Baden-Baden - Relaxation? You Bet!

Baden – Baden, it means bath-bath, and if you’ve been to Bath in the UK you’ll know what you are going to get. Just twice over.

It is a beautiful little spa town on the edge of the Black Forest which, like its English namesake, was out of reach of the enemy bombers in the war, and has a delightful array of preserved architecture from the 19th century.

The thermal baths experience comes from three distinct eras. There are ruins from the original Roman baths to look around, situated below the older of the two active spas. The Friedrichsbad is a Roman-Irish Bath dating from 1877. The Caracalla Spa is an altogether more modern building that has a series of large interlinked thermal pools running indoors and out. Also there is a gym and a superbly equipped ‘Saunaworld’ with at least 9 saunas and steam rooms of varying intensity.

Another unmissable experience is the Casino. It is pure, unadulterated Eurotrash glamour. It was one of the first casinos in Europe, and apparently Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote ‘The Gambler’ in part in Baden-Baden whilst in town.

I usually visit in December to take advantage of the Christmas Market, which while small(ish) by German standards, is a very pleasant way to spend an evening, especially if you are there when Santa Claus arrives by hot air balloon (really!) and distributes presents to the children of the town.

The town itself carries an air of barely concealed wealth and faded glamour; the shops are largely boutiques and designer outlets filled with orange women in fur coats. There is a distinct sense of old style European aristocracy about the place. Not for nothing were the spoiled millionaires of the England football team based here, with their wives and girlfriends, for the duration of the 2006 World Cup.

There is a major international horse racing meeting at the local course that takes place around the end of August culminating with a grand ball at the Kurhaus which is the highlight of the social calendar.

For the more active Mount Merkur is nearby which you can climb and look out across the town. There are walking and cycling trails to the peak, or for the chronically lazy like me, a funicular railway that takes you all the way up. A morning trip to the bracing peak is ideal preparation for an afternoon of pampering in the spas.

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I have stayed here on my first two trips to Baden-Baden, it doesn't have especially modern decor but the facilities are exactly what you would expect for a mid-price town centre hotel.

Price wise, I have always opted for one of the special promotional 'arrangements' that can be booked through the town website. Typically this entails a couple of nights accommodation, dinner at the attached restaurant, Der Prager Stuben, which specializes in Czech cuisine, breakfast at the same each morning (the BEST scrambled eggs in the world - ever. This is no exaggeration.). You also get a free entrance to the Casino, unmissable by the way, see my review and reduced price admission to both sets of thermal baths.

The hotel is clean and well run but has an old-fashioned atmosphere. I don't mean this in a negative way, it is very traditional but a little stuffy. Interestingly there are no minibars in the rooms, but there are fridges with beer, soft drinks and water on each floor which are declared on an honesty basis when you check out. It's a nice system which I wouldn't want to cheat on. There is no bar area though except in the restaurant, so nowhere really to relax in the hotel outside of your room.

Both rooms there have overlooked the street, but with double glazing on all aspects, you aren't bothered by this.

The best thing about the hotel is its proximity to the spas. As its name suggests it is right opposite the Friedrichsbad Spa, and about 200 metres from the Caracalla Spa. Although in all honesty the town centre is fairly small and as long as you are in the town itself you are rarely more than a fifteen minutes walk from anywhere important.

Situated in Jesuitenplatz, at the very heart of the Spa Quarter in Baden-Baden, and overlooked by a splendid imposing statue of Otto van Bismarck, that looks like something from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hotel zum Goldenen Lowen is just about as authentically German as you can get.

So German, that you would be forgiven for thinking initially that you were in some sort of cheesy theme pub come lodging house. But it is not. The attached bar and restaurant is very heavily patronised by the local community who doubtless appreciate the lederhosen and other items of national dress, and the extensive and distinctive German fare on offer.

Jesuitenplatz is transformed at Christmas to a grotto with Santas all over the hotel and its sister the Hotel Laterne across the way. The raised beer garden outside the bar is festooned with lights and inflatable snowmen. In it the proverbial winter wonderland. It is in fact almost a cliché to walk in out of the cold crisp air to the inside of the bar and hotel which is styled in an approximation of a traditional alpine lodge with roaring fires and pine throughout. At every turn there are ruddy faced men, with marvellous moustaches and enormous steins.

The hotel itself has been recently refurbished (in 2003), and our room was like a mini suite with a separate bedroom and living area, complete with fridge and sofa. The décor and furniture was very modern and had the air of posh Ikea design about it. The room was immaculately maintained while we were there and a snip at 115 euros for the weekend. This was one of the deals that are advertised on the Baden-Baden town website, which offers reduced price stays plus a bunch of other goodies. Our package included afternoon tea at a café across the square (which was also where the very good continental breakfast buffet was served each morning), dinner and a bottle of wine at their sister hotel, the Laterne, free admission to the Casino and to the municipal swimming baths (not the Thermal Baths).

