Tag Archives: Friedrichsbad

anecdotes

Try it… you might like it!

Last night, George Takei’s page shared an AITA post about a German woman who was upset because her American boyfriend refused to go to an “all-nude” spa with her. If you follow this blog, you might already know that I am an American, and I am a fan of the German “all-nude” spas. I’ve written about our experiences a few times, and based on the hits I get, I know that this topic is interesting to people all over the world.

I will confess, it took me a long time to work up the courage to try a nude spa. Once I walked into the Palais Thermal the first time, though… (my very first nude spa experience), it took me very little time to join in the fun and bare it all. My very self-conscious, modest husband, Bill, soon followed. We both quickly realized that being nude in a German spa is no big deal. Everybody is nude, and no one cares what your body looks like. The focus is on wellness and health, not ogling and gawking. I was VERY proud of Bill for trying it, by the way. I thought he never would, but once he tried the spa and didn’t die of embarrassment, he became a fan.

I want to ask this guy… Why go to Germany as an exchange student if you don’t want to embrace the culture? My guess is that she got tickets to Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden, which is NOT cheap. However, it is a very nice experience.

It was with that truth in mind that I decided to leave a comment on George Takei’s post. I noticed several Germans “liked” my post, but one person– name of Sasha– decided to berate and insult me for posting that the American boyfriend “doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Sasha started by saying my comment was “ridiculous”, because just because I like something, that doesn’t mean everyone will. Then he (I’m assuming it was a “he”) continued by leaving uncivilized and insulting comments about everything from my intellect to my appearance.

The dude in Takei’s article later followed up with this conclusion…

She should have asked him before buying the tickets. BUT– by not even considering her proposal, he’s missing out on an interesting experience.

I finally shut down Sasha after he said I “wasn’t very bright” by “agreeing”, with a laugh reaction and the comment “Whatever you say!” He “liked” it and fucked off, much to my relief.

I wonder what that was about. Was he looking for a fight with a stranger? Was his goal to try to humiliate me? I don’t think he got what he was looking for, because I just laugh reacted at him repeatedly, and resisted the urge to comment with annoyance or nastiness. I did advise him to keep scrolling or simply fuck off, if he didn’t like my comment, but his reaction was to continue being rude, rather than having a discussion.

I will agree that not everyone likes nude spas. However, this guy has obviously never even been to one, and would never even consider going to one. It kind of makes him a wimp, in my book. If he goes and doesn’t like the experience, that’s one thing. But by just giving in to the idea that nude spas are weird and make him feel “uncomfortable”, he’s definitely limiting himself. I wonder why he’d want to be an exchange student if he’s so afraid to try new things.

Put it this way… what’s the worst thing that might happen? He’s not going to die. If he started to die, he would be rescued. Germans are great at rescuing people who are in trouble.

Does he think people will laugh at him? In all the times I’ve been to nude spas, that has never happened to me. And I have a body that might inspire laughter. In fact, the vast majority of people who go are there to relax. They are focused on themselves, not you. The one exception is the time we went to the Mineraltherme near Stuttgart, and there were American teenaged boys there who had probably come thinking they’d see “hot” women in the nude. I am sure they were sorely disappointed.

Is he afraid he’s going to be “grossed out” by other people’s bodies? If so, he might want to think about his attitude toward other people. We were all born naked. Everyone has “parts”. It’s not really a big deal if you see someone else’s parts. You can avert your eyes. Most people stay in the water, anyway, when they’re nude. When they get out of the water, they wrap up in a towel or a robe. In fairness, though, the Friedrichsbad isn’t really like that. The time we went there, we were nude pretty much the whole time.

While I understand that a lot of people are embarrassed and self-conscious about their bodies, it might be worth trying a nude spa. Personally, I find them quite liberating, but that’s probably because people take spa culture very seriously in Germany. The focus really is on HEALTH and WELLNESS, not sexual attraction, shame, or humiliation. It’s one very pragmatic aspect of German culture that I love. In fact, I am way overdue for a visit to our local spa. Almost all of the ones I’ve been to have been beautiful, peaceful, heavenly places. I’ve always left them feeling relaxed and wonderful.

While I might agree that the German girlfriend shouldn’t have bought tickets before talking to her American boyfriend, I also think he should get over himself and give the nude spa a go. He might be surprised by how positive the experience can be… and if it doesn’t turn out that way for him, nothing says he ever has to do it again. I mean, I tried going to a gynecologist and hated the experience, so I don’t go anymore. No harm, no foul. 😉

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My pandemic birthday… part five

I don’t have much to write about last night. It was pretty much a repeat of Friday night, only with beer instead of cocktails, although the bar was busier and they played reggae/UB40 instead of German pop and euro trance music. Most of the same staffers were there. Once again, I had a great time, because I’ve missed going out and seeing things. It was just great to be in a pretty area where I could get photos of nature and good food.

