Exposure

Feels like home

Naked bodies are everywhere. Yes, that's what you get when you visit Thermae 2000 on a sans vêtements day! Logical, isn't it?

The large pool which traverses from an inside basin along a canal to a large outside relax and whirl tub from where one can swim back to the start contains a 100 hundred or more of the aforementioned bodies. 
Below on the terraces overlooking the drop to the town of Valkenburg (Netherlands) are also pretty busy with bodies clothed in their birthday suits soaking up the sun. 
And beyond in the adjacent sauna complex where nudity is nearly always obligatory there are ..., well ..., more natural bodies.

This home of hedonism though is temporary, only twice a month does the management of Thermae 2000 allow soakers the ability of an all-natural soak. Other days suits are required with exception of the sauna section. There nakedness is obligatory and afterwards when one wants a swim it's back into your soggy and chilly swimmers!

Note though that every Tuesday the prudes take over, with suits de rigeur everywhere on the complex, sauna included. Apparently this appeals more to the youth!?

It is busy and it does seem to be the case on the naked days, though the non-naked days also have their addicts, so says the Thermae 2000 receptionist. Guessing from the array of assorted tan-lines these are not all customers who practice a natural sun-bath commonly. 
Then there is also the bathrobe brigade who seem to only drop their clothing guard in the brief meters between clothes hook and the pool and feel quite awkward.
So maybe not every one is up to date with today's dress code.

Naturally,  I am completely at comfort with the lack of clothes which enables one to enjoy the thermal waters as nature intended it to be. 

But, as much as this lifts me spiritually, Thermae 2000 is still a mass of steel and cement with no proof of it's natural source. Can this be regarded as a natural soak at all? Hmmm.

Going Dutch

Thermae 2000 is one of the just three natural thermal baths of Holland. Spread along the east of the country (bordering Germany), the northernmost thermal spring are the baths of Nieuweschans; centrally is the Sanadrome of Nijmegen and Valkenburgs Thermae 2000 in the south. 

Nieuweschans has little or no historic reference but Nijmegen as well as Valkenburg trace in some way their soaks back to the Roman times.

In Valkenburgs case archaeological finds of a nearby ancient Roman bath house are to be seen in the Thermen museum of Heerlen. The collection also displays other artefacts from the same period. Note though that the bathhouse had no natural hot water. So no historical connection?

Dating from 1989 Thermae 2000 draws it's waters from a depth of 380m; so not a real naturally occurring hot spring, quelle surprise. The temperature of the water pumped is 33 degrees (source).

Thermae 2000's own web site adds:

'Thermae 2OOO is built on three sources. The healthy water that comes from these sources has been protected from the meteorological cycle around 40.000 years. This means that the water has not been exposed to contaminants. The thermal water from the inside and outside pools has a special beneficial effect on body and mind and it invites the body to relax optimally'.

The Dutch website adds little more on the subject. 

Photography is forbidden and this strict policy is followed through: 

this photo is from the Thermae's own website.

Experience

But there are some draw backs to Thermae 2000:
* Parking fees are €12,50 which seems a bit hefty (but the all the more reason to switch to a push bike, the surroundings are great places to whizz around; beware though of the climb up out of Valkenburg!). 
* Entrance fee is also another €31,50 for a day pass, no counting by hours, though if only for a morning or evening cheaper options are available.

Inside the lay-out of the pools is far from clear. The sauna complex seems not so clean with quite a lot of standing water. And there´s a constant shift of persons coming in, going out making it far from a quiet area. Lot´s of shrieking coming from cold water baths.

Thermae 2000 limits visitors to the over 12, meaning that one won´t see a young family, whether the day is clothed or not. The same applies for youths in general. 

As said there was ample evidence of more prudish visitors which might go some way in explaining the lack of more hues of skin colour. Especially as the prior visit in Aachen showed that there are quite a number of visitors with their roots from elsewhere in Europe, Asia or Africa who equally enjoy a thermal bath. One might believe that the non-clothed option is a no-no. Or that Dutch culture somehow dissuades non-Dutch from soaking?

