When I planned my first move to Berlin in , I already knew that one of the essential items I wanted to scratch off my living in Germany bucket list was to go about getting naked at a German spa. I dreamed of feeling the freedom and absolute joy that comes with walking around naked in public. I wanted to banish my Canadian prudishness and embrace the carefree European lifestyle.
But the narrow-minded spirit that comes from being raised in a straight-laced religious Christian household is hard to dispel overnight. It was imperative to get full immersion right away if it was really going to happen. I needed to push myself into a campaign of complete and total nakedness. I remember the very first time I went naked at a German spa as clearly as if it happened yesterday. I was invited by a Canadian friend to Kristall-Saunatherme Ludwigsfelde , a spa facility not far from Berlin.
While you can also rent a robe, many spend the day swimming, eating, drinking, and walking around completely naked. As we took the regional train out to Ludwigsfelde, I was paralyzed by fear and started to rethink my decision to get naked at a German spa. My heart was beating fast and I felt faint. My friend was very supportive and talked me through the entire experience, telling me what to expect, and explaining sauna etiquette, such as not to place your bare buttocks on a bench.
She said, that doing so would bring on the wrath of angry Germans! She also told me about how spa attendants enter the sauna from time to time, place aromatic oil on the heater, and whip a wet towel in front of them to distribute heat more evenly. The real fun started in the unisex change room, a first for me as I was always used to separated change rooms, one for men and one for women. At this German spa, everyone was together, all freely walking around naked.
At first, I felt a peculiar mixture of fascination and horror. My friend casually tossed off her robe and like a boss, walked confidently down to the pool, inviting me to follow. I stood back in our lounge chair and fended off another minor panic attack.