I did get a few photos of last night’s fun. But it was kind of low key…

Like I said… a great venue for social distancing.
I had fried chicken fingers and fries for dinner… It came with a quark garlic dip, barbecue sauce, and a curry dip. Germans love curry.
Bill had rosti– a potato like hashbrowns with smoked salmon and a dressing. He’s a healthier eater than I am.

After another good night’s rest, we got up, had breakfast, and checked out before 9:00am. I was eager to get home and do some writing, guitar practice, and sing a few songs. Bill has gone to pick up Arran from the Birkenhof. I think we could be persuaded to take another trip, possibly very soon!

All told, I think Bill spent under 700 euros for the nights in the hotel, the Therme access, two breakfasts, two dinners, and the bar… not bad at all! I would highly recommend Vital Hotel and the Rhein-Taunus Therme for a quick getaway. I think it would be a lot of fun for a “girls” trip, but it’s also good for those who need a hotel near Frankfurt Airport or those who like water fun.

I don’t know that I’d necessarily call it a romantic spot, since the Therme did have a number of kids around. But… I particularly enjoyed it right now, since there weren’t nearly as many people as I’ve come to expect at the spas in Germany. And non nudists will like that it doesn’t seem to have a nude bathing area, like the Mineraltherme, Schwabenquellen, Palais Thermal, and Friedrichsbad all have. I have been to all of those spas, and you will find my write ups of them in this blog. Personally, I like the nude spas, but I know not everyone is comfortable. It appears that those who don’t like nudity will appreciate Rhein-Main Therme, although I didn’t check the saunas. You may have to be naked for those.

Anyway… I hope y’all enjoyed this brief series. I hope I can write more soon. I have missed traveling and dining out so much!

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Baden-Württemberg

Getting over getting naked…

Today’s post comes courtesy of a message I got on TripAdvisor last night. A young woman, visiting friends in Germany, was very anxious because her friend’s parents had purchased a luxury pass for her to join her friend and her friend’s parents at the Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish Bath in Baden-Baden. Apparently, she had found my TripAdvisor review of the famous nude baths and was hoping I could offer her some advice about the experience.

This young woman named Diana (not her real name) wrote that she’s just 19 years old, and she is very nervous about being naked in front of other people. Diana’s problem is a common one. A lot of people are nervous about getting nude in front of strangers. In Germany, it’s a normal thing to be nude in saunas, spas, and public baths. Many of the baths Bill and I have visited are “textile-free”, which is very different if you’re an American or a Brit… or, as I found out in July, from Sweden. I’m not sure how the French feel about nudity in the saunas and spas, but I do know they are very strict about men wearing “maillots” (Speedos) rather than “board shorts”. In fact, one of my most popular posts on my travel blog is about that subject, which you can read about here.

My husband, Bill, was very nervous about being naked in front of people. He finally “took the plunge” a couple of years ago, when we visited Palais Thermal in Bad Wildbad. Bad Wildbad has an “old school” therme that allows swimsuits. It also has a the nude spa, which is Palais Thermal. Bill was initially reluctant to try it. Palais Thermal was a good place to get his feet wet, though, because swimsuits are allowed on the first level. After a few minutes of seeing people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, and creeds walking around in the buff, it didn’t seem so embarrassing or strange.

Now, being nude in front of Germans has become “old hat” to us. We’ve done the nude spa thing many times and lived to tell the tale. It’s weird for a few minutes, but then you stop noticing. At most spas, you can bring towels or a robe and only have to be completely naked in the water, although at the Friedrichsbad, you will be nude almost the entire time. But really, you get used to it very quickly if you just relax and enjoy, realizing that being naked really is completely natural.

Still, I have a lot of empathy for Diana, because it IS embarrassing and strange to those who have never done it. I am a bit of a natural exhibitionist and have always kind of liked being nude. I find it very liberating. But if you have body image concerns or have been taught that being naked is wrong or “dirty” somehow (even though we were all born naked), it can be extremely embarrassing and scary to bare everything.

I ended up telling Diana that it’s her choice whether or not to try the Roman baths. She is concerned that her friend’s parents will be insulted if she doesn’t use their gift, but ultimately, a trip to the baths is supposed to be fun and relaxing. If she’s filled with anxiety and terror over baring her naked self to everyone, it won’t be a good experience for her. I did also advise her to visit the baths on a day when the sexes are segregated, although it appears that the baths are currently undergoing some renovations, so right now it might be “co-ed” every day. Bill and I went on a “co-ed” day, because we wanted to experience the baths together. But they normally also have days in which the men stay on one side and the women stay on the other. For the shy among us, that might be the best thing to do. There’s only one area where men and women mingle naked on the segregated days and one could easily skip that part. It’s the big pool in the middle of the spa, and it’s cold, anyway. I had to try it because it was so pretty.

