40 degrees celsius! In Sasso Pisano there are hot springs. One of them is just above the camper parking. Since there are not many tourists at this time of the year we had it for ourselves. What a nice place to recover from feeling sick!#vanlifediaries #hotspring #hotsprings #sassopisano #toscanagram #toscana #tuscany #travelphotography
Lot's to read for you's lot. Roping in from all over the continent (and even beyond).
But it's an Italian start.
And in Italian. This article (scambieuropei, Dec. 28) on the ten best spa's of Europe. Translated by Google:
'Few experiences are as relaxing and invigorating as a visit to a thermal spring: whether it's winter and you want to warm up or summer and you want to cool off in different waters than usual, you just need to find the right one'.
A good though brief overview of what's on offer (commercially).
The new year has just started, but there's already a 2023 guide to Saturnia (Tuscany) hot springs:
'The Saturnia Hot Springs are probably the most beautiful and impressive thermal baths we have ever seen. Thousands of tourists are attracted to this small town in the south of Tuscany every year to take a relaxing bath in the hot springs and, of course, to take a photo or two'.
Moving on. Matadornetwork has an intro (Dec. 21) on Swiss soaks, nine in total. The article does however emphazise (for it's English speaking audience?) the expectation of nude sauna's, no less. Concerning Forty Seven (Baden):
'It’s at this point that we need to warn you that, while you wear swimsuits to enter the hot spring pools, saunas and steam rooms in Switzerland are generally entered in the buff. In fact, entering a sauna with naked people while you’re wearing a swimsuit is considered impolite (voyeuristic, even)'.
An alternative to natural hot springs?
A soak with a slight twist. Riversong in Switzerland, rent out wooden tubs with heated water from their own (cold) springs. Also seems like a nice place to stay.
A new internet discovery: the German website Munichhotsprings. The website though has nothing to do with hot springs, only with Eisbaden, totally the opposite. Odd.
More Germany.
Off to Baden-Baden? CNtraveler likewise (Sep. 1). The author seems to be holding out for a wellness elixir, but anyone moderately familiar with Europes love of soaking and sauna-ing knows it's never a one-off solution. The article is very high brow, as if the author is rubbing shoulders with all those past visiting celebrities and also includes a casino winning into the mix.
The warm (28C) Maibachl sytream near Villach (Karintia, Austria) is flowing again currently (but weakly), surprisingly (Meinbezirk.at, Jan. 6). The article however reports that a Tiktok vdo of the event notched up more than a million clicks:
'Einmal ins Maibachl springen, das wollte offenbar der österreichische Filmemacher und Socialmedia-Star "Julianmediahouse" (über eine Million "Follower" auf TikTok, Anm.). Sein Video über das sprudelnde Maibachl ging am Donnerstag online und binnen Stunden viral. Es hält mittlerweile schon bei über einer Million Aufrufe. Der Filmemacher über das Maibachl: "Das ist der coolste Ort Österreichs."'
Wie fein! 😍 Aber wisst ihr eigentlich, warum das Wasser so warm ist?Den Grund erfährst du hier: www.krone.at/kaernten📸 Evelyn Hronek#krone#kronenzeitung#kronenews#maibachl#villach#naturjuwel#warmbad#kärntenisleians#carinthia#dobratsch
The vdo also illicits many hundreds of comments, not all happy:
'Der Kommentar mit den meisten Likes (461, Freitagfrüh): "Mah komm es sein schon genug Touristen dort." Gleichermaßen fragen in den Kommentaren User nach der "Adresse", äußern Bedauern, dass der Anfahrtsweg so lange ist oder freuen sich einfach nur: "War ich schon, echt toll."
So when is enough enough?
The Russian language website, Nude, reports (Dec. 16) on Budapest soaking favourite Széchenyi. I always wonder what gets lost in translation:
'The organization of buying tickets and visiting is a garbage dump, about everything is as stupid as in my favorite Sanduns, the only devastating post, by the way.Queues, cash desks are fooling, you can only buy towels.Papers with mixed tariffs on the wall.Sanduny - work on their glory and do not bother to help, it's the same here, only the faces are nicer....It's crazy to be among so many people.In the sauna, a real live conversation of everyone with everyone, noisy, a little dark, that the bodies seem tanned and very hot.There are fonts, snow and endless women in plus size swimsuits'.
Fromrusttoroadtrip are back on the road once again. It looks like a run to Turkey. On their website there's an entry (Jan. 11) on Baie Herculane (Romania):
'It was on a cool October morning we met Oana Chirilă by the gates of the rusty iron behemoth which has dominated the town’s skyline -and conversations- for the past two decades. We were here to film a segment for Europe Hidden Hot Springs Journey, which we were particularly excited about as it combined two of our great loves in life: hot springs, and abandoned buildings'.