In terms of value, location and service, which was perfect, I can recommend this hotel very highly. You really will experience the fabled German hospitality, in an authentic atmosphere.

We will stay here again. It’s as simple as that.

The casino in Baden-Baden must not be missed if you are in town. It is exactly what all casinos look like in your minds eye. This is not the dull, almost corporate world of modern casinos; it is not like Las Vegas. This is very much the casino of the super-spy. This is where James Bond orders his Martinis, whilst simultaneously winning at baccarat and seducing glamorous women.

The décor is that deep deep red, in the walls and the lush velvet. There are huge works of art in gilded frames and no ordinary pillars, everything is ornate. The customers are of the finest EuroTrash. The only reason that they haven’t all come direct from their yachts is that the town is landlocked. Palls of cigar smoke hang in the air across the many and various gaming tables and thousands and thousands of Euros change hands on the turn of a card.

This may not be the place of your dreams, for there is much to be criticised in what is a nightly orgy of conspicuous consumption, but it is the casino of your imagination.

Some things you might need to know: you will need to take a passport or Photo ID of some kind to be given a temporary membership. Unlike UK casinos these formalities can be completed on the day of your visit. Gentlemen need to wear a jacket and tie, these are available for hire from the front of house, but you will look a little like the boy who forgot his gym gear and was kitted out from the school laundry.

It all sounds very exclusive and expensive, but really it’s not. There are, amongst the dozen or so roulette tables, a few with a minimum stake of just €2. In addition there is the standard range of blackjack, baccarat, and poker. I don’t remember seeing any craps and there are no slots. There is a separate ‘electric’ casino in the basement that covers these bases.

I usually set myself a strict limit of €40 for the evening (and believe me I am a keen gambler) and when that’s gone, there’s more than enough scope for just kicking back and people watching.

Completing the picture there is a lovely champagne and piano bar where the high rollers go to give back to the casino all the money they have just won at the tables, or to drink away their losses. Again, even here it is not prohibitively expensive. As I recall two glasses of champagne came to just 9 euros last time I was there. This is surprising given the obvious wealth of many of the patrons.

There are guided tours available during the day when the casino itself is not operating but I would recommend a night visit. Even if you spend no more than the entrance fee and just go for the people watching and to look at the opulent rooms, it’s worth it. A fabulous experience.

If you’ve looked at my profile, you’ll see that I am on a world tour of nudie spas. Well this is the place that kicked it all off.

Even if you think that you are too shy or too prudish to go, bear with me (or is that bare with me?) and I will try to convince you to cast your cares aside with your clothes and enjoy some utter relaxation.

The Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden is an absolute treasure. It is styled as a Roman-Irish baths, the Irish being the first stages of large rooms of hot air, followed by the Roman baths in natural thermal waters. The building itself dates from 1877 and has clearly been restored fairly recently, but done cleverly so that the original tiling features and huge mosaics blend perfectly with some trompe l’oeil painting on the walls in an approximation of an original Roman style.

The best way to describe the sensations on offer is to relate the strict 16-stage regimen that you will experience.

Initially males and females have their own entrance and changing rooms. In here you will be expected to strip down to nothing and present yourself to the attendant who will issue you with a cotton sheet and a pair of plastic sandals. This will be the most you will be dressed for the next 3 hours or so.

At each stage of the process there are clear multilingual instructions on the wall detailing the instructions and precise duration of each part. The attendant will accompany you to (stage 1) a deluge shower where you get yourself properly clean for the imminent regime. The sign on the wall says 5 minutes, but no-ones keeping a clock on you. I could stay there all day though. Following the arrow you come to (2) a warm air bath at 54c (129f) in a large room where you lay on your sheet on a wooden day bed. In here the heat comes from through the tiled floor which explains the need for the sandals, after 15 minutes you move into (3) a similar smaller room at 68c (154f) for just 5 minutes. There are drinking taps throughout by the way. Onto (4) a deluge shower to wash away the impurities that are starting you leave your body. The next steps are optional and cost a little extra (€8) but well worth it.

There a may be a slight wait (5) as a masseur becomes available (always same sex) to deliver a soap and brush massage. This is the most astonishingly invigorating thing, a good quality deep massage head to toe in soap followed by a going over with what feels like a scouring pad. I cannot begin to describe how good it feels as your skin, fresh from the heat tingles all over. This is the point at which you will leave your sandals and cotton sheet behind. If you’ve opted for the massage it will be covered in soap and saturated anyway. As you stand in the (6) shower again you feel reborn, and for the rest of your visit you will be as naked and fresh as the day you were.

Through the door lies (7) the first steam bath at 45c (113f) and then (8) a further one at 48c (119f). Although nominally this section is still single sex, men will often find that women will join them in this room. I am reliably informed that it is better than the ‘women’s side’, which at this stage is definitely not co-ed. Both rooms actually have one wall as the hillside, and the thermal waters feed direct in to the room and down the walls.