Having written all of this… I do understand that public nudity isn’t for everyone. It’s best to take the plunge if you’re genuinely curious and want to try the baths. Personally, I really enjoyed them and would have no problem visiting them again. I don’t think any visit to Baden-Baden is complete without a trip to the Friedrichsbad. But I know that’s just my opinion. I have empathy for Diana’s situation, because I can tell she really doesn’t want to offend her gracious hosts. Frankly, I find her empathy for them very refreshing. It’s nice to see someone so concerned about being a polite and gracious guest. I hope she will try the baths, but if she can’t bring herself to do it, I also hope her friend’s family will understand. Part of being a good host, after all, is making sure your guest is comfortable.

Wiesbaden’s version… not as big or crowded, and very relaxing.

Here in Wiesbaden, we have the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme, which is like a much scaled down version of the Friedrichsbad. I think I like it even more than the Friedrichsbad, because it’s a lot smaller and less popular. In fact, I think we’re due for another visit soon.

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Hedonist’s dream– two naked hours at the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme and lunch at La Cantinetta

Back in November 2018, Bill and I celebrated our 16th anniversary in Baden-Baden.  While we were there, we tried the all nude Friedrichsbad Irish Roman Baths.  When we told people we were moving to Wiesbaden, they nodded knowingly, since Wiesbaden is known as a “spa” town.  In fact, the best known spa in these parts is the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme, which is an Irish Roman bath hall, sort of like Friedrichsbad, only smaller, less crowded, and significantly cheaper.

I had reviewed Friedrichsbad on TripAdvisor and someone who read my review and travels to Germany often on business, asked me if I’d had the chance to go to the spa in Wiesbaden.  I’m sad to report that although Bill and I are quite assimilated to being naked in front of German strangers, today was our first time visiting.  In fact, the TripAdvisor guy went to the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme before I did, and he lives in the United States.

Nevertheless, today was our day to go.  Bill was, as usual, a little bit reluctant.  Once we were there, he loved it as much as I did.  One thing I like about this particular Therme is that not only is it historic, it’s also kind of low key.  The facilities are on the old side and it’s not the biggest, fanciest, spa, but it has many historic elements.  It’s also inexpensive and, at least today, not that crowded.  I’m sure it fills up when the weather isn’t so beautiful.

This was the best I could do for photos.  It’s a nude spa, so I wasn’t going to bring my camera in there.

 

The first thing to know about this spa is that it’s entirely textile free.  Do not bring a bathing suit, because they are not allowed– EVER.  In fact, there’s even a sign on the reception desk in English and illustrated with pictures of bathing suits with red lines through them.  Do bring towels, a robe, and shower shoes.  I usually bring two big towels and a robe, just in case one of the towels gets too wet to dry off with.  If you don’t have a towel or a robe, you can rent them.

The next thing to know is that you can book packages or simply pay by the hour, settling up your bill on your way out of the spa.  It was our first time, so we just went in, wearing the customary wristwatch one gets at German spas, and found a locker.  You can choose whatever locker you want, change in the privacy of a stall in the unisex locker room, and use your watch to lock the locker.  Take a quick shower in the men’s or women’s shower (which seems kind of silly, since everyone’s naked anyway), and make your way into the spa area.

The first thing you’ll see is the pool pictured below…

This iconic pool is pictured on everything advertising this Therme. 

 

The Therme has a very small parking lot, so we parked at a garage a couple of blocks down.

You should know that the big pool is COLD.  There’s a much smaller hot pool, which reminds me of a baptismal font, just behind the big pool.  Save them for the end of your time.  I noticed that this spa has a lot of the same elements Friedrichsbad has, only there are no “minders” telling you where to go or keeping the crowd going.  Unlike Friedrichsbad, there’s also no obvious set schedule of activities, although they do post a suggested sequence in the cafe area.  The list is in German.

Bill and I started with a quick dip in the freezing big pool, followed by a couple of sauna sessions.  The first sauna was kind of mild and comforting, while the next was a much hotter Finnish sauna.  We spritzed off in the “Eisregen” (ice rain) shower, then hit the two big “jacuzzi” like pools.  One was heated at 37 degrees Celsius and had lots of bubbles.  The other was 39 degrees Celsius and had very powerful jets that hit my lower back at just the right spot.  I really enjoyed sitting in that tub, pounding the stress and pain out of my back and right outer hip.

Throughout the Therme, there are really nice loungers where you can have a rest.  Be sure to put a towel down before you lie on the loungers or use the sauna.  Next, we used the foot baths, then went into the “Lumenraum”, which is a very dark, quiet, room with loungers and twinkling colored lights in the ceiling.  It was so nice to just lie in there and chill for a few minutes.  I may have to find one of those loungers for home.  After another session in the hot sitting pool, we tried one of the steam rooms, which didn’t seem to be operating properly.  It was just very warm in the room; there was no steam.  I left my shower shoes outside and regretted it, because the tiles were hot in there.

