Aguas termales -En esta foto sólo vemos un pequeño ángulo de las pozas de aguas termales de Alhama de Granada, que esta vez compartía con otras once personas de distintas procedencias a las que no quería fotografiar y con las que echamos un rato muy agradable de conversación acerca de otros lugares como este.Era una parada obligatoria yendo con mi hija pequeña, ya que no las conocía aún. Fue ella la que me hizo la foto (una de 22 😅) y la que me acompañó durante más de hora y media de baño...Salimos arrugados de tanta agua, yo incluso un poco mareado debido a la bajada de tensión producida por la temperatura, que ronda sobre los 40ºC.Fuera del agua también hacía mucho calor, pero la sensación era muy agradable igualmente. Obviamente allí sólo estuvo un nudista esa tarde... 😞 Seguro que adivináis quien era.(26/06/2020)__________________________#nikond500 #tokina1120#relax #relaxtime #relaxing#holiday #travel #trip#summer #verano#portrait #retrato#beard #bearded #barbudo#reflejos #reflexes#agua #water
Galicia en Ruta has a recent (Mar. 29) short reference on Facebook to Termas de Prexigueiro, an outstanding still free hot spring. Including atmospherical imagery.
Lucy and Ben of Rusttoroadtrip have been checking out (Jun. 26) some of Portugal's natural hot springs, most to be found on the Azores. From their insta account, an exception:
'Caldas de Rainha, an hour’s drive from Lisbon, is a city home to the world’s oldest thermal hospital. To us the idea of a thermal hospital was entirely alien, coming from a country where the NHS is our proudest national achievement (that and David Attenborough), yet the therapeutic effects of thermal water are woefully understudied.As we were shown around the grand hospital building, we were fascinated to discover that students came here from all over Portugal to study the use of thermal water as a healing tool. We were shown around the rooms of baths and ceramic inhalators, some cracked with age'.
Elsewhere on their Iberian (and Azores) tour they have been to locations in the south of Spain (link, Jun. 10).
'Carved into the steep-sided banks of the river Tua in the north of Portugal, almost invisible from the cobbled road, lies the ghost village of S.L. Hollow-eyed houses with empty window frames and broken shutters peer unseeingly at the impressive view, garden terraces long since overgrown. Only two buildings have roofs and windows in tact, a small guesthouse, little used, and a brand new spa building that was built and decommissioned within 2 years of opening....We can’t resist a bathe, even though the water is only 32ºC it’s rich in minerals, and soaking beneath the stone ceiling, blackened with age, and the ancient stone walls flickering with red candlelight feels rather like sitting at a sacrificial altar'.
Add-ons
Путешествие по термам Италии. Витербо. Термальные бассейны Bulicame и скважина. От самоизливающейся скважины с горячей водой с температурой 60 градусов вода направляется по искусственным каналам в два мелких больших бассейна. Посетителей не много, лежаков здесь нет, ктото приносит с собой раскладные стулья. По всей территории видны старые каналы, по которым направляли воду в бассейны. Об этом месте писал Данте в «Божественной комедии».#термальныеисточники #термальныеисточникимира #термы #terme #thermalsprings #hotsprings #terme #viterbo #bulicame
Over to Italy.
Worldthermalsprings has been hot on tour (Jun. 12 - Jul. 3) of Italy (see above), Rome and the north, a seemingly never ending visit to all commercial and / or public springs available, see their map. Probably best to check their insta account as the website itself has yet to be updated with these finds.
A find, the excellent Nature & Source Chaude. A French language blog with hot springs in the lead. Mostly from france of course, though there are also entries on Italy. Good info, good research as well as the add-on of drone coverage. A recent (Jun. 18) entry is on central Framce's Source Croizat. Translated:
'When these waters are not agitated (no bathers), natural light helps to bring out their perfect clarity. This light is also a source of energy for the photosynthetic micro-organisms that flourish freely in the water (several billion per litre) and those that cover its perimeter. This thermal plankton (cyanobacteria, protists, etc.), visible on the edges, produces enormous quantities of active molecules in the water'.
Fontpedrouse termas naturales. 🥶🥵#termas #fontpedrouse #pirineos #rio #riocaliente #aguastermales #enfurgomolamas #soykaracol #eternoviajero #vwt4 #camperlife #vanlife #vanlifestyle #bañostermales #cerdanya #france #fontpédrouse #t4camper #t4 #aguascalientes #thermas #natural #naturaltherapies #natural #natura #bains #thermalwater #pirineofrances #pirineus #pratsdebalaguer
Over to the sauna world.
Starting off with a snippet which falls right on the fence itself. ThinkGeoenergy (Jul. 19) report on how the town of Oldenburg will use geothermal heat to rebuild public facilities which include a saltwater bath and sauna's.