A handful of scenes from our time in Romania last Autumn 🍂Above a secretive valley on a grassy mountain plateau is where we set up camp and lay our heads for those nights.We flung the doors wide to appreciate the moonlight so bright it cast a shadow, opening up the daytime world at night.On the night of the full moon, a haunting and bizarre sound filled the night air; the howling of animals, a chorus of dogs and cats baying at the unusual beacon amongst the stars.During the day, we found a wealth of hot spring sources to explore, boiling up along the banks of the Cerna river, hidden beneath bridges or filled with smiling people slowly stewing their reddening skin.A unique experience for us; never before had we discovered such natural riches in this corner of Europe. Each country that is home to hot springs also has its own bathing culture, and nowhere is that more prominent than the town of Băile Herculane, Romania’s answer to Budapest.This town, one host to emperors and mythological gods, has fallen out of favour with Romanians, but a revival is on its way, spearheaded by some of the town’s youngest residents…Read more about Baile Herculane and the revival of the town tomorrow!
The Orange Backpack (Dec. 5) on Central Greece's Thermopylae:
'You can find several hot springs around the area, but the hot water baths closest to the source are the warmest and therefore the best to take a bath. They are freely accessible and deep enough to submerge yourself in its hot water. The water is most hot directly at the source. We couldn’t stay in the water for too long and were still feeling all warm and glowing long after our bath'.
Cling-on
Sauna news then.
Mailonline (Dec. 9) shares an Estonian experience, with the sauna as highlight:
'Arriving at the Mooska smoke sauna near the Latvian border, my inhibitions take a while to dissolve. Even after learning that nudity is encouraged, I cling to my skimpy towel as I enter the hut.At first, too, I arch an eyebrow as Eda Veeroja, the earthy priestess of the place, explains the ancient magic of the sauna — how it puts you in touch with the ghosts of your ancestors, and so on. When Eda, now nude, bangs a drum and starts chanting, I and the other sweat-drenched members of my group join in.We are all sporting felt sauna hats that make us look like pixies. If it gets too hot, we take a dip in the natural pool outside.Saunas are a big deal in Estonia, but a smoke sauna is different. The scalding steam is laced with the scent of smouldering wood. Then there’s the pagan stuff. At one point, we whisk ourselves with leaves while chanting: ‘May the wisdom of my bottom go to my brain.’
Worldofsauna has an article (Jan. 3) concerning Finnish sauna culture. Enlightend?
'Generally speaking, Finns sauna naked, at least among family members. We only go together if everyone is “our people” from the same family.Friends and groups of friends/couples often go to the sauna wearing swimwear. Of course, there are exceptions to this among different groups. Groups of friends often agree on how to proceed: for example, whether the men will sauna first and then the women, or whether the mixed sauna will be textile-free or if everyone wearing swimwear, etc.Often, public saunas have saunas for men and women separately. Then we go naked in the sauna. In mixed public saunas, swimwear is often worn.I would also like to remind you that there are exceptions, and you should learn about the sauna customs of the specific sauna before going in. However, Finns usually are not interested in what you wear to the sauna. Regular clothes and shoes are a no-go; you should not put them in the sauna. Otherwise, Finns are liberal'.
Thermegroup, a company representing a number of resorts in Europe (thermal resorts in Euskirchen, Sinsheim, Titisee (all Germany) and Bucharest; upcoming (Manchester)) launches (Sep. 6) a publication named Social sauna - Bathing and wellbeing:
The publication is readable via the above link.'Edited by Jane Withers Studio and published by Therme Group, Social Sauna – Bathing and Wellbeing presents a new perspective on global sauna culture, ritual and design. By defining the sauna’s essence and exploring how this practice is evolving for the 21st century, the authors reveal how sauna is a deeply social practice that can offer renewed benefits for health, wellbeing, and community.Recently, sauna culture and urban bathing is undergoing a global resurgence and has become a platform for cultural and design experimentation. The aim of Social Sauna is to illuminate one of the most venerated communal bathing traditions and analyse why and how it is gaining new relevance in our stressed and hyper-connected world....This current renewed interest in sauna reflects sauna’s ability to mitigate physical and mental health problems including stress, anxiety and cardiovascular disease. A 2020 Japanese study of bathing habits revealed that participants who bathed every day had a 28% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 26% lower chance of stroke'.