Then, we hit the big cold pool and the hot pool, then spent some time in the Tepidarium, which reminded me a lot of the one at Friedrichsbad, minus the crowds.  We skipped a couple of the other rooms since they either appeared to be closed or beyond our comfort zone.  I probably could have taken a freezing cold plunge after the Tepidarium, but I was so warm and cozy I decided I’d rather just hose off and get dressed.  While we were sitting in the warm, damp room, I quipped to Bill that I felt like we were really “going native” with these nude spa jaunts.  I don’t know what I’m going to do when we’re back in the States someday and I have to suit up.

One thing I noticed today was that it was not at all crowded in the Therme and there was plenty of room to try everything.  We were finished within about two hours, feeling very relaxed and happy.  The price for our two hour stay?  Just twenty euros.  The Therme does have a snack bar that serves juices, water, beer, and light snacks, but we decided we wanted to have lunch at La Cantinetta, a great Italian place we discovered a couple of months ago.  I think the Kaiser-Friedrich Therme may be my favorite spa yet.  No, it’s not super fancy or new, and it doesn’t have any deep pools you can do laps in, but it gets the job done at a reasonable price.  Plus, the historic features are really beautiful and the place is very clean.  I saw no children in the spa, which was a great thing.  The atmosphere today was very calm and inviting, rather than akin to a souped up Schwimmbad.

Bill and I are very used to the naked spa experience now, but I understand that some Americans may be reluctant to try it.  I can’t speak for everyone, but I have found that every time I’ve gone to a textile free spa, I stopped noticing nudity within seconds.  Everyone is naked and, trust me, no one cares what your junk looks like.

When we were finished at the Therme, we made our way to La Cantinetta, where a saxophonist was playing for Euros.  The waiters invited us to sit down.  We got there about five minutes too soon.  If we’d waited just a few more minutes, we could have had a table in the shade.  Oh well…  Here are some photos from our pricey, but outstanding, lunch.

La Cantinetta has an extensive menu, with pasta, pizza, and lots of beautifully presented Italian dishes.

I settled on scallops with tomato, bacon, chilis, and avocado…  this was a pricey appetizer at 18,50 euros, but I was very curious about it.  I’m glad I ordered it, because the scallops were done to perfection.

Bill went with the cream of asparagus soup.  Seems that every restaurant in Germany has its own version, this time of year.  It was very creamy, comforting, and a little sweet.  We also had fresh pizza bread with a choice of garlic or butter.  We went with garlic, but only ate a little of it because we knew lunch would be substantial.

 

Last time we ate here, there were fresh cut tulips on the table.  This time, it was roses.

 

We had a slight lull in business.  Maybe we should have moved up a table and gotten out of the sun…

 

For the main course, Bill ordered branzino (wolfbarsch– or European sea bass).  They brought out a special shelf on which to debone the fish for him.

The set up…
 

Expertly done… and the fish was excellent, as expected.

And nicely presented, too…

I went with sesame seed encrusted yellow fin tuna, served with sugar snap peas, mangos, avocados, and risotto.  I could almost finish this, although tuna tends to be a bit too dry and heavy for me to eat a lot of.  The sesame seeds added to the bulk of this dish.  I loved the way it was presented, though.  It, too, was rather expensive at 32,50 euros.

While we were eating, a German couple sat at the table next to us.  The male half, who wore a striped polo shirt with a popped collar, asked in German what we were eating.  I am proud to report that I was able to understand and respond.  It turned out he spoke English, as did his female companion.  They were nice, and had a good sense of humor as they observed the large Italian family sitting across from us.  At least one of the guys in that group, too, had a popped collar.

Popped collars were popular in America back in the mid 80s, but they apparently never went out of style in Europe.  I counted at least three or four guys with them today.  I had to break Bill of the habit of popping his collar when we were dating.  I guess old habits die hard.  No offense to anyone reading this who likes to pop their collars.  I once thought that looked cool, too.  Kidding…  really.

Anyway, we decided to finish up with the dessert special of the day, which featured the fruit of the season– strawberries.  Feast your eyes!

Three little strawberry cheesecake cubes with fresh cut strawberries, dried, pressed strawberry “leather”, and a scoop of strawberry sorbet!  We split it, and it was the perfect size.  Bill especially enjoyed the crust, which was much like our beloved graham cracker style, though they tasted more like biscuits to me.

We enjoyed San Pellegrino– one large bottle and one small– and a couple of glasses of white wine with lunch.  The first round was a pleasant Lugano that got a bit warm in the intense May sunshine.  The second was a Sauvignon Blanc.  The waiter opened a fresh bottle for us and then suggested it to the Italians sitting across from us.  I noticed two other tables bought whole bottles of the same wine, which the waiter initially seemed surprised I’d asked for.  The waiter, by the way, was really cute and reminded me of Ray Reyes of Menudo fame back in the 80s.

Our total bill came to about 130 euros before the tip.  I’m glad the Therme was so cheap today.  La Cantinetta can be expensive, although they have plenty of more pedestrian dishes that aren’t expensive.   A person won’t go broke having pasta or pizza, for instance.  I do enjoy their more gourmet offerings, though, and their waiters are very charming and professional… and good at upselling.

