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Photo: A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Trinkhalle in the Kurhaus spa complex in Baden-Baden, Germany was built 1839–42 by Heinrich Hübsch in a complementary architectural style as the spa's main building. The 90-metre arcade is lined with frescos and benches. The spa waters are said to have curative powers.
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Friedrichsbad is a beautiful temple to traditional bathing culture, built in 1877, complete with statues and decorative tiling and culminating in a circular central pool in an ornate domed hall. In these elegant surroundings, the Roman-Irish bath (Römisch-Irisches Bad) is a programme of heat, massage, steam and water that will rejuvenate a weary traveller. It's a wonderful, deeply relaxing experience. No children under 14. The procedure at Friedrichsbad is unique, so read these instructions carefully before you go in, especially if you don't speak German. Buy your ticket at the entrance, plus a token for the soap-and-brush massage (Seifenbürstenmassage) if you want. At the top of the stairs, men and women go into separate changing rooms and follow the programme separately for the first hour or so (2022 update: this is no longer so, everybody goes together in one wing). Take off all your clothes and put them in a locker, inserting your ticket into the slot inside the door before locking it. Naked, follow the sign to the baths, where an attendant will greet you. Follow the numbered sequence of rooms. Each room has a sign in English on the wall telling you how long you should spend there. You'll be given a towel and bath shoes at the first shower. You need these for the hot rooms (you must lie or sit on your towel). After the hot rooms, you reach the massage station, where you must hand back your towel, shoes and token. After the massage, proceed to the steam rooms and shower again before going through to the pool area, where men and women bathe naked together in pools at three different temperatures. When you've had enough, head back via the cold plunge pool and the sleeping room, to be wrapped in blankets for half an hour. Since 2024, two days a week are allocated to "textiled" bathing, remaining days are still textile-free.
A dazzling collection of German Expressionist and Gerhard Richter masterworks on display attract tourists from around the world.
Römische Badruinen
Small area of excavations with good audioguide in English.