BBC look into beer spa's (Jun. 10):
'Beer spas have recently opened in Iceland, Spain and the US – but they take their cue from an older tradition in a country with a long history as a beer bastion: the Czech Republic.The stained-glass image of one of greatest scientists in history – 16th-Century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe – looked down on me as I prepared jump into a giant 1,000-litre water-filled oak tub. Assisting me was Nikola Skypalova, who was holding big wooden ladles brimming with key elements to add into the water."This is hops – it relieves stress from your body and also opens up your pores," she said, pouring it into the tub. "And this is brewer's yeast, which has a lot of vitamin B, and makes you look younger."In it went, along with malt – another well-being booster....Almost every beer spa talks of beer bathing dating back millennia – though this seems to involve conflating the historical existence of spas with the co-existence of beer, with no evidence the two came together at ancient kick-back time....Czech beer spas, meanwhile, regularly cite one of the multiple former kings called Wenceslas as a regular beer bather. Sadly, this also stands up about as strongly as someone who's drunk too many pints from the beer spa tub-side taps."This is certainly not true," says Libor Zajic, a European brewing history expert at Masaryk University in Brno – though he adds that one of the royal Wenceslases did become the patron saint of Czech brewers in the 14th Century. "It's a marketing trick of companies that operate beer spas – businesses that are a modern invention...Beer may have been added to baths in the Middle Ages, as many other substances were, but certainly not with any deeper intention."There may, however, be a stronger case on the wellbeing side. "Beer consists of three components that are beneficial to skin: malted cereal grains, yeast and hops," says Dr Cindy Jones, a biochemist at Colorado Aromatics. "Both malted grains and yeast contain B vitamins, which increase skin hydration and elasticity, and decrease hyperpigmentation'.
An Australian look at Austrian spa etiquette. Sydney Morning Herald (Jul. 11):
'Forget all that nonsense about the Scandinavians and the Germans and their propensity for getting their kit off in public; it’s the Austrians who have taken the art of nudity to a whole new level.I became convinced of this when two members of our travel group were turfed out of a five-star Austrian hotel spa for the sin of … wearing clothing. And we’re talking swimsuits here, not a three-piece suit and a trilby. The women were agog, and not a little indignant, at being told to get undressed or get out....That night at dinner in a traditional Hutessen restaurant (where you DIY-cook strips of meat by throwing them against what is essentially an upright brazier) a young Austrian public relations woman explained that she happily went to spas/saunas with colleagues (male and female) after a day at the office or at a conference.It was just a way of life, a social ritual about as controversial as going for a cheeky beer after work. Which is when it hit me; I have nothing against getting my clothes off with a bunch of strangers – after all, I’m never going to see them again – but I wondered if, when it came to friends and colleagues, would I feel different? Not so this young Austrian woman, who looked at me like I was a crazy old stick-in-the-mud. What, your work colleagues haven’t seen you naked?
Badische Neuste Nachrichten however explains (Jun. 28) how catering to tourists means local etiquette can be ignored in the search for more money.
In the past a visit to Baden-Badens' Friedrichsbad has often resulted in many comments about how un-accustomed one is to the German nacktpflicht. However the operators of the Friedrichbad have decided to allow clothing bathing which will be allowed twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays), as of the beginning of July:
„Wir wollen das Bad attraktiver machen und mehr Gäste anlocken“, sagt Cornelia Buchmüller, bei den Bäderbetrieben für Marketing und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit zuständig, auf Anfrage der Redaktion.„Viele internationale Touristen haben eine andere Sicht auf die Körperkultur als wir. Sie haben das Bad bislang wegen der Pflicht zur Textilfreiheit gemieden“, erklärt sie. „Für diese Gruppen wollen wir uns nun auch öffnen.“...Doch in einer Zeit, in der kulturelle Sensibilität und persönliche Bedürfnisse immer mehr an Bedeutung gewinnen, sei es essenziell, „dem Trend zur Textilbadekultur Rechnung zu tragen. Wir glauben, das ist jetzt der richtige Zeitpunkt“, sagt Buchmüller. Mit der Einführung von Badetagen mit und ohne Badekleidung „können wir das historische Kulturgut Friedrichsbad und das Erlebnis der Römisch-Irischen Badekultur noch mehr Menschen zugänglich machen“, hoffen die Carasana-Bäderbetriebe.
Good to see that management are more concerned about their bottomline. Pity though that this rite of passage for international tourists will disappear, just for the sake of some coins. In the past tourists were alerted by management that naked bathing and saunaing was more hygienicinic (example). Not so now?
