What a German bath is really like: features, steam ceremonies and secret highlights. Why you shouldn’t be shy in German shared saunas and an expert review of some

Berlin, Germany

Our friends were looking forward to our return from Germany, but not to ask us about the sights of Berlin, the Christmas markets of Frankfurt or Ronneburg Castle. No, the main question that interested everyone was - did you really go to a German bath? and is it true that everyone there is naked? Today, without any cuts or complexes, I’m telling you everything as it happened.

Features of visiting German saunas: rules, norms and traditions

The first thing worth noting is that the rules may vary somewhat in different bath complexes in the country. Therefore, here we note those that are common in all or most terms.

Where are the baths located?

There are baths in Germany that are located in areas where thermal springs come out of the ground. Very similar to the sulfur baths in Georgia.

But not all saunas are built near thermal waters; this is an optional condition.

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.

Aufguss

This term refers to pouring water over hot stones, which is a whole ceremony.

Aufguss is held according to a schedule, so visitors try to arrive on time, as this is not only indicated by tradition, but also allows not to disrupt the ceremony and not release valuable hot steam. Various aromatic oils are often added to the water with which the stones are poured, which the specially trained employee conducting the procedure warns visitors about in advance in the instructions he announces at the beginning of the procedure. He also talks about how to behave during and after the procedure.

After the stones are doused with water, an employee intensively disperses the steam on the vacationers with a towel or broom. In addition, he also manages to entertain visitors by telling them funny stories and anecdotes. At this time, any movement outside the sauna is prohibited in order not to release steam from the room. You can only go out if you feel sick. During the procedure, they can also turn on relaxing music and give out various salts, creams, ice, snow, honey for rubbing into the skin, etc. during or after it.

After the aufguss you may be offered tea, fruit or ice cream, which are already included in the price.

How does Aufgus pass?

The park is supplied by a special person “Saunameister” who is assigned to this. The door is opened in front of Aufgus and a large amount of fresh air is let in.
Air from the street is forced into the sauna with a towel. This saunameister then uses a towel to disperse the steam from Aufgus throughout the sauna.

The master’s movements are more reminiscent of a kind of mesmerizing dance with a towel in his hands. It's like a real show: moral, physical and aesthetic satisfaction is guaranteed!

The ceremony schedule is usually posted in each steam room. You can easily navigate by the start time of Aufgus.

It is quite difficult to say exactly how long Aufgus takes. The duration may only last 6-8 minutes, but there are also record steam outputs!

Aufgus can last more than 20 minutes. Regardless of the time, you cannot leave the sauna until the end of the ritual.

After the end of the fragrant steaming, another ceremony begins - visitors drink beer!

Women's days in the baths

Some bathhouses organize women's days. They are usually popular only with foreigners and prices for services on such days increase significantly.

Etiquette in German saunas

Men, women, children, the elderly - everyone washes naked in the same room. On rare occasions, some establishments offer separate swimming days, but this may only be once a week. On all other days, be kind enough to cast aside false shame!

If you enter the washroom wearing swimming trunks, you will be reprimanded and shown the door. So those who want to visit a German sauna should tune in to a nudist mood and, first of all, get used to their own nudity. Russian people, who are much more shy by nature, have difficulty accepting such orders. Some people, even after living in Germany for many years, simply avoid visiting the sauna.

But the fact is that German friends or even business partners can easily invite you to their home sauna. And in this case, you will have to strip naked and take a steam bath with everyone else. In this case, you should behave appropriately: do not blush, do not cover your most intimate parts and, of course, do not closely examine the figures of those around you.

Hygiene rules

You are only allowed to sit or lie on the shelves in the steam rooms using your own personal towel. Body contact with the tree is strictly prohibited. Your sweat should also fall exclusively on your personal towel.

Where can you hide

The sauna in Germany is divided into 2 zones. The first is the actual washing room and steam room. They are called Textilfrei, which roughly translates to “clothing-free zone.” In the remaining rooms - the lounge area, water slides and bar - you can walk around modestly wrapped in a towel or in swimming trunks. By the way, not all Germans do this. Many continue to shamelessly walk around in what their mother gave birth to. Not every Russian is able to accept, let alone understand, this.

