I lean back into the lukewarm mineral water, and Maritta, my Liquid Bodywork therapist, places a floating pillow under my head and knees. We’re in the Liquid Sound temple, one of the many pools at Toskana Therme spa. As I gaze up at a giant futuristic dome with a mandala in its centre, softly coloured lights blink from blue to pink to green and under-water new-agey spa music soothes me.
To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect. But then Maritta takes my legs and starts swaying me like she’s dancing with my floating body, and I know I’m going to love this. It is like a combo of in-water massage and movement that mimics, I’m told, being back in the womb. How interesting and, more importantly, how relaxing.
Afterwards, I stroll through this small historical old German town, Bad Orb, surrounded by its medieval stone walls and filled with traditional half-timbered houses. Declared a spa town in 1909, Bad Orb was initially settled around the extraction of salt from the springs, a valuable trading commodity in the 17th and 18th centuries. In its heyday, it was home to 11 salinen (salt graduation houses).
One of the salinen has been preserved, allowing a 2,050-metre walk beneath salty brine dripping over black hawthorn twigs, which raises the salt concentration. Inhaling the evaporating fumes deeply is beneficial for the respiratory system.
Although, of course, you can find hotel or day spas similar to ones in Canada, Germany actually has spa towns, denoted by the word “Bad” in front of the town name, which means “bath” or “spa.” Each town is home to natural hot springs.
Back at my room at the Hotel an der Therme, I overlook the Kurpark (public spa park), a common feature of spa towns, where concerts, cooking classes and other events to promote healthy living are held. Toskana Therme takes the spa culture one step further and holds concerts and book readings right within the pool areas.
My next stop is Bad Homburg. Since the mid-19th century, Bad Homburg, along with Baden-Baden, has been ranked as one of the top spa cities in Europe. Kaiser Wilhelm, who ruled Germany in the late part of the 1800s, had a castle two kilometres from here and made Homburg his summer residence, which influenced the town’s development.
At 40 hectares, this is one of Germany’s largest spa parks, designed as an English landscape with spacious lawns and massive trees that tell a story, many dating back to the park’s creation 150 years ago. Curving paths wind past a small lake and, today, modern art sculptures are dotted throughout.
The oldest golf course in Germany, built in 1889, and the oldest tennis court are also here, together with the spa facilities and a casino (also a common feature for spa cities). The entire park has been designed with an eye to wellness. There are even special benches called “baumel bank” – high benches where you sit and swing your feet, considered to be therapeutic.
During the Kaiser’s time, tourists promenaded a park walkway here called the Brunen Alley to taste the nine different sources of mineral water, all of which taste different (not pleasant, I might add). Today, you can sip from the remaining fountains, but in the Kaiser’s time, Brunen Frau carried trays loaded with small samples to offer the royal and elite passersby.
I’m booked into the Kur-Royal spa for the afternoon, initially opened in 1890. Built for royalty, the architecture is imperious, with its incredible historical dome and statues in the entrance. At the front counter, I’m provided with a robe and towel (I’ve brought my own bathing suit) and instructed to move between the 12 various steam baths, pools, saunas and treatment rooms, alternating hot, cold and rest cycles.
After a hot cycle in the Odorium, where essential oils evaporate in the 45-degree room, I cool (way) down with the icy waterfall shower. There is even a small salinen room here, where I rest. But my favourite is the hay steam bath, where I’m wrapped in a plastic cover and seated over dried grasses, herbs and wildflowers harvested from the Kurpark, just outside. The sensation as the steam wafts the warm earthy vapours over my shoulders, back and hips is luxurious.
I move on to my final destination, Wiesbaden. A popular wine region along the Rhine, the Romans discovered the healing properties of the mineral springs here when some of their injured horses fell in the mud and they saw how quickly they healed.
Wiesbaden also has a large Kurpark and a casino. Every day, approximately two million litres of hot mineral water flow out of the 26 hot springs. Established as a world spa city in 1852, Wiesbaden is still home to first-class medical services for international guests who consult with medical experts and utilize the rehabilitation services.
Here, I visit Kaiser Friedrich spa, an Irish-Roman bath built on the foundations of Roman sweat baths. This was one of the first public baths, opening its doors as a municipal bathhouse in 1913. Although not as luxurious as the Kur-Royal, Kaiser Friedrich is stunning, fashioned in the Roman bath style with ornamental columns and elaborate carvings.
Unlike the Kur-Royal spa, Kaiser Friedrich is a swimsuit-free zone. I feel self-conscious, at first, but with so many comfortably-nude people milling about, I quickly adapt. In between pools and sauna rooms, I wrap myself demurely with my towel.
The saline mineral waters in spa pools is said to open the pores and have a harmonizing effect, thanks to a high concentration of lithium. The salt binds acidic residues stored in body tissue, while elements like fluoride, iodine and iron are said to have re-mineralizing, anti-inflammatory and energizing effects. To soak up these benefits, you will often see many older Germans at the spas.
I end my visit to Kaiser Friedrich by indulging in a sea salt and essential oils scrub, then move into the sand-light room, where I lay on the warm sand for 30 minutes as an entire day of sunlight-to-moonlight passes via visual effects, giving me the sense I’ve just spent the day on the beach. As if I’m not relaxed enough, I have one final treatment, a hot stone massage. There’s not an ounce of stress left in my body.
In Germany, an age-old philosophy underpins its spa culture – that movement between medicine and wellness is fluid – if you feel well, you will resist ailments and recover more quickly. I’m sold.
Travel Tips:
For more info: www.germanytourism.com
Air Canada has regular direct flights from Vancouver to Frankfurt.
Bad Orb, Bad Homburg and Wiesbaden are all located within an hour of Frankfurt.
Spas: Toskana Therme; Kur-Royal; Kaiser Friedrich
Hotels: Bad Orb – Hotel an der Therme; Bad Homburg – Hotel Steigenberger; Wiesbaden – Radisson Blu Schwarzer Bock
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