It´s also the nearness to other such places as Aachen´s Claudius Thermen, Spa´s umm ...  Therme and Chaudfontaines Chateau that leads one to believe that the hot spring bath deal can be had on better terms nearby. 
Note also that these are all of more natural origin.

Disappearance

A discussion on the Dutch language Naturismeforum lists nudists reactions:

Too busy; yeah, no under 10's; not too many old people; visitors on this forum have no respect for elder persons; yesterday a naked day: very busy, waited half an hour to get in.

Conclusion not too positive. ...

Another Dutch language site, zoover, rates Thermae 2000 as 6.0 (out of 10), with 86 reactions. Some of the comments from the last 12 months:

staff friendly; no smoking allowed; not clean; slippery floors; expensive; too many naked people; fun; relaxing; needs to be renovated; sauna's too small!; beautifully located; could be modernized; parking expensive; clothing rules unclear; our towel got stolen; good.

Tripadvisor gives Thermae 2000 a rating of 3,5 stars from 108 reviews. Are international visitors less fussy? Some of the past years reviews on tripadvisor:

dirty; not so nice; staff is friendly; lacking in flair and style [!]; overall, great service, great food; very clean; clean; spotlessly clean; dress code is clearly explained on the website; the infrastructure is very old; not modern and up to date to the latest sauna trends; very crowded is the sauna area and therefore not relaxing at all; too busy; swimming trunks "disappeared" [oops!].

The Spaonline gives it 4.2 stars out of 5 (52 reviews) while Sauna-review notes 5.2 out of 10 (23 reviews).

From the above it's clear that Thermae 2000 seems not to live up to expectations. Maybe expectations are pumped up exceptionally as for instance it's PR functions well (Thermae 2000 also has a Facebook page) and the absence of other Dutch competition.
However many point out that correctly it is expensive and on normal days, the competition is a much cheaper alternative.

What the competition doesn't have is the all-natural day, a winner for sure.

Too

2020 is here, complete with all the Covid-19 restrictions. 

We revisited at the start of the second lockdown (November), mostly because foreign soaking jaunts were out of the question / closed.

Entry fees had dropped and a 4 hour limit was set on visits; as restaurants were closed.

What had changed? It was November, an evening. 

So no surprise it was less crowded, which is quite nice. 

Not many newbies / those unfamiliar with the zero clothing surroundings. 

Thermae 2000 had put in a huge new panoramic sauna; very nice. 

Overall a better experience though now having experienced a lot more sauna complexes, the PR could be better. It's basically where Thermae 2000 misses the plank: they need to attract a larger crowd, hence the swimming pool atmosphere, though the continuing upgrading is trying to emphasize a wellness experience. The result for the latter falls (too) short.

Ratings though have (mostly) increased from the above:

Zoover 6.6 (from 6.0); though reviews fluctuate;

Tripadvisor still stuck on 3.5 stars (though from 10 times as many reviewers; the last two months very good reviews (maybe because of the limited amount of visitors gaining access?), from the summer reviews many mentioning too many visitors ...); 

Sauna Review notes 6.1 (up from 5.2);

Spaonline hands out 4 stars (down from 4.2);

Facebook gives it 4.3 stars;

Google 4.2 stars (lots recent reviews give it more than that average ...).

But bottom line: you have no alternative for thermal water in the south of the Netherlands; but you could find a better (and cheaper) place for a wellness experience.

Postscript 2022: I have my doubts about any figure being appropiated. The difference between the clothed and non-clothed experience also reflects experience. An 8-, based on a six for the clothed expeience and a 9- for the non-clothed situation. Pool, though still coolish, catering non-existent. Crowded?

Cultural connection

Perfect Isolation

The Pomakohoria area of Xanthi region, (Thrace / Greece) lies close to the Bulgarian border. This area is best described as:

'Among the mountain villages stand out [in Xanthi region] the “Pomakohoria”, a cluster of approximately 40 villages north of Xanthi, renowned for their cultural and architectural uniqueness'.