Beneficial features

A visit to a German steam room helps:

stimulation of the endocrine, respiratory, circulatory, cardiovascular systems;
acceleration of blood flow and metabolism;
removing waste and toxins from the body;
eliminating pain;
general relaxation;
restoration of strength;
reducing emotional stress;
suppression of cold symptoms;
removal of mucus from the upper respiratory tract.

It is not recommended to visit bath complexes if you have severe weakness, fever, or high blood pressure.

Public Baths and Free Body Culture (FKK)

Yes, and here the most interesting thing begins, namely, what puts all Russian tourists into culture shock. Absolutely all health resorts in Germany and Austria are joint (that is, they are visited by representatives of all genders and ages at the same time - men and women, children and the elderly) and at the same time they adhere to the rule of visiting the complexes in a completely naked form.

Such traditions and rules are determined by the so-called free body culture (FKK - “Freikörperkultur”), which is sacred and inviolable for the Germans, and began in 1898, when the first group of naturists appeared in Essen. Simply put, the Germans simply do not understand and cannot imagine why they need to wash, swim, steam or sunbathe dressed, and even more so in harmful synthetic swimsuits and swimming trunks. This is especially true for saunas, because... synthetics, they say, when exposed to high temperatures and moisture, release harmful chemicals into the air, so in this way in a confined space you can harm not only yourself, but also those around you.

Rules regarding places where you must be completely naked vary from one community to another. In some of them, you need to be completely naked throughout the entire complex outside the locker room (including in catering areas, lounge areas and in the pools), while in others it is mandatory to swim in the pool in a bathing suit. In addition, rubber slippers are prohibited in the baths. Baths in which nudity is not allowed throughout the entire territory, areas for mandatory naked visits are indicated by the inscription “Freikörperkultur” or “FKK”. By the way, all these rules are not just a formality and if you decide to appear in an area that is mandatory for visiting naked, in a swimsuit or swimming trunks, you will simply be asked to leave.

If you want to wear a towel or robe made from natural materials, no one will kick you out, but people will look at you like a black sheep. The same reaction will follow if you try to somehow cover yourself with your hands or look at other visitors. Germans really don't see anything unusual about showing their nudity, and they find it strange if someone feels differently about it.

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

What does the sauna process look like?

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.

Joint baths and saunas

Almost all saunas and baths in Germany are shared. This means that men and women, children and old people - everyone steams and washes together. The main problem for Russians is that they have to do it completely naked. You will not be allowed into the steam room, wash room, or swimming pool in a swimsuit or swimming trunks. Rubber slippers are also prohibited.

The Germans believe that any synthetic material in a humid and hot environment evaporates dangerous chemical compounds. This not only harms the person wearing synthetic swimwear, but also those around them. You simply will not be allowed into a German sauna in a swimsuit (or swimming trunks, if you are a man).

Even if you shyly cover up your sensitive areas, they will look at you in surprise as if you were a strange person. The Germans are not at all shy about their nudity. Teenage boys can safely swim next to the naked mothers of their classmates, and no one sees anything indecent about it.

Special German sauna

The Germans do not have such a reverent attitude towards the bathhouse as the Finns or Russians. I asked my friend: “When you go into the sauna, it smells like a bathhouse. Do you feel like you’re definitely in a bathhouse?”

The sauna smells pleasant and, of course, there is a feeling that you are in a sauna. But compared to a Russian bathhouse, these are not the same feelings.
- Andrey

The bath complex itself is divided into two sectors. In one sector there is a shower, a swimming pool, and in the other the steam room itself.

The arrangement of the sauna is quite ordinary: shelves and the stove itself. The German sauna does not hold tanks, basins, ladles and brooms.

You are not allowed to wear swimming trunks or swimsuits in the German steam room. You can steam completely naked.

This is due to the Germans’ belief that synthetic fabric is not environmentally friendly; for the same reason, it is forbidden to wear flip-flops or rubber slippers in a German bathhouse. These are the rules of the pedantic Germans...

Another important rule for visiting a bathhouse is maintaining silence. You should not distract visitors from the process. Only silence, enjoyment of warm air and pleasant aromas! If one of the ignorant visitors violates this prohibition, he may even be reprimanded.

Yes, you won’t hear here: “Give it to the park,” no one grunts or groans at the shelf. Our peoples have completely different mentalities.

But they still know how to give a parka in a German bathhouse. They just do it their own way...