Into the thermal baths proper, for the men this will always be mixed, although for ladies this can be experienced single sex on some days. The next stage (9) is a large Thermal bath, 5 metres long and 36c (97f) which is gorgeous. This is normally where I meet up with my partner again, around a hour in to the treatment. Onwards to (10) the aerated thermal bath at 34c (93f) and 8m by 6m. Although silence is encouraged at all points around the treatment, here there tends to be a great murmuring as reunited partners discuss how fabulous it all is. Up to 30 people tend to share this bath at once. Sometimes you can even see it occur to people all of a sudden – ‘we’re all nude!’

I promise you, you will have hardly noticed. It is so germane to the process and the process develops so organically, that even if you do feel even slightly self-conscious initially, this disappears very quickly. You will see all sizes and ages all together in the altogether, and it’s fine.

The final shared experience is in the most spectacular room of all (11) the superb cold, well at 28c (82f) it seems cold after all that heat, 7m diameter circular Kino therapeutic bath below a fabulous domed ceiling. This feels like how it must have been for the Romans. You half expect a eunuch to be waiting at the side to feed you grapes.
You are given between 3 and 3 ½ hours at the Friedrichsbad, depending on whether you have had a massage, and my partner and I tend to repeat stages 7 to 11 a few times because a) you can and b) it’s so damn good. I could stay there all day, wallowing in the warm water, floating, relaxing and feeling really, really clean.

When you have had your fill it is back to the (12) deluge shower to clean away any stray minerals and then into the ultra cold immersion bath (13) to close up all those pores. Only for the brave that, I see many people skip it. Then onto the pampering - warm towels (14) and (15) moisturising in front of full length mirrors followed by the coup de grace. You will feel like you can’t get any more relaxed when you are (16) wrapped in a warm blanket and lain on a bed in a pitch black room where you rest for 30 minutes. There is much oversleeping going on in here. It’s my partners favourite section and really does top off the relaxation aspect. I can never fully relax in there because you have to lay on your back and I worry too much that I’ll snore.

Anyway, it is my favourite thing in the whole world.

Forget any inhibitions you may have. Just do it.

Of the two main thermal baths in Baden-Baden, the Caracalla Spa is much the more modern. The building is dominated by a massive glass rotunda with a domed roof that houses the large indoor thermal pool.

On arrival, you pay for a session of pre-defined length, usually 2, 3 or 4 hours. If, like me, you end up staying much longer you simply pay a little extra on exit in the automatic machine (so ensure that you have a few euros with you just in case).

The main indoor pool has a sloped access, like walking into the sea. There is plenty of space in here for getting a bit of speed up and getting the heart going in the warm water, but you can’t really do a laps regime. Around the edge are several (I’m sure they’ve got a proper name but I’ll be jiggered if I know what it is) high velocity neck showers. There are also two smaller circular pools with varying strengths of water jet in for a mini-Jacuzzi. This part of the building also contains a solarium area with low strength tanning bulbs, a couple of steam rooms and a very hot pool, alongside an ice cold one. Switching quickly between the two does wonders for your skin.

From indoors you can also access the outdoor pools area. This is ideal for the winter time when you can get to the chilly bit without exposing your wet skin to the elements. Out here in this first pool are about twenty bubbling seats of differing strength and reclining angle. Some of the stronger jets combined with the more recumbent position mean that you spend an awful lot of time trying to stay in one spot. In the centre is a very, very strong whirlpool that comes on every ten minutes that you have to stand in and hold on tight to the sides to avoid being thrashed around. Wonderful isotonic exercise.

The second pool outdoors (you have to be out of the water momentarily has a couple of lovely warm spa pools in it, and a vigorous counter current section to practice your stroke against, though most people go with the current and try to travel the farthest doing the least work.

The outdoor pools are surrounded by a large lawn which I am assured is used extensively for sunbathing, although as a regular December visitor I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone catching any rays.

Back in the main building, up a spiral staircase from the pool area is the ‘Roman Saunascape’. This is a very well equipped zone which is compulsorily nude throughout. It is acceptable to wear a robe between rooms or cover yourself with a towel. You will be quickly told however if you try to keep your swimming costume on.

There are five different saunas indoors of varying heat and specialities (i.e. crystal, traditional Finnish, aroma) and two splendid log cabin saunas outside which are very hot indeed. Also indoors there is a steam room, a whirlpool bath, several ice cold plunge pools, eight heated day beds, two proper capsule solaria, and a low-strength tanning area. There are also a few foot baths, and, again more for the summer, a naturist sunbathing terrace. Oh, and a relaxation room with subdued lighting and chill-out music, and a juice bar for all important re-hydration. I think that just about covers everything.

There is a big gym on the floor above too, but I’ve never been there – I am more into pampering my body rather than punishing it

You may guess from the comprehensive rundown of the facilities that this is my favourite area of the spa. I often overstay the four hours on my ticket as I move from sauna to whirlpool to steam bath.

If you are in Baden-Baden over the weekend, a visit to the Caracalla Spa in the early afternoon will set you up beautifully for a night out around the town.