This area is a clothing-free, mixed-gender zone – there’s no separation of men and women as there would be at, for example, a public bath in Korea or Japan. In a separate area, accessible for an additional fee, will be a spa facility of saunas and heated pools. Recent years have seen a decline of nakedness in such outdoor settings, but the unadorned body is still the standard at bathhouses.Įach bathhouse, generally containing the German word bad (bath) in its name, will have a clothed area centred on a swimming pool, much like any municipal fitness centre. This open-minded attitude to the naked body started in the 19th century, when Scandinavian-style steam baths became popular then, in the late 20th century nudity became widely accepted on beaches, in city parks and on walking trails. The key to understanding the German bathhouse experience is the nation’s famously relaxed attitude to nudity, especially when associated with health.
Often housed within beautiful buildings from the art nouveau era or earlier, these public facilities are the perfect place to relax au naturel while sharing a healthy tradition with the locals.
But there’s one aspect of German culture that fewer travellers experience: its bathhouse tradition. Visitors to Germany have long admired its historic architecture, world-class museums, and excellent beer gardens.