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 network are staged. And this is good, hardly anyone wants to be filmed as a souvenir.

Come to Baden-Baden

A German bath - "therma" or "baden" - is very often set up in places where thermal waters come to the surface. Remember the famous resort town of Baden-Baden, so popular, along with Karlovy Vary, among the advanced Russian intelligentsia of the century before last. What a place it is. In Germany there is even the entire federal state of Baden-Württemberg, the same one in whose capital, the city of Stuttgart, the headquarters of the Daimler company is located, which produces the legendary Mercedes, so beloved by our officials of different flight altitudes.

What primarily distinguishes a German bath is its comprehensive approach to business. Very rarely, mainly in the south and extreme east, the bathhouse functions as a conservative purebred sauna, providing a very narrow list of services. The classic German bath complex is a whole industry. There are many different steam rooms for every taste: low-temperature Turkish, medium-temperature with abundant thick and viscous steam, high-temperature dry saunas with a wide gradation of temperature conditions, even extreme ones, salt grottoes, relaxation areas with access to a garden or an area with a magnificent landscape, swimming pools - thermal, open, closed, fonts with ice water. Moreover, the quality of finishing, designs, and the services provided in general is the highest. Impressive, isn't it?

The cost is very strictly tied and regulated by time and, in most cases, ranges from 6 - 19 euros per hour and 22 - 45 euros per day.

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.

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.

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)

What does the sauna process look like?

Aufguss

The most important person in a Russian bathhouse is the bath attendant, and in a German bathhouse it is the aufguss master, or a specialist in body steaming. No, he won’t whip you with brooms. The Aufguss master pours water and essential oils onto the stones that are in the dry sauna and thereby regulates the steam and temperature. This process is called aufguss, and sometimes it looks like a real show.

©GNTB/Günter Standl

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.

Features of the national bath tradition

If we briefly and briefly characterize the German bath spirit, we can formulate it as follows:

It is customary to visit baths together by men and women. Family weekend trips are very popular, and many bath complexes include mind-blowing water parks, so no one will be bored. Going to the bathhouse with work colleagues, as well as with acquaintances and housemates is encouraged. The tradition of “free body culture” adds piquancy to the situation. However, there is a purely women’s day, usually Monday, but it is used mainly by representatives of the Muslim world, since in Germany the Turkish and Kurdish diasporas are traditionally strong;
Free body culture implies the unacceptability of using any clothing in the steam room, and sometimes even in the pool, with the possible exception of towels made of natural material, linen or cotton. The explanation is very prosaic. According to local experts on proper steam, synthetic fibers, in conditions of high temperature and humidity, can cause harm not only to their owner, but also to others, because in their opinion, they saturate the atmosphere of the steam room with harmful substances. For the same reason, people do not enter the German steam room wearing rubber slippers;

A word from Experienced! You should be prepared for the fact that if you refuse to take off your swimwear, the establishment’s staff will simply carefully and friendly lead you out of the room by the arms to the nearest vertical wall of sufficient height and shoot you. Although, some surviving experts say that for the first time, they can scold and let you go.

Very often, especially in the south of Germany, the steam room is designed in the form of a polygon or circle, in the center of which is the hearth of the heater stove. There are also strong traditions of interior design in the Alpine style, with maximum use of wood, natural stone, vintage, antique bath items. There, very popular are hanging oak tubs with ice water, which are attached to a massive, forged tipping structure on brutal-looking chains. Classic Teutonic attribute. Although, if you think about where is this Bavaria, and where are those tough guys from the forests and swamps of East Prussia;
As mentioned above, it is not customary to talk loudly in a German bath; this rule does not apply to the bathhouse attendant during the “aufguss” procedure. In most establishments, the background for procedures is very high-quality musical accompaniment. This is facilitated by the excellent acoustic characteristics of the buildings and the sound technology of legendary German brands manifests itself in all its glory;

Important! If you want to truly enjoy the depth of bath procedures, you should not attend a dedicated women's day. Its regulars, Muslim women, make a bazaar out of visiting the bathhouse, and it is unlikely that they will be able to really relax in such an atmosphere. Naturally, this recommendation applies to representatives of the fair half of humanity.

