The Germans take their spa culture pretty seriously. In fact, Germany has one of the largest spa cultures in all of Europe, with over 900 spas registered across the country. Since Roman times, when the spa culture first developed, spas have been recognised for their healing properties and contribution to mental and physical health, so much so that the German healthcare system regularly subsidises treatments as a preventative measure against illness. Yep, you read that correctly. Tell your doctor that you’ve been experiencing headaches and anxiety from stress and you may very well be handed a prescription for a three-week retreat at a German spa as a medical ‘cure’.
Throughout German history, thermal springs have been used amongst all classes of the population for medicinal purposes. Over the years, this spa culture increased in popularity, commonly seen as vital to maintaining health. The specific manner in which this was to be enjoyed also developed alongside it.
Having lived in Europe now for almost 18 months, I had definitely become aware of the Freikörperkultur (free body culture) naturalist philosophy so common amongst Europeans. Many Europeans, and particularly Germans, find it incredibly joyful to experience relaxing activities nude. Think nude Swiss alpine hikers or sunbathing beach-going Scandinavians. Germans too are famously relaxed about public nudity and don’t immediately associate the naked body with sexuality, unlike many other cultures around the world. So when a trip to the Bad Harzburg Sole-Therme was organised as part of our girls’ getaway a couple of weeks ago, I knew exactly what to expect. Nakedness. A whole lot of it.
To be perfectly honest, the prospect of being naked amongst a whole group of strangers (let alone my co-workers!) made me hugely uncomfortable. Having been brought up in a culture where nudity isn’t celebrated and the naked body is highly sexualised (which, actually, is far from a good thing) meant that I would feel exceedingly embarrassed being exposed to the world like that. I just didn’t have the confidence. So I packed my bathing suit. I was determined to enjoy the spa in my own conservative way.
Inside a German spa:
I do have to admire the Germans for their relaxed, business as usual ways, even when completely exposed. But having personally never been anywhere remotely like this before, I have to admit that it was overall quite a confronting experience, even when I did not fully participate in their strange, customary behaviour. Here’s why:
1. There were no separate male and female change rooms. Everyone was lumped in the one area together, undressing side by side.
2. Everyone (except my group of friends and I) was stark naked.
3. Swimsuit-clad, we become the oddity. If you think that Germans stare a lot anyway, just wait until you step inside a traditional German spa covered up. We were different and difference gets noticed.
4. I have never seen so many penises in my life, just swinging around nonchalantly. Everywhere I looked there was another one. Where to look? Nowhere, it seemed, was safe.
5. The sheer number of brazilians was unfathomable. Not in terms of women; there’s nothing really unusual about that. But men! And old men! In their 70s! And hairy Turkish men with backs full of hair and not a strand ‘down there’! My head was spinning. I tried not to look but how could I not?
6. The men proudly swaggered around the complex, chests puffed, wagging their willies around for the world to see. There was a lot of strutting. They were pretty impressed with their immaculately groomed nether-regions, that was clear.
7. Bathing suits were permitted in one section of the thermal pool area. A haven of clothed, protected people. Some of the women in my company chose not to venture out of this area for the remainder of the day. They had already seen too much.
8. Bathing suits are forbidden in the saunas. Of course, there is German logic behind this rule. It is natural for your body to sweat and bathing suits inhibit this to some extent. Towels are allowed, as long as one is nude underneath. We didn’t abide by this rule of course. Not because we thought we were any better than the other spa-goers, but because we weren’t hurting anyone by covering up and if we didn’t feel comfortable, that should be respected, right?. Wrong. The Germans were visibly offended by our clothed bodies.
9. There is a very strict sauna etiquette and we were chastised by a grumpy, old, naked man about our lack of adherence to it. You see, we had sat in the incorrect manner with skin touching the wooden benches. A big no-no apparently. Not only did he tell us off, but he got up off his bench and walked directly over to us to do so. Brazilian and all. Willy wagging. Afterwards, in German, he communicated his offense to the other sauna goers, shaking his head, labelling us as ‘not German’ and accusing us of being on a ‘school trip’!
10. At one point, due to the crowded state of the sauna, a man casually wandered in and sat down directly next to me. There was not even 30 cm of space between us. I intensely felt the proximity of his bits, right there, right next to me. I like my personal space on a normal day, let alone in a naked, sweaty, mixed-gender sauna. I awkwardly got up and exited, searching for an emptier space.
