Cologne Activities: Spa and Massage

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Beauty and spa treatments are popular in Cologne.

Just be aware that in typical German style, all sauna areas (referred to as "Saunalandschaften", i.e. Sauna landscapes) are mixed (apart from the odd "Damentag") and that bathing costumes are banned from them for hygienic reasons. Yup. Starkers, everybody. Do take a bathrobe (to keep you from the cold outside the saunas) and a large towel (to put under you in the saunas, no sweating on the wood, please) with you, though. Do not draw hasty conclusions either : mixed nudity does not make those places dens of sin, quite in the contrary. Nudity is considered as the only appropriate outfit in saunas, and it all happens in a disciplined, wholesome, safe and respectful atmosphere. Possibly one of the highest forms of German civilisation one can experience. Gawkers and bathing costume-wearers will be expelled by the staff without qualms, so don't even think you can get away with playing the tourist who didn't know, it won't make a difference. That very matter-of factly, uneroticised approach to mixed nudity may well turn out to be a revelation to many visitors open-minded enough to give it a try and go with the flow. You've been warned !

Sauna

• Claudius Therme www.claudiustherme.de Large spa with pool and lots of different saunas (indoors and outdoors) next to the Rhine, north of Deutz.
• Mauritius Therme www.mauritius-ht.de Decent Saunalanschaft in an hotel south of Neumarkt.
• Neptunbad www.neptunbad.de, located in the popular area of Ehrenfeld in an old renovated bath, to which an attractive "sauna landscape" in japanese style on two levels has been added. Also a comprehensive fitness center.
• Mediterana www.mediterana.de, 11 saunas and a huge pool, in Bergisch Gladbach, East of Cologne
• Saunas in public swimming pools www.koelnbaeder.de Some of the public swimming pools managed by the Cologne city council, notably Agrippabad, do have small Saunalandschaften too, all featuring a Damentag (ladies only day)

Massage

• Ananda www.tantramassage.de, Tantra massage, an open minded and liberal attitude essential because the massages includes sexually sensitive body parts, however, no sexual services are given by the employees.
• Samudra www.samudra-cologne.de, floating tanks and wellness massages