Now about the “aufguss” or, literally, “pouring” procedure itself. A specially trained person from the bathhouse staff is a merry fellow and a joker, several times a day, the schedule is pedantically posted on the information stand, pours flavored water on the stove stones, based exclusively on natural ingredients and plant essential oils. Before this follows a short lecture about the composition of the fragrance, the technology of its application and rules of use, as well as the general political situation in Germany and the surrounding area. The formation of steam is accompanied by its acceleration from the ceiling towards the shelves with the help of a towel, fan, or even a flat bag with two fabric handles, filled with fragrant hay. In the north, it is practiced to use a birch or oak broom, arranged so that it has the shape of a fan rather than a broom. The action is also accompanied by jokes and short instructive stories from the field of classical German humor. Let’s say right away that the bath attendants there don’t whip brooms, but you can order a massage, the cost of which is far from social and starts from somewhere around 28 - 30 euros for a 20-minute session. Quite often, saunas in Germany practice distributing various ingredients before the “pouring” procedure, for example, massage salts, oils, ice, but you need to take places in order to stock up in advance. It is not customary to move around while the steam is dispersing, however, if you feel unwell, no one will forbid you to leave the steam room. Traditionally, the entire action takes from 6 to 12 minutes;
A self-respecting German sauna often offers tea, juice or ice cream for free in the relaxation area, or rather, a portion is included in the cost of visiting, but it’s still nice. It is also worth mentioning the culture of drinking alcoholic beverages. To the south of Berlin, drinking beer is allowed, and in Bavaria, it is generally elevated to the rank of a cult. In the northern lands, they are usually limited to black or herbal tea, juices and fruit drinks. If you want beer, they will offer non-alcoholic beer.
German public baths are strong with their swimming pools. Very often they are of a thermal nature, so visiting a bathhouse, in addition to leisure time, has a pronounced therapeutic and general health effect.

Prices in Berlin baths

Now specifically about those Berlin baths in which we were.

Mine was called Liquidrom and here is its official website.

Cost of visiting the Liquidrom sauna:

2 hours 19.50 €
4 hours 24.50 €
whole day 29.50 €
50 minutes of massage costs from 60 € (25 minutes 35 €)

Vanya went to Europa-center and here is their website.

Cost of visiting the Europa-center bathhouse:

1 hour 6.5 €
3 hours 19.90 €
day ticket 21.90 €
evening from 8 pm to 12 on weekdays and from 6 to 9 on weekends – 17 €
spa treatments from 50-60 € per hour (many options, including for two)

The most popular saunas and spas in Germany

December weather is ideal for relaxing in a sauna or thermal bath. To choose the best offer, the portal testberichte.de compiled a rating of saunas and spas in Germany. The rating was based on 370 thousand reviews from visitors in 485 complexes.

The most popular establishments received an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from users, while the least popular ones received only 2.7.

MainSaunaLand, Eibelstadt (Bavaria)

MainSaunaLand in Eibelstadt near Würzburg took first place in the ranking. The establishment offers four saunas: steam, under the starry sky, soft and hot sauna, as well as showers and a small pool. In the garden you can take a steam bath in the Kelo-Blockhaus sauna at +87°C. Massages and other spa treatments complete the program. A day ticket costs €18. More detailed information on the website: https://mainsaunaland.de/

Vabali Spa, Berlin

The establishment near the main railway station in the capital received second place in the ranking. The spa center is designed like a Balinese village on an area of 20 thousand square meters. There are 13 saunas and steam baths (including herbal, organic, garden, dry hot, meditation and a large panoramic sauna). The offer includes various ceremonies of pouring hot stones, as well as massages.

A day ticket costs €36.50. More information on the website: www.vabali.de/

Vabali Spa, Düsseldorf (North Rhine-Westphalia)

In third place in the ranking was the Vabali Spa sauna in Dusseldorf. There are 10 saunas, 2 steam baths and one dry hot bath right on the Elbe. This spa is based on the Berlin Vabali Spa in the style of a Balinese village.

A day ticket costs €36.50. More information on the website: www.vabali.de/duesseldorf/en/home/

Neptunbad, Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia)

The spa center, which took fourth place in the ranking, is located in a historical bathhouse built in 1912 (an architectural monument). There are two sauna sectors: the historical one, which includes Kaiserbad, and the modern Asian sauna.