Of course, I have no right to be offended by any of this. I’m in their territory. This isn’t my turf. My ideas and inhibitions aren’t appropriate here and I knew very well what I was getting myself into when I entered this building. Nonetheless, I felt a curious mix of intense awkwardness and a very real fear of losing myself in a childish fit of giggles at this whole experience.
In the end, I was happy that I gave the German spa a go, even if I did stay within the vague proximity of my comfort zone in not stripping off. I don’t know if I’ll be back anytime soon though. I think I’ve seen enough to last me a good while.
Want to know how to survive your first German spa experience? Read my German Spa SURVIVAL Guide!
Have you had an experience at a nude spa? I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below.
Love this post! Hilarious. I’ve tried the Turkish baths, and a few ‘clothed’ spas in Austria and Germany, but this ‘nude’ spa experience is one I think I have to try while in Germany, even if it is just for the giggles 🙂
Rachael, http://www.cumulusdiaries.com
It was intense Rach! Go for it you confident, brave woman! 😉
Of course you offend naked people when you are clothed. No one really stares, because there is nothing unusual to see but when someone not naked enters it feels like you are being watched. I think it is weird how it makes you uncomfortable to see naked men there. As a german male it doesn’t matter if there are Lots of men or young naked women, if someone is not chatting or being nice everyone takes care of his own business. It felt awkward as a teenager at first, but as an adult you already have Seen naked people and it is no big Deal.
Too funny - you had me giggling on the tram! All that willy wagging reminds me of this hilarious Michael McIntyre sketch you must watch https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dqDqrG7DyjU
That sketch is pretty much the German spa in a nutshell! Hilarious!!
Jess , you have no idea how often I had this MM exact same scene in my head whilst my first German sauna experience just a month ago. I moved recently over here and although I am European never occurred to me that the cultural shock would be this big ( not only talking about sauna)! But the sauna experience is beyond me, they get truly offended when someone doesn’t strip down, even towel gets the evil look.
It sure is different to back home Maria! But that’s all part of the adventure I guess!
Great, funny article Rach. The way you described it, it was almost like I was there. Hilarious!
Hehe thanks! It was an experience I won’t soon be forgetting! Glad you found it entertaining 😉
Hahahahaha, lol, can’t stop laughing, Rachel!! Yep, been there done that and agree that most of the time it’s not a good look of what is sitting opposite !! I haven’t been back after I saw that many ‘brazilianed male nether regions’ on the beaut island of Sylt it will now last me for a lifetime;)) therefore I prefer the steam rooms at least you are invisible ( to a certain extent!!) love your descriptions!! Hilarious , just about can visualise the horror on your lovely face. Pity, there are hardly ever great looking young Adonisis ‘ around, one wonders why???
Marion, I have a lot of respect for you Germans who are so casual about it all! Good suggestion about the steam room — maybe one day if I eventually regain some courage that might be a slightly more ‘private’ option! And what is with all of these male brazilians over here?! I am so confused!
I don’t mind getting naked with strangers when it’s the accepted thing in that country but I don’t want to get naked with my friends or family who I have to see all the time!
I agree Andrea! You could never really look at them the same way, could you? Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Rachel, I really like your blog 🙂 I’m just not so sure about the FKK “amongst Europeans”, I mean, I’m French and we do like spa but we’d NEVER go naked (same goes for Spain)! I believe it’s more typical for Germany and Northern Europe (I was really aware of this, hum, Freedom the first time I went to a lake in Berlin)! I probably giggled as much as you did! Have a nice Sunday!
Hi Anne-Laurie, thanks for your insight! You’re right — it probably is more of a northern European thing, but I do admire the way that a lot more Europeans are comfortable with their bodies than Australians are. Even sunbathing topless is something we would ever do back home! I’m sure you won’t forget your Berlin lake experience any time soon 😉 Have a great week! x
Hi Rachel,
i must say i was smiling reading Your text. My uncle once worked for the US army here in Germany and every now and then brought some friends over for the first “sauna experience”. It was always funny.
I do not know where You went, but Your observations really made my day, being so fixated on the one thing that for most Germans (at least for me) is the least important.
I can’t remember looking much at boobs (i am male) or spending much time considering “haircuts”. Neither do I know any friends who do.
There is just too much nakedness in the world to become aroused in a place like a sauna. And ….