Odd is that the most authoritative source of info in English on this area is no other than Lonely Planet Greece [1]:

'These 25-or-so villages host a unique population of Bulgarian-speaking muslims, the Pomaks [or Pomach], who spill across the borders and whose ethnic identity is a subject of some uncertainty (even to themselves)'.

Besides the physical isolation, typical of most mountainous areas, Pomokohoria was off limits in the post-second world war set-up. However with the thawing of relations between what was once West and East, this area opened up to the outside world.

This relative isolation has resulted in the villages and their inhabitants themselves (Pomaks) becoming a prime attraction: a way to see the muslim world without leaving Greece proper.

Luckily for the avid soaking enthusiasts there are also hot springs to visit in Pomokohoria. Located at what might be the end of the winding and hilly road originating from Xanthi town are the villages of three villages of Thermes: Ano (High), Meso (Middle) and (Lower) Thermes. All apparently host a hot spring or two, so I learnt. Also note that the wikipedia link mentioned to Thermes has a couple of photo's of the springs taken during winter ...

Nosing around

When trying to reach the Thermes, one needs to leave Xanthi city northwards, go up the valley to Smythine, cross the mountains to Echinos and cross the mountains once more to pass all three Thermes villages to arrive at Thermes itself! Or so I believe.

Thermes though is not a village but rather a number of buildings which have sprung up around a number of hot spring sources. The buildings are a school, a government office, a church, a mosque, two restaurants and something that may pass as a hotel and the bathing facilities themselves.

The modern soak pool

Opposite the hotel on a bluff above the river stand two buildings each containing a large enclosed pool. An entrance fee is required but nosing around today is also possible; it’s a slow day.

If one then walks down to the river (back north) midway down is another pool building with an outside pool. The inner pool is in a slowly crumbling once modern building, while next to this is a large (6 x 6m) outdoor pool, open to heaven and with a small opening in the otherwise very closed aluminium fence. 
A gentleman can be observed soaking here. 
We don’t know what the custom is here, are we allowed to join? Can genders mingle?

The outer open air pool with a couple of inner pools behind. The latter not so nice

So to overthink this quandrum, we wander even further down the road.

I remember that my eye caught a dome like structure on the drive in, but fail to re-see this close to the river. We wander down a side path to observe the fast flowing river and there, not more than a meter from the fast flowing river is the entrance to the elusive dome. 

The path leading to the dome soak. 

Note on the left the build up of minerals and the river to the right.

An elderly couple just pop out, presumably just having bathed. 

Next to the dome is a wall of mineral build-up which is slowly expanding from the off–flow of many of Thermes springs.

Soakability

We regather our things and enter the dome. Inside is a pool with some hooks and a crooked wooden bench. 

The once modern door can be locked but a large brick remains to somehow assist the locking process. We undress and despite Lonely Planets call 

('don't forget that since Pomakohoria is a conservative area the baths are no place for debauchery, shouting or gleeful nudity'),

undress every stitch and slip in the quite hot pool, choosing the gleeful option!

Maybe the brick was meant as a possible way to keep the door blocked but not locked so as to enable the air flow to continue because soon we are hot, very hot. Steam everywhere.

I read somewhere that temperatures of these hots springs are from 40 to 53. The soak lasts 20 minutes, during which we admire the old structure (originally constructed in 1928) and listen to the gushing sounds of the river. 
It’s a pity that one can not immerse one self in the crippling cold stream; it’s not our state of dress which is holding us back, rather the swiftness of the river which would probably take us with itself.

We redress, return to the modern world and walk up the hill for a cold drink.

What does this learn us? One would believe nature is bliss, but so is bathing in a historic building. And simple. 

Bulgarian connection
When originally built it was clear that the emphasis was on heat and body, while having a large enough pool to enable a couple of friends / family to enjoy. The river might have had another stream bed so jumping in might well have been possible then. 
It’s only since the arrival of modernity that somehow this frowned on. 

Further info is also scarce.

A website dedicated to Thermes by Nikolaos Kokkas has a nice write up. What do we learn? 

