Did you know that Germany is filled with spas? When we moved abroad, we had no idea! After exploring our host city, we discovered that our new home, Wiesbaden, was famous for being a spa city in ancient Roman times. Upon further exploration, we discovered that not only is Germany filled with ancient spa towns, but that these spas follow Roman bathhouse rules… meaning guests bathe communally in their skivvies. While this may sound scary to those of us from the United States, this is a fairly common practice around the world (especially Europe). This year, we decided to finally take the plunge and experience a European spa… in true European fashion (aka nakey). Want to take a trip? Continue on for a full guide to Wiesbaden’s Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme.
Bathhouse Etiquette
Do not stare or purposely look at other people (especially their privates). This breaks etiquette & guests can report you. If you notice a guest watching you or acting in an inappropriate manner, report it immediately to staff members. They will remove the patron.
Follow signs indicating the entrances & exits of each pool. Do not be the guest who walks out of the baths via the entrance instead of the exit.
Bathhouses are not pools and should not be treated as such. This experience is meant to be relaxing and guests do not want you cannonballing into the baths. Calmly enter each area of the bathhouse without creating any over-the-top ruckus.
Do not hold conversations in the saunas. These are areas that should remain quiet. Many of the saunas are intimate in size and guests should be mindful of others who wish to relax. Additionally, some rooms have acoustics, such as dripping water, that are intended to aid guests in relaxation.
If you are visiting with your partner, avoid engaging in any overly intimate activities. Holding hands, sitting closely beside each other and laying your heads on each other’s shoulders are gestures that are generally allowed (in most bathhouses). As you are not wearing a bathing suit, more intimate gestures should be reserved for your home. Avoid sitting in each other’s laps, embracing one another, and so on.
Textile Free Therme
Wiesbaden’s spa, Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme, is categorized as ‘textile-free’ on their website. You may be wondering, “What does ‘textile-free’ mean?” Essentially, a ‘textile-free’ bathhouse is one that does not allow guests to wear bathing suits or clothing during their stay. To put it plainly, once you pass check-in, all guests are in their birthday suits.
For some of you, this information may be where you stop reading this blog with a hard, “Nope!” I won’t lie, I was pretty apprehensive about going ‘textile-free’ with a bunch of strangers too. After visiting, however, I’ve come to realize that this isn’t an awkward experience at all. No one was looking at me. No one cared that we were walking around ‘Full Monty.’ Most importantly, I realized that these spas are a normal cultural experience for many Europeans.
Still not interested in visiting a ‘textile-free’ spa? Every Thursday, Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme offers a Textiltag. This day allows guests to enter the bathhouse while wearing a bathing suit.
UPDATE: ‘Textiltag‘ has been postponed for the forseeable future. This means no bathing suit days are currently offered at Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme.
Want to try out the ‘textile-free’ experience, but you’re worried about the bathhouse being coed (male and females)? Every Tuesday, Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme offers a damensaunatag. This day allows only females to enter the bathhouse, but the experience is still ‘textile-free.’
Important Note: Wiesbaden’s Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme is a coed (male and female) bathhouse.
What to Bring
In preparation for your trip, you will want to pack a bag with all your spa essentials. Here are my recommendations:
- Towel
- Robe optional
- Flip flops, water sandals or crocs
- Shower gel
- Bag to carry your items
- Hairband (you may want to tie your hair up in some of the pools)
- Water Bottle (To drink and cool down)
- Tip: some guests like to use AirPods to enjoy music during their visit
What Not to Bring
Now that you know what to bring, here are the items you should leave at home:
- Bathing suit (Not allowed unless it is ‘Textiltag‘ which is currently postponed.)
- Phone (Leave in your locker. There are no pictures/videos allowed.)
- Camera / Video Device (Leave at home. There are no pictures/videos allowed.)
Are Children Allowed?
Guests must be 16 years of age or older to enter the Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme.
Location and History
Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme is located in the heart of downtown Wiesbaden. Historically, Wiesbaden was a famous Roman spa town. As a tribute to this, the current bathhouse was built on the foundation of an ancient Roman spa. To honor this history, Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme features rooms decorated with elaborate ornaments and columns (similar to that of Roman times).
There are two main entrances to the Therme grounds. During peak season, guests can follow the path located just behind the restaurant, Thai-Express (Click here for navigation).
During the off-season, however, this entrance path is sometimes gated and locked. If this is the case, walk up the street to the backside of the Restaurant called, ALEX Wiesbaden (Click here for navigation). There will be a metal gate that may appear closed, but just push the handle to open it.
Check-in
Once you enter the bathhouse, head directly to the desk at your right. To expedite your check-in process, prepurchase your tickets here. If there is availability, however, you can purchase tickets at the desk.
At check-in, you will be provided with a wristband that grants access to your locker in the changing rooms. Additionally, you can purchase items you may have forgotten, such as a towel or shower gel.
Tip: Have your covid documentation and ID ready for check-in.
Lockers / Changing Rooms
After check-in, head to your right and enter the changing rooms. Inside the changing area, you will find countless lockers to choose from. Pick any locker you like and get changed.
While most of this area lacks benches, there are a few open-door changing stalls that you can take a seat in. Once you have changed into your skippies, make sure you secure your personal items inside a locker. To do this, push the locker’s grey circular button in with your wristband and hold it there for a moment. When you pull your wristband away, the grey button should remain down (which means the locker is closed). You can open and close this locker an unlimited number of times with your wristband.
Now that your items are locked away, head straight to the showers (through the changing room’s back doorway). Take only your towel/robe, sandals and shower gel to this area.