The article reference on instagram garners quite a few replies. Some examples:
Sehr schade dass wieder mal wir es sind die sich anpassen. Traditionen sind eben Traditionen. Aber wenn's um Geld geht ...'.
Though many defend the decision.
And then there's organised resistance to the view that the town's cultural heritage should be determined by private companies (Badische Neuste Nachrichten, Jun. 24) seeking profits, above culture / history:
'Das Friedrichsbad habe aber große Bedeutung für das Welterbe und beherberge einige bedeutende Kostbarkeiten, die der Öffentlichkeit kaum bekannt seien. Für die Pflege des historischen Bades und ein „erlebbar machen“ seien geschichtliche, balneologische und physiotherapeutische Kompetenzen notwendig'.
Självklart!! Det är väl bara sinnessvaga som badar med kläderna på..........#saltholmen #saltholmensnakenbad #blackandwhitephotography #blackandwhite #svartvittfoto #svartvitt #nudebathing #göteborg #gothenburg #sweden #sverige
Swedish bathing culture. A few bath houses (Kallbadhus) in west Sweden allow naked bathing, but only Göteborgs' Salthomen enforces nudity. With a recent example of enforcement reported by Göteborgs Posten (Jun. 29):
'A day in the high summer heat at the cold bathhouse took an unexpected turn for Louise - when her 16-year-old daughter was scolded for wearing clothes.- You have to respect that they are teenagers and that sometimes it can take time, says Louise.- I protect the nude bath we have, counters the association's chairman....On the cold bath house's website it says " According to the association's bylaws, we all sunbathe and bathe naked. This applies to both members and day visitors.” But in the statutes, the wording is that the association's goal is to " contribute to andnurture a healthy and inclusive nudist culture".It is thus open to interpretation'.
This example of exclusion has been made public, so as to force the hand of management? Opinion differs apparently (see flashback, just 50+ pages (600+ comments) of comments to wade through!), a further news report (Jul. 3) notes from the same source what other bathhouses have as rules. Translated:
'At Ulricehamn's cold bath house, there are also no explicit rules about what you should or should not wear on your body when sunbathing and swimming, according to chairman Jan Fritzson.- The only thing is that you shouldn't sit with bare bottoms on the lichen in the sauna, but then you have to sit on a seat pad.The rule that visitors must be naked in the sauna also exists in Varberg and Lysekil due to hygiene reasons.- But you can cover yourself with a towel, says Eva-Lott Swahnberg'.
For something different. Saunatimes look (Jun. 27) at the Oslo floating sauna scene:
'No Oslo floating sauna trip is complete without experiencing any one of the 15 floatings saunas (and counting) as part of Oslo Badstuforening (Oslo Sauna Association). The saunas are set up in a couple different clusters. I was able to enjoy multiple saunas. Each sauna is special in its own way. Artistic, floating, and awaiting your presence'.
The author also writes up his sauna studded stay while on a sojourn from the US in the same Saunatimes (Jun. 2):
'As an inspiration for your own sauna travels, here is a travelogue of my recent trip to UK and Norway, where I enjoyed these 25 saunas in 9 days'.
3wCheck out the new flagship of the Oslo Sauna Association - @estudioherreros ‘s beauty, TROSTEN. With its playful and colorful expression, the outer facade is made from recycled aluminium, containing more than 75% of reused post-consumer aluminium scrap.
📍: Oslo, Norway 🇳🇴
Special thanks to:
Finally, American Banyasf are on their Central European tour where they were at Therme Wien (Jun. 29):
'Therme Wien was the biggest therme so far and hosted multiple saunas with regular aromatherapy sessions, a cold plunge, 2 steam rooms, a gender-separated area for those so inclined, and beautiful outdoor relaxation areas. 🌿🧖♂️ In Budapest all of the thermes were clothing required. In Vienna and for the rest of the trip, all of the thermes would be textile-free, no clothing allowed in the sauna areas. As such, you can't take pictures inside. Just like at Archimedes Banya'.
From Jul. 6:
'Day 8 The main event: Therme Erding, the world's largest spa! We indulged in aromatherapy sessions and the Champagne Pool in the textile-free section. There are 24 saunas and, as described on the website, “around 150 feel-good activities … waiting to be discovered by you every day.” It was so much fun that our group closed the place down at midnight. An unforgettable experience!
Day 1 - BudapestThe Sparty Bath Party at Széchenyi Bath was an unforgettable experience! From DJs to aerialist it was an experience - we missed the sauna's of the Széchenyi Bath which were closed for the party but the laser lights, electronic music, and warm thermal waters made for a night to remember.Have you ever been to a bath party?#archimedesbanyatour #SpartyBathParty #SzéchenyiBath #BudapestNights #banyasf #suana #archimedesbanya #Saunatour #spaparty
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