Rumors about German baths and saunas are so diverse that it is very difficult for an ordinary tourist to figure out what is true and what is fiction. And to find out from personal experience what is behind a colorful signboard - a health factory or a nativity scene of debauchery, is scary, and certainly unsafe. However, not everything is so scary, saunas in Germany are really somewhat different from Russian baths, but people come to them all with the same purpose - to take a good steam.
Do I need to completely undress in a German sauna
The most striking fact for Russians is that in German public baths and saunas, representatives of both sexes take thermal and steam baths only together and exclusively in the nude. And if someone dares to offend the gaze of a soaring swimsuit, a crowd of naked men and women will immediately attack him and bring him into proper form. Well, or at least severely condemn. In fact, everything is not so scary. Yes, indeed, in Germany it is customary to completely naked before entering the steam room so that nothing interferes with active sweating, but people find themselves completely naked only directly in the semi-dark steam room, and in other rooms it is considered appropriate to put on a bathrobe or wrap yourself in a towel.
In addition, almost all saunas have so-called women's days, when members of the stronger sex are not allowed to enter the establishment. True, here men have to be content with joint vaping on common days, there are practically no men's days here, but this moment is unlikely to upset them. And it may seem strange, but having visited a German sauna once, you understand that people really come here exclusively to take a steam bath, regardless of the floor. Therefore, it is better not to ask the question of exposure, but to figure out what types of baths and saunas are the most common in Germany.
If someone does go into the steam room in a swimsuit, no one will forcefully undress him. Because a swimsuit will only interfere with its owner, and not neighbors, who will be focused solely on their own feelings.
Finnish sauna
The most popular among the Germans is the classic Finnish sauna, in which the so-called dry steaming takes place at temperatures from 80 to 120 ° C and air humidity of 10-30%. A stone oven is installed in the middle of the cabin, at certain hours herbal infusions and ethereal compositions are poured onto it, the steam from which has a beneficial effect on the skin and respiratory tract of the human body. The strongest heat in such a sauna collects in the upper part of the room, so beginners are advised to first sit on the lower shelf and "increase the degree" with great care.
Steam bath
Slightly less common are the so-called steam baths, which differ from the Russians in a lower temperature, as a rule, it does not rise above 40-55 ° C, while the air humidity can reach 80-100%. Steam usually comes out of a special boiler or vessel in the middle of the room. In addition, the walls and floor in such a steam room are not made of wood, but of ceramics, marble or a variety of plastic.
In a steam bath, unlike a Finnish one, it is most often customary to be in a bathing suit.
Bio sauna
Recently, bio-saunas are becoming more common - a kind of compromise between Finnish and steam baths. The temperature in the steam room here fluctuates between 40-70 ° C, and the air humidity is about 50%. This type of vaping is considered the most gentle, so you can stay here for a rather long time, and so that the stay does not seem boring, bio-steam rooms are equipped with alternately turning on multi-colored lamps, audio speakers, from which relaxing music or sounds of nature pour out.