I can definitely see us making a habit of visiting the Therme on Sundays.  That was a real hit for both of us!  I don’t know that it’s always as “chill” as it was today, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Tomorrow, we venture to Cologne for yet another concert, so my travel blog will get some extra love this week.  Stay tuned!

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Things aren’t bad in Baden-Baden… Part five

Sunday was the day we’d been waiting for.  It was the day we planned to brave the Friedrichsbad, well known around the world for being an old fashioned Roman-Irish bath.  I remember when I first heard of the Friedrichsbad bath.  It was back in 2015, when I wrote about how, in France, men have to wear Speedos at public swimming pools.  In that post, I mentioned that my husband, Bill, would not want to wear Speedos for anything, but I was working on getting him to consent to a visit at the Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden.  At that time, I was also a bit leery of being naked in front of strangers.

Well… as of June of 2017, Bill and I both took the naked plunge for the first time when we visited Palais Thermal in Bad Wildbad, which is a mostly nude spa.  Since that bold day in early June, we’ve done the naked thing a few more times at the Schwabenquellen in Stuttgart, and at Böblingen’s own Mineraltherme.  The Schwabenquellen is all nude except on certain days and/or at certain times.  The Mineraltherme is nude in the saunagarten on the bottom floor, which has a pool area.  Frankly, having now seen the Mineraltherme’s whole complex, I think not going to the saunagarten is a waste.  There’s a whole lot more to do in the nude area.

The Friedrichsbad is different, though.  It’s not really like the other nude spas we’ve been to.  For one thing, it’s a very old bathhouse and looks it.  It was opened in 1877 and does not have any of the new fangled finery of the other spas.  Hell, it doesn’t even have 1980s era finery.  This is an old school spa.  However, of all of the spas we’ve done, I like it the most.

We decided to do the Friedrichsbad before we tried neighboring Caracalla because I knew Caracalla was going to be like the other places we’ve been.  Also, I had a feeling that the Friedrichsbad was an experience best had first thing in the morning… and also, we happened to be out for breakfast without our towels or bathing suits and we didn’t feel like going back to the room to fetch them.  There is no need to bring a bathing suit or a towel to the Friedrichsbad.  They provide everything, even shower gel.

We had walked into the downtown area in search of an economical breakfast and found one at the assembly line like bakery called Peters am Leo.  This place was doing quite a brisk business when we arrived at about 9:00am.

Very cheerful and busy!

 

We noticed they had a breakfast deal for two people priced at 19,95 euros, so we went for that.  It was a lot of food… more than we needed.

We got fresh fruit, some kind of “vanilla mousse” with raspberry, butter, and jam…

Scrambled eggs with bacon mixed in, cold cuts, cheese, and a big basket of bread, hot drinks (I had hot chocolate and Bill had coffee), and a choice of either Sekt or orange juice.  We had orange juice. We couldn’t finish everything.

 

Coffee!

I was treated to a nice view of the action.

 

I started to enjoy breakfast until I suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of someone gearing up to spit.  I glanced over at the table catty cornered to ours just in time to see the guy who was sitting there spit into his plate.  It really grossed me out, which seems strange, since I have neither a filter nor an appreciation for the concept of TMI.  Fortunately, the guy got up and left, but not without leaving part of his breakfast on the table.

I was eager to forget about the “loogie hocking” guy, so we made our way to the old bathhouse.  When we entered at about 10:00am, things were pretty quiet.  A pleasant and very laid back looking black lady was sitting at the admissions booth.  She would later help us when we decided to visit the Caracalla spa next door.  I think she recognized us, too.

The famous baths on a sunny Sunday morning.  I think that may be a great time to go to the baths.  It wasn’t very busy when we arrived, but business was picking up as we left.

Anyway, when we met her the first time, she greeted us kindly in English and was patient as we ordered the luxury plus package.  Priced at 59 euros per person, this is the most “luxurious” of the packages.  It includes soap and brush massage, a cream massage, a meal, and a drink at the spa restaurant in the Caracalla.  If I’d had more time to read up, I would have gone for the luxury ticket, which eschewed the meal.  It turns out the meal and drink offered at the spa restaurant are limited to salads and pasta.  Also, I would have rather eaten somewhere else.  Leave it to me to go for the most expensive deal.

The luxury and luxury plus tickets allow up to four hours in the baths.  We didn’t need that long to go through the whole experience, but it’s nice to know we could have stayed longer if we’d wanted to.  Those who don’t want the whole experience can opt for a basic ticket, which doesn’t include soap or cream massages or the wellness ticket, which leaves out the cream massage.  Each progressive step in inclusiveness adds another ten euros to the cost.  We paid 118 euros.  Credit cards are accepted.

