Indulged

Current trends in the wellness sauna world of continental Northwest Europe are increasingly favouring larger and more luxurious soaking palaces. 

It's not really obvious to me what's driving this. Maybe mere marketing, but arguably larger resorts can cater to more tastes, can offer often required levels of anonymity (no need to run into your neighbour/boss/in-laws etc.) and can set higher standards for catering. These larger places certainly have an appeal, even I am somewhat apprehensive to indulge smaller sauna set ups, especially if not exactly around the corner.

But on the other side of the sauna / wellness market are the smaller family-run saunas which often rely on a steady amount of local clients, often regulars. 

This experience involves the latter.

During the end of 2022 holidays, we were stuck in Bruges after experiencing the neat Groeninger museum. The weather was poor and we were in need of a solacing place, considering we had been stuck inside for a Corona related quarantine period. 

Knowing that the smaller wellness, Caldare (in Torhout, located 20 minutes drive south of Bruges) is probably the best on offer nearish Bruges (which despite all it's significance on tourism really misses a great wellness space not too far from town; even in it's Middle age heydays, Bruges was well known for it's soaking stoofs; but that's another story to be shared), the plan was to spend the afternoon indulging in the heat on offer. 

I called ahead, they were nowhere near sold out (but massages were; it can happen during holidays, packed wellness places: clearly there's more market for more wellness places). So off we went.

Family run Caldare is not very big. There's a small parking area (why are these public soaking places always so poorly accessed if by public transport?) in front of a bigger villa in suburban Torhout.

One enters and is welcomed. 

Upstairs are the changing rooms and some massage rooms. 

After disrobing it's back down the stairs. 

There's a central showering place with a small indoor swimming pool complete with jacuzzi corner, a well heated small steam room, a bio sauna (usually less hot), a Finnish sauna and a cooling off corner (bucket style cold). 

To the side, there's a door which gives access to the small bistro / relax space (with free scented water; a nice touch). 

A backdoor opens to the garden, with another structure offering a relax space and a larger sauna. Besides the lawns, there's another cooling down corner complete with cold plunge unit.

Though Caldare was not sold out on our visit, the place was very much filled to it's max. 

With an Aufguss regime of every 90 minutes, it entailed that all guests followed the same routine, making the place feel even more cramped. If not following the regime though, you would believe the place was not busy at all! 

During the second Aufguss we experienced, 37 participants were counted, which regulars considered highly significant. This 30+ was also just above the capacity of the restaurant. But despite this, the service was very good: lots of hard work.

All in all it's a very neat and well maintained place with enough sauna related activities to satisfy oneself for a 3-4 hours sojourn. 

Good points are the regular Aufguss (even though it tended to drive customers through the facilities on offer), the well-heated saunas, the hot steam room as well as the various places to cool down. Catering was limited, but excellent service.

Outside the holiday periods, there are also opportunities to participate in yoga lessons, a trend I've observed more during the past year. 

Caldare does miss an outside pool.

My marks a solid 8: 8.5 would be perfect.

Other reviews are likewise consistently high (up to Jan. 2023). 

Google: 4.4 (28 reviews, nearly 100% in Dutch), Facebook: 4.9 (96 reviews, all Dutch) and Tripadvisor: 4.5 (27 reviews, again exclusively Dutch). So my praise is not alone.

Revisited 2024: less enthusiastic, it's a drag that the food options are far from overwhelming. Cost €34 the head.