seats and sunbeds with bubbling water.
- Two outdoor pools and a fast-flowing canal, waterfall and water fungus.
- Grottoes with hot and cold water.
- Aromatic steam bath 43 degrees.
- Inhalation rooms with salt springs.
- Relaxation area.
Rarely anywhere else does thermal water contain such a high amount of minerals as in Baden-Baden. The Romans discovered the special influence of thermal water here 2000 years ago. Now you too can touch this tradition. And, of course, it’s nice: they speak Russian here, price lists, signs and signs are duplicated in Russian.
Location: city of Baden-Baden.
Working hours: Monday – Sunday from 08.00 to 22.00
Last entry two hours before closing.
The thermal baths are closed on December 24 and 25.
On December 31, the baths are open from 08.00 to 20.00
How much does it cost: minimum rate 2 hours – 15 euros.
Website: www.carasana.de/de/caracalla-therme
6. Thermal baths of Rotherma- Gaggenau (Baden-Württemberg) Rotherma – Gaggenau (Baden-Württemberg)
Not far from Baden-Baden in the town of Gaggenau you can find the Rotherm Baths. This is nothing more than a whole complex of swimming pools with thermal mineral water and a sauna park. In addition to two indoor and outdoor pools, there is a grotto, waterfall, hot tubs and wave baths. As for saunas, we highly recommend trying Roman saunas. On a total area of 5,000 m2 of the sauna park, there is probably every sauna you can imagine. For example, a sauna in a cave, a sauna in a house made of natural logs and a panoramic sauna with an excellent view. The open-air area also offers a lot of interesting things, since the thermal baths are essentially located in a forest area.
Location: Gaggenau (Baden-Württemberg), Gaggenau
Operating mode
Thermal baths: daily from 9.00 to 22.00. On Sundays and holidays until 20.00 Last admission one hour before closing.
Wednesdays are Women's Day in saunas.
How much does it cost: minimum rate 4 hours - 11.50 euros
Website: www.rotherma.de
7. KissSalis Therme – Bad Kissingen, Bavaria KissSalis Therme – Bad Kissingen (Bayern)
In Bavarian Bad Kissingen there are the famous KissSalis baths. Along with thermal water pools, there is a fast-flowing canal, hot and cold water pools, and hydromassage baths. A distinctive feature of the Kissalis thermal baths is that there are also procedures with therapeutic mud and inhalation facilities. There is a spacious outdoor terrace for sunbathing.
Saunas for different tastes: an earthen sauna, a loft sauna with a stone stove, a sanarium and even a planetarium! But also for lovers of active recreation and lifestyle, the thermal baths offer a large number of exercise equipment in the Fitness Arena.
Location: Bad Kissingen, 40 minutes from Würzburg.
Opening hours: daily from 09.00 to 22.00. On Fridays and Saturdays from 09.00 to 24.00
Price: minimum 2 hours – 14.00 euros.
Website: www.kisssalis.de
8. Art-therms in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate Ahr-Therme – Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler (Rheinland-Pfalz)
Not only Bavaria or Baden-Baden have the best baths. In Rhineland-Palatinate there is an excellent thermal water complex called Artherma. A distinctive feature of these spas is their focus on medical therapy. Of course, there is a pool with thermal water that comes directly from the ground, from a depth of 359 meters. The sauna area has a Finnish sauna 95°C, a dry sauna 80°C, a block sauna 100°C, Roman steam rooms 42°C, a soft sanarium 52°C, and a sauna with an open fireplace.
Location: Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, 30 minutes from Bonn
Thermal opening hours: daily from 09.00 to 19.00
Price: minimum price for 2 hours – 12 euros.
Website: https://www.ahr-resort.de
9. Thermal Baths Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria Therme Bad Wörishofen (Bayern)
Those looking for absolute rest and relaxation can find it in the Bad Wörishofen Thermal Baths near Munich. With the exception of Saturdays, when it is a family day in the thermal baths, on other days entry into the thermal baths is only for persons over 16 years of age. Under a large dome made of real glass there is a swimming pool with thermal water, around which a tropical paradise is created.
A distinctive feature of these thermal baths is the sauna. Here visitors will find traditional saunas, Roman, oriental Alhambra saunas, a sauna in an adit, which is half buried in the ground. There is a sea sauna, a meditation sauna and a northern Kelo sauna.
Where is it: Bad Wörishofen, an hour from Munich.
Working hours:
Monday – Thursday: 10.00 – 22.00 Friday: 10.00 – 23.00 Saturday – family day: 9.00 – 18.00 Sunday: 9.00 – 22.00 Holidays from 9.00
How much does it cost: the minimum tariff for the thermal baths is 2 hours, 16 euros.
Website: www.therme-badwoerishofen.de
10. Therme am Park – Bad Nauheim (Hessen)
Bad Nauheim is a resort town near Frankfurt am Main. Here is one of the best thermal complexes in Germany. There are two swimming pools inside, which are used not only for rest and relaxation, but also for therapy, since the thermal water has a temperature of 36 degrees. There is also an outdoor pool. As for saunas, visitors are offered a decent choice: Finnish sauna, Kelo sauna, rose sauna and sanarium.
There are cold water baths for cooling. Finally, you can enjoy a massage or other treatments at the wellness center.
Location: Bad Nauheim, Bad Nauheim. 30 minutes from Frankfurt.
Working hours:
Monday – Thursday: 08.00 – 22.00 Friday: 08.00 – 23.00 Saturday: 08.00 – 23.00 Sunday and holidays: 08.00 – 21.00
On Wednesdays there is a women's sauna.
Prices: minimum rate 2.5 hours – 11 euros.
Website: www.therme-am-park.de