Once we paid our admission, the lady gave us waterproof wristwatches… the same kind we’ve gotten at every German spa we’ve ever attended.  Sunday happened to be a “mixed” day, which meant men and women were coming from both sides of the spa.  Some days, the sexes are split.  Women go to the right and men go to the left.  I wanted to experience the baths with Bill at my side, so we chose the mixed day.

Here goes…

After we found lockers, we grabbed the sheets that were left inside, got completely naked in changing rooms (which now seems ridiculous under the circumstances), and were beckoned into the baths by a bunch of very brawny looking men in white uniforms.  I soon realized that the other side of the spa was staffed with similarly attired women.

The men, a couple of whom spoke English, directed us to get shower shoes and then take showers under the old style open bay showers.  They had big levers that controlled the water temperature in a rather crude way.  It kind of reminded me of a prison shower, not that I have any experience with prisons, mind you.  It’s just that it was very crude and not private at all.  And though we had entered the baths covered with a sheet, that lasted maybe a minute before they were taken away.

The shower shoes, at least on the men’s side, were huge and way too big for my feet.  But I only wore them for a short while, as we sat in a warm room for ten minutes, then a hotter room for five.  The shoes were necessary because the floor is very hot and will burn your feet if you walk in there unshod.

After we sat in the hot rooms, we took another shower, then were summoned for the soap and scrubbing, and a massage.  Bill’s therapist was a big German guy who spoke English.  I got a burly Russian man whose German seemed rather elementary– or, I’m going to assume he was Russian.  He could have been Bulgarian, Polish, or Ukrainian, for all I know.  I don’t think he was German, though.

He invited me to lie face up on the table as he scrubbed my body with soap and a scrub brush, rinsed, then had me roll over so he could do the other side.  Then, he gave me a vigorous massage that made a couple of joints crack audibly.  It was a rather surreal experience… almost clinical, yet kind of primal, too.

There I was, naked as the day I was born, lying totally exposed on a table with bright lighting shining down on my bare body, as if I were in a hospital.  And yet, despite decades of feeling ashamed of my body, I didn’t really care that much.  I mean, the staff sees all kinds of people day in and day out.  They were totally professional, and it’s not even like I was the biggest and ugliest person there.  Besides, after a few minutes, the nudity thing doesn’t really matter at all.  Everybody’s naked, and I think most people just stop noticing.

After our enthusiastic massages were finished, we went into the first of two steam rooms.  The first room was kind of warm and smelled heavily of sulfur.  We were in there for ten minutes, sitting on “butt pads”.  Then we went to a warmer steam room for five minutes.  I looked to my right and noticed the very old equipment that was making the steam from Baden-Baden’s ancient thermal springs.  After another shower, we went to station 9, which was the first pool.  It was nice and warm and very tranquil as we soaked for ten minutes.  That was really what I had been waiting for the whole time.  It was heavenly and extremely relaxing.

Next came a short time in a shallow pool that bubbled.  We sat there until it was time to hit station 11, which is the beautiful round pool that is featured in all of Friedrichsbad’s literature.  What I didn’t know was that the water in that beautiful pool is very cold!  We did our five minutes there, then went to the other side of the pool.  This was where things went a little awry.

Unbeknownst to us at the time, we were supposed to stay on the side we came in on.  When we went to the pool on the other side of the round pool, we ended up on the wrong side of the baths.  This is only a big deal because we needed to be on the side where we entered in order to access our lockers.  When we got to the end of the line, which included more showers and a dip in an ice cold pool, a female staffer turned us around.  I now realize that if we’d done the last part on the female side, we would have had to somehow get to the other side while naked.  Either way, we had to backtrack or else flash everyone in the public part of the building.

So, we turned around and walked back through the stations until we got to the men’s side.  We were greeted by the same big dudes with big hands, who wrapped us in warm towels and invited us to wait for the cream massage.  The same Russian guy who did my soap scrubbing took me to a private room, while Bill got a different German guy.  The Russian guy expertly rubbed herbal smelling cream all over my naked body.  Once again, I was strangely uninhibited.  He was very much an expert.  I left his care with skin like a newborn baby’s as he directed us to drink tea in the “reading room”.

Actually, we were supposed to go “sleep” for thirty minutes in the sleeping room, but to be honest, I was alright with skipping that part.  I doubt I would have slept, anyway.  Besides, it was just nice to relax on the lounger in the “reading room” with unsweetened hot tea and Bill at my side.  It was a very restful experience for me, although I will admit that it’s not for everyone.  I know many people would prefer not to bare their bodies to the world.  But, I have to say… now that I’ve gotten into nudity, it doesn’t really faze me at all anymore.  In fact, I find it quite liberating.  Maybe I’m more German than 23andMe says I am.

When we were finished relaxing at the Friedrichsbad, we went back to the locker room, got dressed, and went back to the hotel.  After a short break there, we packed up day bags with swimsuits, towels, and robes.  I wasn’t going to leave Baden-Baden without trying both of its best known spas.  Also, because we got the Luxury Plus ticket, we were owed a meal at the Caracalla spa.