At 100 degrees centigrade most of us are occupied trying to survive the heat or (later) feel just too relaxed (or exhausted) for any other hobbies 😉
Anyway….
I hope you DO try it again .. the next time just diving into the real thing.
Hi KM, I’m glad you found it entertaining! I went to a spa near Goslar in Germany. It’s very reassuring to hear you say how unfazed Germans are about being nude in public with one another. I do admire the attitude to nudity — it’s just not something I’m so accustomed to! Maybe I will end up giving it another go before I leave Berlin for good. Let’s see!
We were down at the river, in a jungle - like forest, my wife and me. Nudity allowed, tolerated. getting some thing from the faraway car and on my way back to our blankets an grouü of teens came along, the first one immediately stopping, the second one - without her glasses - not knowing why. Simpy, they were my students in school. It was a Sunday, Monday the teaching continued.
Iwas invited to partake in a seminary - we lodged in in alittle , fine “wellness” hotel. I was a little late. Down at the sauna our (female) guide -stark nude, what else - greeted me . “So , there you are at last ! and introduced me to three other women - srat nude - “May I - - - “. OK Then we sat in the sauna together. So what, and everybody practized decenbt behaviour.
I was invited by a German colleague of mine if I would like to experience German sauna culture. I said yes and until I reach change room I didn’t realize I need to be naked in the sauna! She did not mention it - later she said it was trivial. But I thought if a woman can be naked with me why I should be worried and decided just gave it a go. It was indeed a good experience except when during the sauna is charged by the sauna-master. Came across this blog when I check online if all sauna are naked or she just took me to the nude sauna. The nudity in sauna has nothing related to sex, I will go again but in winter.
Good on you Gautham! Glad to hear that you had a good experience and you want to go back! 🙂
I was invited by a friend to a Korean spa/sauna on my visit to Brisbane. I’ve been in spas & saunas before, but always with swimwear required. He said I didn’t need to take anything, everything would be provided, so I assumed he’d got me spare swimwear, but I packed my own anyway. When we got to the spa, the receptionist asked if we’d been before, and my mate said yes, so we were given towels and went to the men’s change rooms. While I was orienting, he’d stepped out of his sandals, pulled off his tee-shirt, then taken off his shorts and underwear in one action, and stood naked, all within about 30 seconds. He clearly had no intention of putting on a robe, or swimwear, or a towel. Looking around, nudity was clearly the norm & the expectation. I felt compromised & misled. He’d said there “could be some nudity” but that’s far from painting the scenario of 60 minutes in the nude together with a mate, and with several members of the general public! I’d checked the website & nothing had leapt out other than the ‘relaxing experience’, and photos of facilities when empty, including partitioned showers. Apparently, being traditional Korean or Japanese is enough to suggest nudity is required. I didn’t think this was an accidental oversight by my friend, so I felt deliberately misled & suspicious of the reasons why. So, what to do? .. either become indignant and say I’d wait for him outside, or pretend not to be phased by it and go with it? I started undressing while still making up my mind, which in itself effectively led to just going with it and stripping off, even though I’ve always felt an uncomfortable sense of double-nudity by being circumcised (which is a pretty uncommon practice the UK of my upbringing). Whether it’d been innocent or whether he got some kind of a kick out of it, I don’t know, but after the first 10 minutes it ended up as quite a liberating experience & also pretty relaxing!
Good story, one I can connect with. I’ve taken saunas nearly daily at the Y. Nobody cares in the men’s sauna how you’re dressed (naked, towel, shorts, bathing suit, full workout attire) or how you’re positioned (standing, sitting, lying down, various yoga poses). There are rules we care about (no cell phones, no alcohol, no water on the rocks). My first experience with a coed naked sauna was several years ago when traveling with my wife and our kids. We were in a sauna with a Canadian couple we’d met in the swimming pool. An Austrian walked in (we were in Vienna) and ordered us to remove our clothing. When we ignored him, he became even more cocky! I complained to hotel management and they backed him up, saying it was a naked area, and people who know where they are will know what the rules are.
I tried again in Munich a couple of years ago. Different story because I was ready. Except this time a German woman who was wearing a cosmetic mask (white face) yelled at me for sitting on the boards directly (same as your experience). She said I had to have towel. I hadn’t been able to find any. Of course, she had no problem using a pumice stone to scrape her dead skin cells off and share them with us. Hygiene? A Swede came in drinking a beer and mummified in a towel. The three of us ended up having a great long chat. The woman was an Eastern German nuturist who strongly suggested I visit one of their lakes.