Always Shower First
Per bathhouse rules, guests are required to shower before entering the spa area. This is common practice throughout Europe for not only spas, but for hot springs, pools and other communal water activities. Remember to pack body soap, but you can skip shampoo and conditioner as you are only required to rinse your hair.
Cafe
After showering, walk down the short hallway that leads into the Gastronomy area. This is essentially a small cafe where guests can purchase drinks or snacks during their visit. I would recommend wearing your towel/robe as you walk into this area, but you can also walk around freely if you like.
To reach the bathhouse itself, continue through the Gastronomy area and you will see a large entryway that leads to all of the saunas and baths. To your right, you will find glass cubbies to store your items.
Saunas
There are six sauna rooms at the Therme:
- When you first enter the bathing area, there are two saunas to your left:
- Sanarium – This sauna utilizes essential oils and features changing colored lights. Inside, guests will find various headrests to utilize while they lay on the tiered steps.
- Finnische Sauna – With 25% humidity and temperatures ranging from 85° C to 90° C, this sauna is quite relaxing. At the start of every hour, an infusion also takes place.
- To the right of the main entrance hall, there are two saunas:
- Tepidarium & Sudatorium – These saunas are connected in the same enclosed room, but vary slightly in temperature. Guests will first enter the Tepidarium and then progress further into the Sudatorium. The Tepidarium is slightly cooler than the Sudatorium, but both rooms are dry air saunas.
- Progressing past the main bathing pool, guests will locate two saunas to their right:
- Russisches Dampfbad – This sauna is a saltwater steam room. Personally, this is our favorite sauna to relax in. The room is very steamy, warm and it has a great sea salt smell. An added bonus is how private the room feels. Due to the heavy steam, which means low visibility, guests feel more secluded.
- Steindampfbad – This sauna is a traditional stone steam bath. I enjoy this sauna because of its unique steam feature. Every couple of minutes, a large basket of hot stones is lifted and then submerged into cold water to produce steam. I highly recommend waiting inside the sauna to view one of the stone basket rotations.
Click here and scroll to view pictures of the various saunas, baths and water features.
Water Features and Baths
- Lavacrum – As guests first enter the bathhouse area, they will find a deep tiled basin of freezing cold water to their right. This teal pool is known as a ‘plunge pool.’ Guests are intended to submerge themselves in the freezing water and breath deeply before they begin their rotation through the spa stations. Think of it as a polar plunge experience because it is very cold.
- Tropischer Eisregen – This water fountain feature is located between the Sanarium and the Finnische Sauna. At this fountain, freezing water mixed with ice crystals pours from spouts that are purposely located at shoulder and knee height. This feature aims to offer a tingling refreshment for guests’ joints.
- Kaltwasserbacken -The most recognizable pool in the bathhouse is the Kaltwasserbacken. This is the main pool that you see featured on the Therme website. Surprisingly to us, the pool is not warm or heated. Instead, the bath is about the same temperature as a normal swimming pool. After you have spent some time in the saunas, this cooling pool will feel amazing. If you want to warm up, however, exit the main pool and enter the smaller heated pool that is behind it.
- Thermalsitzbecken – Our favorite bathing area is hands down the Thermalsitzbecken. Made up of two separate baths that are fed by Wiesbaden’s thermal spring water, these pools are incredibly relaxing. Out of the two baths, we favor the left pool which has jets that massage your back. The right bath, however, will be your preference if you enjoy more gentle, bubbling jets.
Relaxation Areas
Continuing past the Thermalsitzbecken, you will enter a relaxation area with three room options:
- Frigidarium & Ruhezone – These rooms are essentially cooled, quiet areas where guests can relax in comfortable chairs. The Frigidarium and the Ruhezone are well-lit and appropriate for napping. Many guests utilize this area for reading as well.
- Lumenarium – Out of the relaxation rooms, the Lumenarium was our favorite. While the previously mentioned relaxation rooms are well-lit, this room is dimmed and has color-changing lights that simulate stars.
Drinking Area
During our stay, we noticed a spiraled staircase in the center of the spa’s cafe that appeared to lead to a lower level. We weren’t entirely sure what would await us at the bottom, but we opted to check it out. Turns out, this area is adorned with a small fountain from which guests can drink. This Trinkstelle is fed with thermal water from a large, nearby spring. The water itself is believed to have healing properties and guests are encouraged to take a drink.
Toilets
Toilets are located inside the bathhouse and near the changing rooms. If you have difficulty locating the toilets, look for a ‘WC’ sign or ask an attendant.
Optional Massages
Want to take your spa day to the next level? Book a relaxing massage with the facility. Guests can prebook their massage or purchase a time upon check-in. While we opted to skip massages this time, some of our friends have visited and enjoyed their massage experience. Click here to read their current offers.
How to save money
As travelers, we are always looking to save some cash. If you are able to visit during the week, I would recommend doing so. Not only is the crowd smaller, but prices are generally lower Monday through Friday as well. While visiting, guests can additionally cut costs by skipping rentals to bring their own towels, robes, shower gel and footwear.
COVID-19 Regulations
As Germany’s rules are ever-changing, I recommend consulting the facility’s website for current COVID-19 regulations. During our visit, masks were only required during check-in. After check-in and COVID-19 documentation verification, guests could remove their masks in the changing room and enjoy the bathhouse mask free. Due to COVID-19, there are only a select number of tickets allowed to be sold per daily time slot. For this reason, I recommend pre-booking your tickets online.