The guy at the spa restaurant who waited on us was quite the smooth talker.  I noticed he was easily mingling in French, German, English, and even a little bit of Russian.  I was a little cranky because most of their beer was non-alcoholic.  In the restaurant, they do have wine and one “real” beer.  I ended up with a non-alcoholic hefeweizen, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great.  I also got a Coke because it came with our coupons.

I somehow ended up with a side of duck, which wasn’t covered by the coupon.  At least it tasted good.

Bill had a chef’s salad.

I had a “fruity” salad, which was made with shrimps, mangoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, and greens.  The bread was excellent.  It was soft and not too crusty.

 

After lunch, we tried the Caracalla Spa… and, I gotta say, I was much less impressed with it than any of the other spas I’ve been to.  First off, it was very crowded yesterday.  It’s also been around awhile, as evidenced by how everything looked.  The tiles were all faded and somewhat discolored.  The water looked a little bit cloudy.  I guess I’m used to the Mineraltherme, which was just extensively refurbished last year.

They were repairing the “blue grotto”, which probably would have been packed with people, anyway.  The only thing I really liked about the Caracalla Spa was this really cool current alley in one of the outdoor pools.  It was almost like shooting the rapids as it propelled spa-goers down a pass.  But we had to be careful not to be shot into someone standing on the side of the pool.  I think some people were oblivious to the danger of careening bodies in the strong currents.

As crowded as the Mineraltherme gets sometimes, at least their snack bars have wine and beer and really good food.  The one thing the Caracalla had that the Mineraltherme didn’t was fresh squeezed juices, which were admittedly delicious.  Bill and I tried their orange juice, which was nice after a couple of sauna sessions.  Other than that, I was not all that impressed with Caracalla.  I would much rather visit the Friedrichsbad again.  The Caracalla also has a saunagarten that costs extra, but it doesn’t have a nude pool.  Instead, there are a bunch of saunas and one whirlpool that was packed the whole time.  It wasn’t very relaxing at all.  We paid for three hours and left about halfway through.

When we were finished at the Caracalla Spa, we walked back to the hotel and I took a shower.  We enjoyed a rest after our big day of relaxing baths.  Actually, I was surprised by how tired I was after hitting two spas in one day.  As the sun went down, I told Bill that I wanted to have dinner somewhere, so we wouldn’t end up sitting around drinking wine.  We decided to try Rizzi & Co., which is a wine bar very close to the hotel.  I was glad to try it, because I had been eyeing the menu the whole time we were in town.  We were also lucky because they happened to have one two top open for us.  The next couple who showed up without a reservation was out of luck.

The menu looked good.

Obligatory menu shot of Bill…  We weren’t very hungry, so we went with something fairly light.

I had salmon filet with broccoli and a maple glaze.  I enjoyed the salmon, but especially liked the broccoli, which was really more like broccolini.  It was surprisingly tasty.  

Bill had rare tuna, served with chopsticks, soy sauce, and wasabi.  It was just the right size.  Naturally, we also enjoyed a very nice red wine.

The bar area was pretty cool, although they were playing dance music that made us feel ancient.  I think a lot of Russians frequent Rizzi & Co.  It looks like it caters to the young and hip.

For dessert, I had Le Colonel, which is lemon sorbet with a shot of vodka poured over it.

 

And Bill had vanilla mousse, which was covered with mangoes… I thought it looked like cream of corn soup!

It’s a very hip place.

Since we were told we had 90 minutes, we were quick about eating dinner.  I was ready to go to bed, anyway.  I think we were both out cold before 9:30pm.  In fact, I remember waking from a sound sleep at just past eleven for a potty break.  It’s exhausting trying to relax.  When we got back to the hotel, one of the receptionists said, “Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Crossen.”  That really blew Bill’s mind.  It’s something when the staff at a big hotel remembers your name.  It happened a few times during our visit.  I think it’s the hallmark of superb service.

This morning, we decided to have breakfast at the hotel.  We went back to the breakfast room and loaded up at the buffet and enjoyed the excellent coffee.  I was thinking maybe we wouldn’t have eggs again, but a very charming German gent, whose name was Friedrich and had probably worked there for awhile, charmed us into having scrambled eggs.  He indulged Bill’s German and also greeted him by name, without any prompting.  Maybe we were easy to remember since I don’t think there were too many Americans there during our visit.  We also had a shot of espresso for the road.

When it came time to check out, we were warmly welcomed by the same chap who had checked us in.  He was delighted when we gushed about our weekend and invited me to sign up for their email service/newsletter, which is free of charge and entitles us to perks like free breakfast (which is well worth it).  Since we’re moving to Wiesbaden and Wiesbaden isn’t all that far from Baden-Baden, I could see us coming back to Brenners Park, even if it is super expensive.  We really enjoyed ourselves and the service is absolutely top notch.  Of course, I’m not sure how we’re going to downgrade from a junior suite.  They’re probably counting on that!

I wondered what this was.  Bill showed me that it’s a coat rack.

