Imagine a shock victim draped in a shiny aluminised emergency blanket, hunched over in their silent vulnerable state. That’s how I felt in my bathrobe when I entered my first German spa in 2020.
Although I’d heard the rumours, I only confirmed the strict textile-free regulations when I saw them written, framed and mounted on the changing room wall at a Hamburg spa hotel. Swimwear and clothing were forbidden; I had to enter the spa area in my bathrobe and remove that to enter the steam rooms and saunas.
That bathrobe was my lifeline for that entire solo visit to the spa – and I didn’t stay for long.
But after a few anxious visits to various spas, I found compulsory German spa nudity to be like riding a bike. It felt strange and unnatural at first – then I learned to ignore the discomfort and avoid thinking about what I was doing until it was over. I powered through (and figuratively pedalled on), despite the strangeness of this spa nudity, until it no longer felt awful.
I couldn’t have done it, though, without some tough German love. Germans take the textile-free rules seriously, and being scolded in German for not being naked is significantly more uncomfortable than being naked.
Why are German spas nude?
Why are Germans so firm about their Freikörperkultur (free body culture)? It’s worth first considering that it’s not just the Germans who have this nude spa culture. The Japanese, Finnish and other DACH countries (Austria and Switzerland) all embrace nudity to some extent in their saunas.
One of the main reasons is hygiene. You can sweat better, and instead of your swimsuit absorbing this sweat, the towel you sit on does the absorbing. A damp swimsuit could become a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria, but sitting on a towel helps to prevent this.
Swimwear is usually made of synthetic material. When heated – that is, in a sauna or steam room – this material can supposedly spread bad odours or even emit harmful substances.
Of course, you’d only be aware of these arguments in favour of spa nudity – along with further arguments – if you researched them.
My recommendations for a first visit
Most non-Germans I’ve spoken to find German spa nudity surprising, unnecessary and horrifying. Some have normalised this new spa experience; others still struggle.
As a Brit, I get it – we’re a prudish people. We mastered the knicker trick and cling to cubicle-style privacy in our changing rooms. But Germans normalise nudity rather than sexualising it, and there’s something we should learn from that.
It may seem counterproductive to visit a nude sauna to relax when you are a nervous prude. But as soon as you stop identifying as a “victim of voyeurism” and learn that 99.99 percent of these strangers don’t care if you’re naked, you start to feel liberated and refreshed by this blasé reaction to nudity.
The indifference doesn’t seem to be a front. I was talking to a Zurich-based Swedish friend from Gislaved about writing this article and she told me:
“Nudity isn’t that big of a thing; I guess we [Swedish people] are not really prude or anything. We all just think that we all know how the female and male body look, so there’s nothing to really be ashamed of … I also find it quite liberating to see many different body types. There is no judgement or anything.”
Embracing this spa culture has exposed me (literally) to bodies of all sizes, for which I am grateful. Seeing is believing, and we unfortunately live in a society in which fixation on unrealistic body types is perpetuated by social media. German spas have reassured me that every body type is accepted – and we should stop obsessing about how we look.Of course, compulsory nudity is awkward at first, so here are some tips:
Go at off-peak times, during the week.
Accept that it will not feel comfortable at first, but that’s okay.
Use bathrobes or towels to cover yourself.
Look for women-only areas/ women-only visiting times – if you’re a woman.
Bring some company – ideally, someone who is blasé about being naked in public.
And if it’s not for you? That’s also fine. No one’s forcing you to strip down – you can have other hobbies, like spinning, reading in a coffee shop or pottery. A friend rightfully pointed out:
“Saunas are a luxury experience. If you don’t want to follow the rules, you don’t have to go.”
I’m not a nudist; I’m also not a shock victim who is stunned into awkward silence at the sight of naked people. I simply have a healthier relationship with my body since living in Germany. I urge every prude to be more open-minded and visit a nude sauna at some point.
Looking for the best saunas in Hamburg? Check out this article. And you can join the BBA Community here!
About the author
Sara Vordermeier is a Hamburg-based freelance writer and editor specialising in culture, technology and sports stories from her life abroad. Her professional writing experience spans more than seven years in the fields of content marketing and journalism.
Get to know more about Sara here.
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