I’ve written up these experiences in a story and so far had no luck getting it published. I paid one editor to read it and she responded by talking about how saunas can create so much weirdness and that I should take the story in a sexual direction. She was so totally wrong. My conclusion was this was her problem because she refused to get the whole point: it’s not a sexual thing at all. But what did it mean when that naturist woman said to me, “I could really use a beer about now” as the two of us were toweling off together?
I plan visits to Iceland and Berlin this winter. Two totally different cultures with very different notions of appropriate sauna etiquette.
In the last 30 years of experiencing sauna in Germany I never met someone with a face mask, pumice stone or even a bottle of beer. Please share with us where in Munich you have been in order to avoid such a strange place.
I’ve recently returned to the UK from a wonderful ski holiday in Bad Hofgastein. The town had a large wellness complex, the Alpentherme, if you look it up you will see there run Aufguss sauna sessions where you are given a bottle of ice cold beer, a true revelation and blissfully delicious. I enjoyed a couple as you may have guessed. I even performed an aufguss myself and that’s a true ‘when in Rome’ experience.
AHAHhA! O goosh! I lived in Stuttgart for one year and went to the spa quite a lot of times and it always was a disaster!!! I am Italian and we NEVER get naked. It was so horrible the first times! I managed to survive, but I always walked looking up up up in order not to see what was under there..
Such an adventure.
https://pandaonavespa.wordpress.com/
Haha! Well done for persisting Arianna!
In naturist circles this eloquent review of the German spa experience would be described as typically British! I too went to a spa in Germany; it had about 10 saunas, 8 steam rooms, 2 ice-cold plunge pools, 2 large relaxation rooms filled with about 50 reclining chairs, 2 outdoor areas (it was winter and certainly chilly with nothing on, but mostr refreshing after each sauna) and more besides. It was fantastic. For the first 10 or 15 minutes I felt a bit awkward being naked with others in public (so I empathise with the honourable reviewer’s comments), but the fantastic thing was that once those 15 minutes had elapsed, I felt liberated and free from the “British bias” of bashfulness. I think that had the reviewer been a little more adventurous, she too would have not felt this discomfort after only a few minutes. Yes, in the naturist world, you will be more looked at if you are clothed.
If you want to try out naturism without hauling yourself to mainland Europe, the UK has a wealth of similar naturist venues. The difference is that in most of the BN clubs, you need to contact them in advance and bring id along; all part of the UK’s child protection philosophy. Anyway, after my first German experience (and then again a few days later) I returned to England a new person. Now I visit as many naturist events as possible. Be wary though that there are 2 types: BN (British Naturism) clubs which are bonafied sex-free; and then a few non-BN establishments which may offer you more than you intend! However, if you attend the latter you do not have to engage in swinging activities in the private rooms to the sides if you want to be just a pure naturist. In addition there are many naturist beaches in the UK too, where sexual activity is certainly frowned upon (and illegal). There are also special charity events with themes like Cycling through London naked! So, Britain has its nudity too, but sadly not as prolific as in Germany. At least in Deutschland there is a good balance of both men and women naturists, but back at home the female proportion is lower, so many clubs try to encourage more female attendance, either by way of free (yes free!) entry or significantly reduced. In addition many have clothes-optional days to give newcomers a taste of the experience. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, its definitely a great way to relax and escape the throes of conventional life; and it’s surprisingly addictive too. So I wouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Well done to the reviewer for giving it a go. Maybe next time you will let go a bit more. We Brits are awfully prudish, don’t you know! Oh, and one more thing, any genuine naturist spa will insist that you sit on a towel. It is not considered hygienic to sit flesh to chair, or rather genitals to chair, in case of contracting some skin disease. So, that is why the German complained. Every venue has a code of conduct and etiquette for everyone’s personal safety and peaceful relaxation too. So if you do go, read up about it first. And for men out there worried about getting excited, well it doesn’t usually happen. If it does, just take a dip in the pool or cover up for a few minutes. Nobody’s watching anyway - unless they themselves are newbee novices, but they are easy to spot as they are blatantly dressed in a textile-free environment. Ironically, “textiles” (as naturists call people who wear costumes) will stand out like a sore thumb. If you want to be invisible, just take everything off! Then you are truly free. Check out the BN website for family safe naturism.
I’m sorry, but I really don’t get the problem.