A day ticket costs €32.50. More information on the website: www.neptunbad.de/

Saunapark Gut Sternholz in Hamm

Saunapark Gut Sternholz is located in nature in an old manor house. There are six saunas: Himalayan salt, park, aufguss, aroma, organic and steam. Visitors can pamper themselves with various additives (chamomile, honey or salt). A highlight is the sound therapy sauna, which uses Tibetan singing bowls. In addition to the sauna, the park with an area of 50 thousand square meters also has a hotel.

A day ticket costs €30.50. More detailed information on the website: www.gut-sternholz.de/sauna.php

Seats from 6 to 10

6. Saunahuus Ganderkesee – near Oldenburg (Lower Saxony). 7. Saunabad Großer Teich – in Timbach-Oberfron (Saxony). 8. Pelto-Bad in Sohnsdorf – near Erfurt (Thuringia). 9. Vitalium – in Windhagen (Rhineland-Palatinate). 10. Therme Erding (Bavaria).

source: bild

Places 483 and 484 with a score of 3.1 were taken by Rhein-Main-Therme in Hofheim am Taunus (Hesse) and Ahoi Rügen in Sellin (Rügen). The last 485th place was taken by the Bernsteintherme in the city of Zinnowitz (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). These establishments have been criticized mainly for the discrepancy between price and quality of service. The full list of 482 establishments can be found here.

Source

German public baths

Residents of Germany love to go to public baths. Here, going to the bathhouse and sauna together is a common thing both for a group of friends and for work colleagues. People go to the bathhouses together and separately, with family and friends.

A bathhouse or sauna in Germany is similar to a water park.

An impressive area is occupied by swimming pools: with pipes and slides, hot and cold, deep and shallow, with hydromassage and fast current.

The range of thermal treatments is impressive: Finnish, Russian, Japanese, Mongolian, bio-sauna, hammam and even an ice cave with temperatures below zero. Between the steam rooms are winter gardens, jacuzzi, massage parlors and laconiums - relaxation rooms with heated couches on which guests lie or sleep.

Public baths in Germany for men and women

German baths are called thermal baths or baths, they are very common; you can find quite a few baths in the territory of many German cities. Baths are one of the most significant pleasures of German citizens; they often have several saunas and one or two pools with cold water. Baths are often entire complexes designed not only for washing; additional entertainment and amenities located here make your stay very comfortable.

Cafes, restaurants, massage and beauty parlors, salt grottoes, clinics, hotels, gyms are part of the bath complexes. If the bathhouse is built on the basis of a thermal spring, it will necessarily include pools with warm thermal water, located indoors or outdoors.

In this country, bathhouses are common for representatives of both sexes, all visitors are guided by one rule - you cannot wear swimsuits in the bathhouses, so they take off their clothes completely, leaving them in special lockers. This does not apply to the thermal complex; a swimsuit is required for the pool. The Germans are completely calm about this state of affairs. If visitors who are not accustomed to these rules are observed to behave inappropriately, they will be asked to leave the premises.

Public baths in Germany are part of the FKK, an acronym for “free body culture” actively promoted among the German people. A Saturday trip to the bathhouse with the whole family, in the company of friends or colleagues is considered one of the most pleasant pleasures in this country.

There are many Turks in Germany who can appear in a public bath, wrapped in a robe or using a bath towel as clothing. Regulars of bathhouse pleasures look at this with a smile. A different situation may arise - visitors who do not dare to take off their swimsuit will be escorted out of the premises by sauna staff because they are violating the visiting rules.

Most often, German baths are built according to a standard consisting of several saunas, relaxation, music, with salt crystals, Finnish, where the temperature reaches 90 degrees. Many bath complexes are equipped with steam saunas, and there are “glasses” of cold water for lovers of such pleasures. Inside the sauna, at different heights from the fireplace, there are floors in 2-3 rows.

A sauna employee pours water onto the heated stones, blowing air with a towel towards the visitors sitting on the floors. This procedure is loved by many; the schedule for this process, which is called aufgus, is posted in a prominent place, and by the time it begins, a significant number of people who want to take a steam bath gather on the floors. In some saunas, instead of a towel, they use birch brooms, previously soaked in boiling water.

A flavoring agent is often added to the water; before the procedure begins, the sauna employee gives brief information about the additive and tells how to behave during the procedure and after it. After aufgus, sauna visitors receive various substances to rub into their skin - honey, snow, salt, etc. The usual visitors to German saunas are people over 30 years old, and there are also young couples. Sometimes they come with children, this is a kind of tradition.

