My European Spa Experiences

I like to travel across Germany (further afield too) looking for naked spa experiences and I thought this would be the ideal place to share what I have learned so far.

Here's the directory of places I have been

Germany

Cologne: Neptunbad, Mediterrana, Claudius Therme and a number of municipal pools

Berlin: Kristalltherme Ludwigsfelde, Kiez Sauna, Thermen am Europa Center, Soho House Berlin, Winter Badeschiff

Baden Baden: Caracalla Therme, Friedrichsbad, Europischer Hotel

Stuttgart: Schwaben Quellen, Das Leuze, Mineralbad Canstatt, Le Meridian Hotel

Hamburg: Hotel Speicherstadt

Munich: Therme Erding

Belgium

Ghent/Antwerp: Thermen Katara

Austria

Bad Blumau

I may add to the list as I remember more. My intention is to provide a review of each one. Below is my review on Trip Advisor of the first on the list, Neptunbad in Cologne.

Is this the sort of thing you'd want to read - or do you need different information? Maybe the profile of the user group, or what the atmosphere is like (maybe more for the sister site to this place)

If you are planning a visit to any of the places before I get around to a review - please drop me a message, I'll be happy to help.

Neptunbad is a little out of the way in the suburb of Ehrenfeld but the adjacent station, Kornerstrasse, is served by two U-Bahn lines (3,4) and is just 6 stops with a change from the Hauptbahnhof, the central station.

Cologne is a city of many spas and this is among the very best. I dont want to overstate the appeal of this place, but of all the spas that I have dragged my poor long-suffering wife to, this is her favourite. It is large, peaceful and in a very attractive Art Nouveau style building which is a converted pre-First World War bath house. It is arranged over a number of floors and has a roof terrace with the usual hotter log cabin saunas.

The main central area has a large (for a spa) indoor pool, probably 20 metres in length and at one end in front of a mural of Mount Fuji there is a set of 3 descending simulated hot rock pools, the sort that if you were in Japan youd expect to see a snow-capped monkey sitting in. Around the edge of this room are 3 saunas, extensive relaxation areas with comfortable futon style beds and a large gong. The gong is sounded whenever an aufguss ceremony is imminent.

Upstairs from here is a beautiful steam room apparently complete with its original Art Nouveau tiling. Also within the room are a tiny plunge pool and an extra hot super steam cubicle. In the same area is a large flotation pool which doesnt use salt but instead those cylindrical foam bars to provide support, and a large, well-used restaurant.

On the first level of the roof terrace (other levels are for sunning yourself in season and a smoking area) the Japanese styling is at its most obvious - murals of Fujiyama notwithstanding. There are three saunas, one of which supplies salt to enable an all over exfoliation while you sweat; a shower block and two pools. One of these is a cold plunge pool, and the other filled with pleasantly hot water for just sitting and watching the people and the skies. It is altogether a very pleasant and peaceful experience indeed.

Enjoy it and recover, whether from too much shopping, too much sightseeing or too much Kolsch.

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