Munich: When you take an American to a German Sauna

My first experience in a German sauna was an intimidating one, but I am a survivor. Not only that, but I am a changed woman, and you could be too! You might be thinking: “Gosh, what is so intimidating about a sauna? What could go wrong?”, so let me clarify something. You don’t wear clothes in a German sauna. No swimsuit. No underwear. In fact, it’s often not even allowed. If you were raised in a more conservative culture, such as myself, this can come as a bit of a shock. It has also been normalized in German culture to spend several hours (even a full day) at a sauna, which seemed like a ridiculously long time to me. If my sister hadn't encouraged me to try it, I probably would have chickened out, but I wanted to embrace the culture of Germany and this was evidently a crucial part of it. I did some research into saunas in Munich (which can be found attached to most swimming pools), and found that the sauna at Nordbad Pool had a “Ladies Day” on Wednesday. Figuring this would be a good way to ease myself into the experience, I biked over there with only a towel, robe, water bottle and book, and sent up a prayer.

Here is what I was afraid of:

1. Not knowing how to navigate the sauna area and getting lost (while naked)

2. Getting stared at or (worse) spoken to or (even worse) spoken to in German (while naked)

3. Committing a sauna faux pas and getting weird looks (while naked)

4. Committing a sauna faux pas and getting yelled at (while naked)

5. Passing out from the heat (while naked)

I will save you the suspense and let you know right now that none of those things happened (yay!). It took me a second to figure out how the locker and key cards worked, but I was eventually undressed, wrapped in a robe and ready to begin my sauna experience.

The sauna area was laid out like a pool deck with lounge chairs lining the walls. In one corner, there was a table with tubs installed at the foot of each chair surrounding it, meant for soaking your feet. Two dip pools filled the center of the space, one with warm water and one with cold water. Next to the pools was an open shower area with multiple heads for rinsing off, and against the far walls were three sauna rooms. The first room was 45° C (113° F) with lights that rotated color (red, blue, yellow, green) with the intention of providing different light therapies. The second room was two tiered, the lower room sitting at 55° C (130°F) and the upper level at 65° C (150°F), with a large crystal in the center that reflected light across the space. The room was filled with nature sounds (a babbling brook, bird calls, etc.) and seemed to be infused with essential oils. The third room was set at 92°C (198°F) with dim lighting, presumably so you could focus entirely on continuing to breathe while being smothered by smoldering, bone-dry air.

The Process:

*Disclaimer: this is just how I chose to do my sauna experience, based on things I read and my own observations, but I am sure there are other opinions or methods*

1. Shower thoroughly

2. Enter your first sauna and sit (or lay) for no longer than 15 minutes

3. Exit the sauna and rinse off any sweat under a shower

4. Either cool off with the air, or go for a dip in the cold pool (temperature shock!)

5. Relax (on a lounge chair with a book, in the warm pool, in a foot-soaking chair) for about 15 minutes to let your body recover

6. HYDRATE

7. Repeat in another sauna room

Some Tips for the Outsider:

• Bring flip flops or sandals to wear around the sauna area; it is very frowned upon to walk around barefoot (obvious, but something that could be overlooked)

• Bring 2 towels (1 small, 1 big) to lay out on the sauna bench so that there is no contact between skin and wood

• Remember to remove any jewelry. I noticed pretty quickly that I had forgotten to take my necklace off when I entered the sauna, as it soon started to burn my skin!

• There are hourglass-type timers along the walls in the sauna rooms-- flip the one near you when you enter so you know when your 15 minutes are up. I didn’t notice these or realize their function until halfway through my day.

• DON’T GO IN THE SUPER HOT SAUNA FIRST. Again, obvious, but I didn’t process how hot it would be, or even that there were other temperature options available, as I was still working through my initial frazzled state. It wasn’t until I entered what felt like an inferno that I realized I had made a mistake (I didn’t last 5 minutes).

• Sit up for your last couple minutes of each sauna stint and allow your body to acclimate, rather than going directly from lying to standing. The heat combined with the blood rush could make you pass out (My vision just went black for a second).

• Remember that no one is looking at you and no one cares! Just relax and enjoy your time :)

I had a really great time, and I am so glad that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. That being said, I highly recommend that everyone put their hesitancies aside and try out this unique cultural experience—you won’t be disappointed!