Famous bath complexes

Complexes built around natural thermal springs in Bavaria and Lower Saxony are popular. Among the best is Baden's Caracalla Baths. The healing water comes directly from the depths below the complex.

A landmark of Berlin is the Liquidrom, a bath complex that attracts visitors with cosmic interiors, a seawater pool and free treatments.

In Germany there is also a sauna-planetarium, a sauna-cinema and even a sauna-aquarium, where you can observe the life of marine life behind glass.

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.

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))

HOW I WENT TO THE MINERAL BATH OF GERMANY

Despite the late hour, there was a line of young people and couples with children at the entrance to the baths.

The locker room and the passage system reminded me of the entrance to the Moscow swimming pool on Volkhonka, where the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is now (including on the waters). They put a number on our leg, which was the key to the locker in the locker room and, apparently, an identification tag in case of drowning.

Having put on swimming shorts, I complained that we didn’t have slippers, and the Germans, probably, for reasons of hygiene, were not allowed to go barefoot. My friend, an experienced man, waved his hand and advised me not to worry about this or anything else. And grabbing some towels, they would be very useful later, he invited me to follow him.

From the locker room we immediately found ourselves on the upper tier of the covered pavilion, drowning in steam and incessant human noise. Below in the large pool, children frolicked with their parents and young German lovers, who, like frogs, quietly kissed in nooks and were quietly doing something underwater.

To my surprise, I discovered that almost none of the Germans walking along the pool wore slippers (where their vaunted love of hygiene) and few were dressed in swimming shorts in the American style. The majority of men, as in Russia, preferred classic swimming trunks with bulging dignity.

A friend immediately stopped my attempt to climb into the pool and dragged me deeper into the pavilion to large plunge pools with greenish water.

When the door slammed behind us, I looked around in the darkness. There were so many male and female bodies packed along the benches along the walls that there was no room for an apple to fall, let alone two male asses. Luckily for us, two seats became available on the very top row, and we immediately plopped down on them, laying down the towels we had taken off.

I describe the situation. Right at our feet, three blond beasts about seventeen years old sat with their powerful thighs. Next to me, butt to butt, was a woman of about thirty with a caesarean section strip on her stomach and the hanging breasts of a loving mother. And through the window on the right I could see the shower room, in which, after a tiring sauna, two dark-haired naiads, about twenty-five years old, washed their bodies. Moreover, one of the wombs was completely shaved, and the other had a funny hedgehog, a la the Fuhrer's mustache.

My nerves were on edge. Sweat flowed in streams. And the heat was far from the main reason. This is real liberalism in action, I thought, and pulled my friend towards the exit.

Over the next hour, we tried all the steam rooms, of which there were about twenty types for every taste and even color with an ultraviolet lamp. However, bathhouse delights were the last thing that interested us. The main thing was to determine the composition of the steamers, select the desired gender, age, evaluate the legs, chest, hips and fly further and further, study new types of steamers.

The consequence of our research work was a firm knowledge of what a German woman looks like in her natural, so to speak, purified form. This is a tall, lean figure with well-developed powerful hips and neat chest. Is there something horsey about this, as we commonly believe? Don't know. But when such a horse is twenty or thirty years old, I assure you that the desire to ride it really arises.

Finally, in the farthest corner we found a godforsaken steam room that we had never been to before. In anticipation of unknown impressions, we went inside and discovered that there was no one there except us. Ambiguous situation.

Full of disappointment, we headed out, but then the door swung open, and a young goddess wrapped in a towel with glasses on her freckled nose appeared in the doorway. God! I have never seen such perfection of lines in a German bath! We immediately took our seats according to the purchased tickets.

The goddess boldly threw off her towel on the ward and lay down on her back with her sharp chest up. Moreover, for greater effect, she spread the knees of her beautiful legs apart, revealing to us a truly wonderful view of the shady valley of roses.

“The worse the water, the better the views!”

In saying this, we didn’t have to be embarrassed, Frau still doesn’t understand anything.

And then the German woman took off her glasses from her nose, looked at us sternly and said in pure Russian: “Boys, we’re sick of it!” Let me steam. »

Source

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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Sources

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