Perfect scrambled eggs.  Better than the eggs at the bakery yesterday… and no one hocked a loogie.

This is Brenner Park’s resident cat, Kleopatra.  I never saw her, but we did see evidence of her presence.  Evidently, she eats on the second floor of the hotel, which is where we were staying.  Her food bowl and water were neatly laid out in the hall.

 

I think all told, we spent about 3.000 euros.  That included a couple of nights in the bar, a couple of breakfasts for two, two spa treatments, and parking for four days.  And yet, even though that’s a lot of money for us, we were both smiling as we got into the car to go home.  The hotel staff had kindly provided us with a small bag that included waters and snacks for our drive.  It was the kind of service Bill and I have experienced on luxury cruise lines, notably Hebridean Island Cruises, which costs a mint but offers stellar service.  If you’re interested in my Hebridean experiences, you can easily read about them in this blog.  We have sailed with them four times– in 2012 (back to back cruises, and written about on my main blog), 2016 (whisky cruise), and 2017 (Scotland and Northern Ireland).

A shot of the countryside on the way home.  This isn’t far from Seewald, which is not far from where we are living until next Tuesday.  Then, it’s off to Wiesbaden.

Anyway… so ends our very ritzy trip to nearby Baden-Baden.  We had a great time!  If we manage to make it back there, we will have to make a point of seeing and doing more in the area, which surely offers more than spas and shopping!  But then, Wiesbaden is a lot like a more cosmopolitan Baden-Baden.  So we’ll see…

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anecdotes

Going swimming in France? Bring your Speedos…

Behold, the Speedo…

Last year, as Bill and I were transitioning back into life in Germany, one of the women in the local Facebook group brought up the issue of swimming at public pools in France.  She and her husband had encountered what seemed like a strange rule at the swimming pool they visited in France.  Like many American men, this lady’s husband prefers to wear board shorts or trunks when he goes swimming.  However, if you go to a pool in France and you are a guy, chances are good that you will be required to wear what they call a maillot.  Maillot is the French term for swimsuit.  Great, you say– trunks are swimsuits, right?  Wrong.

Many public pools in France do not allow men to wear board shorts or trunks because they could be worn out on the street.  If you wear your shorts as streetwear and then jump in the pool, you risk contaminating the water with dirt, sweat, oil, sunblock or what have you.  So the close fitting maillot, which is typically available for rent if you don’t have one of your own, is required for hygiene purposes.  Now, that’s all well and good, except for the fact that wearing a used maillot still damp from the previous customer doesn’t seem all that hygienic either.  Besides, while you’re really not supposed to pee in the pool, lots of people do it anyway.  So much for hygiene.

Public pools in France also typically require swimmers to wear swim caps in order to prevent long hair from getting in the water.  Even bald men are required to comply with this rule, though curiously enough, it’s okay for people with beards to swim.  And lest you think women have an easier time with public swimming pool rules, I have it on good authority that women are also required to wear a bikini or an athletic style bathing suit.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t think you need to be wearing Speedos due to your physique.  It’s all about hygiene.  If you try to enter the water with your more modest swimming trunks, you are liable to be yelled at by a lifeguard and forced to change.  You will also need to take a shower with soap before you take your dip in a French pool.

Most men can’t rock a Speedo like the Hoff could back in the day…

Here in Germany, trunks and board shorts in public pools appear to be okay, unless you are headed to the sauna or textile free area.  At that point, you are required to be naked.  Nudity is not a big deal in Germany; in fact, there are a number of places where it’s perfectly acceptable to be naked in public.  Personally, I find the idea of public nudity kind of titillating, even though I don’t necessarily want people to see me naked.

Bill, on the other hand, is way too bashful to even consider the idea of being nude in front of strangers.  It was a struggle to get him to go skinny dipping with me when we had a pool in our backyard.  Once he did it, he enjoyed it.  But it took a lot of doing to get him to try it.  I am pretty certain he will never don a Speedo, no matter how inviting the pool looks or how much I plead with him.

We have been toying with the idea of visiting Baden-Baden, which is close to where we live.  There are beautiful spas in that town.  However, if you visit the historic Roman Baths at Friedrichsbad, you have to be naked.  Aside from that, the baths are also co-ed except on certain days.  It’s something I would love to try because I love spas.  At the same time, I’m still an American and being nude in front of people other than Bill makes me uncomfortable.  I suspect my discomfort with the idea of my being nude in front of others has more to do with my not wanting other people to judge my body.  Of course, if everybody’s naked, everybody runs the risk of being judged… and from what I’ve heard from locals, most folks just plain don’t care what your naked body looks like.

If I ever do manage to get Bill to do a nude bath at Friedrichsbad, my guess is that getting him into a Speedo might be a lot easier.  On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of wearing a bathing cap, so we may have to stick to beaches if we go swimming in France.

Here’s Rick Steves’ take on Baden-Baden, which includes a trip to the famous nude baths…

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