European Sauna Advice
 

As many have suggested, myself included, that the "Mixed nude European sauna experiences" thread be reserved for reporting experiences, and a new thread be created for those seeking advice, here is that thread.

This thread is for those who have questions or need suggestions about visiting European saunas. Many questions have focused on where, when and who (specifically young women).

I'll start it off with my best advice: Try. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. I've been to some lousy saunas. Just enjoy the health benefits of that sauna and move on. That is, after all, the fun of traveling - trying the new and unknown.

The experiences reported in the original thread leads to questions. And that leads to advice. I don't see any sense in trying to separate that.

Thanks Soulac! The other thread is supposed to be about experiences, but is 90% contaminated by posts of everthything but ..

One thread is Ok because when you give advice you must tell your experience. The original thread is gold

Here we can dicusss whether we need two threads, instead of doing that in the experiences thread. 😆

What is your opinion of VinB, in general?

What do you like and dislike?
The layout, the concept of the space, the number of ceremonies, the outdoor space, the pools....

Lots of info in the the experiences thread. Check the last 20 pages.

v berlin
 

Am going to v at the end of December, when I booked my ticket I could only get one for 9am but my flight doesn't get in until 11, do u think this will be an issue?

I was there in the summer so I don't know what your experience will be like if during the winter you're mostly inside. I did see a nice panorama sauna on the first floor (2nd floor for N Americans). Just outside that sauna there is a balcony that looks down on an indoor pool. The outdoor pool is larger than the indoor pool. There are multiple locker rooms. They are mixed gender.

Compared to my usual locations V trends younger, upscale and more tourists. That has certain advantages. The motif is SE Asian zen, not the northern European style of most saunas. I enjoy German sauna culture and I'm normally the only non-German in the places I frequent, because of the tourists and the motif V doesn't give me that same sense of enjoying German culture. Please don't misunderstand, it is a legitimate German sauna, just not what I'm used to. (For example, at V it was the first time I saw a hermaphrodite. I certainly never saw one in the rural towns where I normally sauna.) The ceremonies were hourly, if I remember correctly, and qualitatively neither better nor worse than other facilities I've been to.

One thing I will mention, if you don't like staff members showering with customers then V in B is not the place for you. I saw one male and two female employees showering after leading an aufguss. I don't know about you, but when I'm paying to shower in public it chaps my hide to see a twenty-something blonde employee standing buck naked right next to me using the facilities for free.

Vabali
 

The positives are the sheer size of the place, the variety of locations and activities along with the beautiful young women you see everywhere.

The downsides? Bit too much bathrobe culture for me, especially inside. I’d like to leave my robe to one side and just spend my day nude. That’s okay outside and you can be nude as much as you like but inside you’re expected to wear a robe when not partaking in the activities; swimming or saunas. I didn’t often follow this and sometimes just lay naked on the loungers. In other places - Zuiver in Amsterdam (which is not as good as Vabali), you can pretty much be naked for the day.

VinB pleasantly surprised me in many ways.
At first I didn't think I would be able to get in as a young solo man.

It was a weekday. I arrived around 6:00 PM and waited until 7:15 PM to get in.

Reading about how strict the security guards are and the general reasons for some failed entries........
In the queue I saw a dark-skinned foreign national. He got in without any problems. There were also smokers in the queue and everyone got in without any problems.
One of the guests was literally drinking beer in front and he got in.
So I know then/now that the situation around getting into V might not be that strict. I was greeted pleasantly and got in without any problems.

You can see for yourself when you read the reviews on Google.

As for reservations, they are almost mandatory and if you're thinking of going in, get them.
Weekdays may be fully booked with reservations only 1 or 2 days in advance, while weekends and Fridays need to be booked 3 weeks in advance.

The staff is very friendly both at the reception and in the saunas. I also think they are overworked. But again, very friendly.

That's it for now. Will continue.

Yes, usually you have only time to enter until one slot later (so for the 9:00-9:20 slot, if you don't arrive until 9:40, you slot will be given to one of the waiting list persons). I would definitly contact them upfont and ask if your ticket can be changed or the entry slot be extended.

Seasonality/rules-of-thumb....
 

I'm curious to hear what others have to say on this topic. Here are some observations and hypotheses and I'd like to hear if people agree/disagree or have other ideas. And generally I'm talking about the countries and regions that have mixed nude saunas.
- Generally more people are going to the sauna in winter rather than summer
- If the sauna has a nice outdoor section or lawn (like V in B) there will be much more nude sunbathing on a warm day with the sun out
- School holidays are generally from early July through late August; during these times many families will be on vacation so places like K in B will have fewer families and young adults
- Likewise, during these vacation periods, resorts in ski areas and alps (including northern Italy) will have a younger clientele
- Wellness spas are more likely to have an older clientele
What else?

Suppose so
 

Broadly speaking I would agree with your first two statements. That's not to say people don't sauna in the summer. They do. I can't comment on the other three points.

Regarding the summer and Spas where folks are nude, in the summer young people will go to a lake and swim/tan nude there as they need not pay. The younger folks who go to spas will want to be nude in the sun, and pay the fee to be protected from cameras and creepy men.

what are the best for the summer then? I thought M in W and K in B would be amazing during summer but maybe they are better during winter

I went to one of my favourite spas in Rotterdam with a big sunbathing area in July last year.

I saw manu great sights

I doubt how many people go to saunas in the summer.
Although summer in Berlin may last a month.
People are on vacation then.
I doubt where you can see so many young naked people as in VinB. If you know, tell me.

VinB is huge. The outside area is too big.
Not only the outside area, but there is space for sun loungers all over the building. Ground floor, 1st floor, all around the pool,...

If you wanted "nice views" you would have to be "anchored" at the beginning of the large pool.
And then you would be noticed, like one guy who was sitting in the inner area, on a bench where there are oysters for foot care with water.
He sat for an hour or more right where everyone enters and exits the pool.

Otherwise VinB is much better in the winter. A lot of things happen in the inner area, which is small. But I read a lot of reviews, and I was convinced that they save on heating the pool.

The outdoor pool was almost cold for 3 days, as was the indoor one. Only the last day was it warm. And you could see right away that people were using it. It was full almost the entire time.

Bad W… near Munich
 

I am considering trying out Th*rm* Bad W*rishof… as an alternative to TE in the same general area.
Has anyone ever been there, especially on a Saturday? What is the crowd like in the sauna area?