What is it with me and naked bath houses?!

So on a cold Sunday afternoon, I decided the perfect indulgent activity would be to visit ‘Nordbad’ a traditional German bathhouse not far from where I live. It’s an impressive looking building...

I opted to visit the ‘sauna’ area but there is a whole swimming pool section, including outdoors.

I spotted a map of the impressive sauna facilities and then headed inside. From here-on there are no photos...(but you can see a panoramic photo on their website)

Essentially you walk into a changing room, which I quickly realised was mixed. Having slipped into my bikini and taken out my contact lenses, I then made my (visually-impaired) way to the sauna area. There are a number of different rooms, plunge pools, hot tub, showers and even outdoor area.

Heat-wise there is a large Finnish sauna and outdoor sauna (both around 95'C), a steam bath (approx 45'C) plus a three-room sanarium. The three different rooms are: low-temperature coloured light room (the light changes every four minutes); the crystal sauna (approx 55'C with a large 'crystal' rock in the middle oven); and the aqua-viva level room (approx 65'C filled with the sounds of birds and waterfalls).

Lots of people were lounging around reading papers in towels / dressing gowns / nothing! I went into a steam room where my vision was even more impaired and was slightly alarmed by some naked lunging men (!) but comforted by the presence of a few ladies around. Then I headed towards another sauna room but then was interrupted by a man talking to me in German....he then explained in English that it is ‘forbidden’ to wear swimmers in the saunas. Oops...the germans don’t like rule-breakers! So I hurried back to the changing rooms to discard my ‘offensive’ items of clothing and then headed back to embrace the nakedness! This time I visited the outside room first to kick off my new 'circuit', finishing in the relaxing crystal room.

Sunday 23 March 2014