An unlikely sponsor (Varta) presents (Dec. 5) it 's list of nicest wellness resorts of Germany, most with either hot springs as its source ((Therme Erding, Caracalla, Palais Bad Wildbad) or at the very least cold (but mineral rich) springs.
The website Travelbook.de has a slight twist to the wellness list (Dec. 9). All twelve Germany located resorts cater to nudie fans:
'In der Sauna liegt eine feuchte Wärme auf der Haut wie ein wohliger Mantel. Beim anschließenden Abtauchen prickelt die Kälte durch den ganzen Körper. Doch dann folgt für echte FKK-Fans der Alptraum: Um noch eine Runde schwimmen zu können, muss man sich in Badeanzug oder -hose quetschen. So schnell ist sie vorbei, die Freude an der Nacktheit. Aber es geht auch anders! Viele deutsche Thermen und Bäder haben das Bedürfnis ihrer Gäste nach Nacktheit auch beim Schwimmen erkannt und gehen mit besonderen Angeboten auf die Wünsche von FKK-Fans ein'.
Basically, they are signalling a trend that those wellnessing clothesfree would also like to have the same facilities as the textile lovers.
Explanation: often wellness resorts have a two tier system of payment. You pay general entrance fee for being allowed to use pool, while the (textilefree) sauna areas require an additional fee. So if you abhor swimmers then you end up paying the pool fee for nothing.
Note that quite a few of the list are also listed in the above noted best wellness places of Germany.
Very much on the same theme, British Naturism has a report (Dec. 14) on a
'Spa Road Trip'.
The trip heads through Switzerland and Germany with quite a few visits to various spa's, again also mentioned in the lists already passed. An excerpt:
'By contrast, a three minute walk away is Caracalla Therme, a modern, textile swimming pool complex with a large Naturist spa, for an additional cost, which has a good range of saunas and steam rooms, a jacuzzi, rest areas and an outdoor sunbathing terrace. The spa area is accessed via a spiral staircase from the main pool area and as you enter there is shelving for you to leave your swimsuits. Baden Baden should be on the Naturist spa bucket list for the opportunity to experience these two completely different spas'.
On the US-based Medium (Sep. 7) author Dan Carlson promotes the European Spa and social nudity:
'The seasons are turning as this piece goes to print and it’ll soon be too cold to frolic in the sea with or without a swimsuit. With their warm thermal baths and myriad saunas, the thermal resorts of Europe are, surprisingly enough, best enjoyed in the dead of winter.What’s more, the European spa experience is literal perfection for the social nudity curious. While nudity may be required in the pools and saunas of such establishments, bodies are typically covered everywhere else, shifting the focus to self-pampering and self-indulgence, and away from the fixation on naked bodies....We have been visiting European thermal spas for the past fifteen years or so. Like those responding to my other posts on naturist travel, many of our friends wince just a bit when we tell them of our most recent visit to the German spa.“Wow. You did that? Not sure I’d have the courage.”“Really?” we say. “Why would you not do this?
He then lists eight things you should know about European spa nudity:
- There's great variation in clothing regulations. Research, research.
- Germany and Netherlands are nakedest. I'd add Belgium Flanders and the Alpine countries.
- Big complexes. Me: not true, as a non-local, the author probably misses the local set-ups, way smaller.
- Big set ups in France, Italy or Hungary are always only for textiles.
- Spa goers are not nudists. Again myself: In Europe these boundaries are much more vague and nakedness is much more based on functionality rather than philosophy.
- The bathrobe is heavily embraced. Really? Dubious I think.
- I don't understand, even though in English the essence is lost in translation.
- Be alerted that in Netherlands it's always naked, while in Germany there may be a mixed zone. Me: Not really, in Netherlands bathinng culture never took off, such as in Germany, so there are very few bathing places with sauna's. But those there are, also have the two tier system.
In general these rules are very much a generalisation, with the first rule being the most important. To end:
'Here’s the kicker! Should you summon up the courage to give it a try, you’ll soon realize that Europeans are not particularly concerned about your body, nor are they especially preoccupied with what you think about theirs. Certainly, much less so than one might encounter when going to any textile beach on the Outer Banks or Southern California where swimsuits become an integral part of an unannounced beauty and fashion contest. The European sauna-spa experience is one of personal self-indulgence where people go to imbibe in simply feeling alive, and they think the best way to do that is to leave their inhibitions, and their textiles at the door. So many lessons to be taken from that'.