Why is it such a big deal for an adult human being to be naked?
Everybody knows how a human body looks like.
I mean I get that in some cultures, nudity is viewed differently, but as an adult you should be able to overcome such cultural bigotry.
Hope I’m not offending anyone, just my opinion.
When in Germany, do as the Germans do. If you don’t fully partake then why bother?
That’s like going to a fine Chinese restaurant and ordering a cheeseburger and fries. Live a little.
Dear all,
me as a German I was laughing on your post. Many of your points, I can easily follow. I agree to a certain extend. I go to the German sauna quite regularly. And even me (as a man) sometimes hate the men walking around like a monkey with the willy wagging…. And to be honest, I never found out, if they simply don’t care about what other think about them, or if they just want to present their (in 99% of cases not really attractive) body.
Women are more respectful and they usually cover them self outside of the shower and steam room. But their body is usually not that much better, than the mens body. But to be honest, I have the strong feeling, that women take much more care of their body in any way…
This blog gives the impression, that the Germans run around naked in the sauna in a very rude way. And that they are naked everywhere. Basically you are supposed to cover your body with a bath-robe or at least a towel all the time, as long as you are not in the pool, the shower or in the steam room. Sometimes, when it is sun outside, it is accepted to lay in the sun naked for a sun bath.
I like the German way of dealing with nudity! I can not follow e.g. the big scandal about a naked breast in the US-TV! At the same time they show war, killing of people and so on. In Germany the people just laughed about, what the US make out of the naked breasts in TV….
I think, that nudity in some areas (where it makes sense) should be what it is: Something natural. And if you go to a German sauna and you see a wagging willy, just laugh and look the other way! Or maybe enjoy a bit the beauty of (some) bodies.
I found it not respectful, that you did not stripped. Be sure, that many people in Germany does not get naked that easily too! They feel uncomfortable too! And even more, if people watch them wearing a swim suit or a towel all the time! And for sure, the last the Germans want are voyeurs in the sauna, that laughing about them and write in a blog, how many penises waggled around. By the way: womens breasts are not always so tight, that they does not start wagging too!
So please: Relax, just don’t care and enjoy the German sauna! It can be a real relaxing experience! Take a book with you, drink a tea, enjoy the hot steam room, the fresh air outside. Have a nap and do your own thing. And stop thinking about the others…..
Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts, Olaf!
Hi !
Wonderfully English! I wonder what you might make of our life in Spain. Since late Spring we have not worn a stitch of clothing in the house or in the garden and pool. It does help that we are in El Campo and our neighbours are about 5 acres away, but the Spanish are totally unconcerned. Having adopted the naturist lifestyle about 30 years ago I have observed that naturists don’t see other naturists as naked (even when they are). They communicate by eye to eye contact and notice other people’s eye colours or hair length. Other people’s private bits stay private, even when naked. Its just a case of where are you at in your mind. If you are stuck in a sex rut you have a problem because naked bits will always equal sex. Its just the way the mind works; for some its a mine-field of traps within traps. Trying to justify them just digs a deeper hole. Freedom is to be had but it has to be looked for.
Thanks so much for your comment — it’s great to hear a naturist’s perspective!
Were you able to conquer your fears and go back for the authentic experience, sans swimsuit?
Haha no Sebastian, I never stepped foot in another German spa again!
I just invited an American friend to an Austrian spa that is how I came across your article, because I’m not sure how well he will tolerate the public nudity.
I would like to explain some points from the Austria point of view which in this respect is probably very close to the German one.
Austrians do realize that the mixed nude sauna is uncommon in the world. We like our sauna and we have loads of tourists from many different countries. If we don’t protect the nudity, we will loose it. Aside from the hygiene that is certainly one reason why we can react harsh and sometimes unfriendly in this respect.
Another aspect is that if everybody is naked, everybody is equal, it is a relaxed situation. If people come in dressed, they stand out. This is awkward then for both the dressed and the naked ones. I think there is really nothing in between, either everybody is naked, or nobody.
The “towel under every part of your body rule” is really important in the wooden saunas. That is why people get upset about it, which certainly can be embarrassing for the one who is caught not obeying the rules. It would be disgusting for the next person having to sit in your sweat, and the sweat can cause stains.
Let’s see if I can convince my friend to join in…
Fair play, Martin! Thanks for taking the time to comment and explain the sauna culture. Have a great time with your American friend!