'The Healing Baths are in a small settlement where hot waters are everywhere springing.
...
Personal showers were added to the private baths in 1998. There are toilets also.
...
At the taverns of the area you can eat delicious cooked hot lamp or soutzoukakia (meatballs) along with other roasted meat, while you will find warm hospitality at the hostels.
...
Near the old hamam (bath) of the Thermes community, there is an older hamam that was reconstructed by the Bulgarians in 1941 but was open only till 1928 [!?]'.

Maro Kouri has a nice photo of the dome, completely white-washed (on the outside).

Interestingly, the local use of the baths / hamam stands in stark contrast to the fate of traditional hamams in general. In the blog mediterraneanespalimpst it argues the following:

'Today hammams are supported largely, and in some cases entirely, by external and internal tourism. In fact, Cichocki [2] argues convincingly that the advent of tourism saved Istanbul’s few remaining hammams in the 20^th century. She interviewed the management and staff of the Cemeberlitas hammam, who claimed that without tourists their entire operation would fold and all baths in Istanbul would be closed today. Of course, to the western tourist the hammam has become the quintessential “eastern” or “oriental” experience, something viewed as authentic and necessary when visiting Istanbul and Turkey, despite the fact that very few Turks have ever set foot in one (as Cichocki notes). She also mentions the “internal” tourism of some Istanbullers today—those who use the hammam as a means to connect with their own cultural legacy, heritage and history'.

Traditional minarets adorn the countryside

Flourishing? 
Sounding similar, the hot spring of Thermies (or Thermia) is in fact quite a distance away. Located actually in Drama region it can be accessed from the town of Paranesti by heading up along the Nestos river and then heading for the Forest of Fraktos. With little local population living nearby this soak has been able to maintain a low profile and seems (hopefully for ever) to be void of many the modern day wellness hoopla. 

This website has a picture which adds not too much more knowledge and after translation we learn this:

'The sources come from the depths of the mountains are concentrated in smaller sources and there with tires arrive in specially built "pools" two to three people with restricted plates. Water is the basis of samples that have been drinking and has a temperature of 50-60 degrees Celsius.Some of the sources are so hot of course that does not withstand your body. With proper search of course but also asking residents there you will find one that suits you'.

Greece's official tourism website adds:

'The thermal spas of Thermia are located 73 km away from Drama on the road lnking Drama to Paranesti and Fraktos Forest. The thermal spring is located 25 km to the north of the town of Paranesti, at an altitude of 620 m, where an old stone-built spa provides evidence of human presence throughout many centuries. Nowadays, natural baths are used and the development of the region is under consideration'.

This website has more bad news for natural soaking enthusiasts and conservationists:

'The Municipality Paranestiou is currently drafting studies on the re-certification of sources according to the new legislation, in order to exploit the natural resources in the creation of a center thermalism'

On the other side of Xanthi city, near the airport and coast is the hot spring of  Nea Kassani.

Furtheraway, close to the Turkish border are the hot springs of Traianoupoli. Here is just one of the few links to the not yet modernized soaking facilities.

'Trianoupoli [baths] flourished during the Byzantine ages, but at the end of this period, the region became completly depopulated'. (source)

Niche
With this blog published, it draws close a four-chaptered feature of Greek Macedonia and Thrace hot springs (of which there are reputed to be in excess of 140 soaks [3]!); hopefully an area which despite current-day economic harshness will continue to maintain it's historic and natural hot springs without caving-in to short term cash gains. 

The future I believe of any hot spring is to seek a niche rather than cater to the masses.

Notes:

[1]: Miller, K., A. Averbuck, A. Schulte-Peevers, R. Waters, M. Stamatios Clark, V. Kyriakopoulos, D. Hannigan, K. Armstrong, C. Deliso (2012) Lonely Planet Greece. Lonely Planet, Melbourne, Australia
[2]: Cichocki, N. (2005) “Continuity and Change in Turkish Bathing Culture in Istanbul: The Life Story of the Çemberlitas Hamam.” Turkish Studies 6.1: 93-112. 
[3]: Anon. (2012) Thermal springs and Thermalism from Ancient times until Today in Greece. Comenius Project Italy-Spain-Austria-Portugal-Greece 2010-2012 <!--[if gte mso 9]>