Blasted
A sort of intermezzo, a couple of North African soaks to look at / enjoy.
sahara #tunisie #desertrouge #douz #sunset #magic #incredible #beauté #merveilledumonde #tourism #paysage #crazy #nature #pic #instagram #instalove #holiday #expedition #randonnée #bivouac #exceptional_pictures #myself #love #dune #sable #source #sourcethermale #boutdumonde #expedition #nature #infinite #sunset #coucherdesoleil #life
Auch von uns ein frohes neues Jahr 🎊 Wir haben den Jahreswechsel bei den heissen Quellen von Fask verbracht 😊#hotsprings #sourcechaude #fask #travelmorocco #expeditiontrucks #homeonwheels #thisisafrica #camel #dromedary #desert #sunsetlovers
Morocco's Le reporter Express has an article (Oct. 21) on the thermals of Asmaa (Western Sahara):
'La source thermale Asmaa est une eau chaude de 38 degrés contenant du Soufre. Cette eau vient d’un puits de 700 m de profondeur....Cette source thermale est située à environ une trentaine de kilomètres (36 km) de la ville de Dakhla. Elle est très prisée, mais la route empruntée pour y accéder n’est pas commune. Il n’y a aucun panneau de signalisation sur le bord de route.L’entrée de la piste est seulement marquée par le passage des 4×4. Ceux qui veulent y aller sans guide ont quelques difficultés à le faire'.
Females though need to pay attention (sigh):
'En effet, un seul homme est chargé d’asperger les personnes de cette eau thermale, son tuyau à la main. Les femmes ne s’y exposent pas dans ces conditions'.
Another unique thing to do when in Dakhla: Take a shower at the Asmaa Hot Spring source of around 38° with a powerful smell of sulfur. Upon arriving at the place, you pay a small fee then get yourself in your bathing clothes. Someone then helds a hose to you so make sure to position yourself comfortably with a firm stance as you prepare for a powerful spray of water.The water is said to have healing/ beneficial properties. Nevertheless, it's a good experience and a unique way to freshen up. Note there's no "plain" water should you feel the need to rinse off after. In fact, we also saw others bring soap and shampoo and actually use the hot spring water to shower with.#asmaa#sourceasmaa#asmaahotspring#dakhlahotspring#dakhla #thingstodoindakhla#dakhlatravel #dakhlacity #dakhlamorocco #morocco #dakhlasahara#dakhlaafrica #westernsahara #saharawi #aboutdakhla #whenindakhla #travelafrica#traveldakhla #dakhlatourism #whileinafrica #beautifulafrica #visitdakhla#exploreafrica #travelafrica
I also notice whilst skimming through the relevant photo's, that there are a few brave(?) women who do the same treatment. So much for the offical advise.
Practice
Southwest Europe to tie up this lengthy post.
Tierrassinfronteras heads off (Dec. 13) to another French soak(-ish, 35C) of the Pyrenees. Their translated recommendations for Mérens les Vals:
- The first recommendation is the most important, this site is quite popular in summer and festivities. Therefore, if you want to enjoy nature and relax, we strongly recommend visiting the thermal pools very early or very late and avoiding times of great influx.
- The second important piece of information is: this is a natural and wild space, therefore you should not leave garbage and you must preserve and respect it. If you find something lying on the ground, even if it is not yours, take it with you. Together we will make this corner a more pleasant and beautiful place.
- The Mérens les Vals Thermal Baths are a place to worship the body and relax. Avoid clouding the environment with unnecessary noise, preserve the peace and tranquility that is breathed in this magical natural environment.
- Do not be surprised if you find someone naked, the Thermal Pools of Mérens les Vals is frequented by people who practice naturism.
Sulfureuses#merenslesvals #passionsouffre
The soaks of Santa Fe (Andalucia)? Tierrassinfronteras (Dec. 31) comments section:
'Hola! Estuvimos la semana pasada y están super cerradas y con vigilante.Imposible ni acercarse'.
The Termas de Bande (Ourense, Galicia) have been lined up for some kind of developemt. ElEspanol (Sep.12):
'El Ayuntamiento de Bande (Ourense) convoca un concurso de proyectos para la construcción de un centro termal y la puesta en valor y aprovechamiento de las aguas minero-medicinales presentes en el municipio'.
The article notes there's an architectual competition underway with the winner being awarded the building contract. No news what happens to the current free and wild springs, which are located in what are hopefully protected archiological zone.
Termáticos • Lóbios • September • 2022#galiza #galicia #spain #bnw_captures #bnw_greatshots #bnw_demand #bnwphotography #streetphotography #candidphotography #travelphotography #cyclingtour #people #hotsprings #ourense #roman #romantimes #historicalplace #eloiscarva #eloiscarva
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