I fell in love with being in a German nude spa at Vabali spa berlin.

I know some of my German friends would roll their eyes at me for saying that Germans love themselves a bit of mixed gender nudity. Ahh yes, the German nude spa topic, here we go. But upon visiting vabali, I think they totally do. If you’re not familiar with the Freikörperkultur, of FKK (free body culture), chances are you will after spending some time in Germany. At the very least, you will have heard of a nude spa Germany one way or another. And while some would simplify that the FKK movement was born as a form of resistance against the East German regime, nudism in Germany has its roots way further in history.

After doing a little research, what stuck with me most is the use of nudity historically as a way for people to free themselves from the religious restriction that has taught people to be ashamed of their body, and from the industrial society. Without clothes, no-one is a factory slave, everyone is equal.

Now, there’s an idea that jives with me.

In my quest to experiencing a culture to its fullest, I obviously decided I wanted to get naked in Berlin too and visit a German spa nude for the first time. My very first naked spa Germany experience! Might seem trivial, yet for the prude North American that I am, it’s a bit of a leap. So after baring it all in Turkey in a gender-segregated hammam, I thought that visiting a nude spa Berlin – such place where all bares it all for all naked strangers to see – was the next step in my quest to undressing in as many countries as possible.

I totally just made that up.

But I did want to experience a German nude spa anyway. So out with the bathing suit and in with the birthday suit.

There are many options when it comes to a nude German spa experience in Berlin, and they all sound fantastic. Many luxury spas come with a full menu of beauty treatments and massage services. Yet one kept cropping up in conversations whenever I was trying to figure out which naked spa Berlin was most famous for. Make sure it’s on your to-do list if you come to spend a weekend in Berlin.

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Berlin nude sauna, you say?

Friends go to vabali spa nude. Dates go to vabali spa naked. Colleagues go to the German sauna nude. Who doesn’t go to vabali naked? I was naturally pumped when I got invited to write a vabali spa Berlin review and visit one of the top nude spa in Germany. And while I love company, the thought of being completely nude with acquaintances in a hot tub in public made me somewhat nervous. So I elected to go on my own for my first experience. And although vabali spa is not an FKK venue or a nudist resort, people there are nude in some outlets (in the sauna room, steam baths and large pool area) while some chose to cover themselves with bathrobes, kimonos or towels in the lounge area and restaurant, so it seemed perfect for my self-experiment. Ready for a nude German spa experience?

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A little too shy for a nude sauna Berlin outing or for the nude German sauna? Find other clothed things to do right here! But save nude Berlin for another day!

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VISITING VABALI SPA BERLIN

vabali spa is a great place with wonderful spa facilities — an oasis of peace and quiet smack in the center of the city. You’d never guess the hustle that’s going on just a mere meters away from just how peaceful it is.

Upon checking in at the front desk, I was given a set of instructions with a wristband, a towel, a cute little kimono and was directed to the changing room. It quickly hit me right in the face how confident I actually am with nudity when I’m a complete stranger to everyone. Being naked with my mom is a thought that makes me extremely uncomfortable (perhaps she’d be judgemental of my pube trimming habits?!) – but here, I was just like, hey ho, I’m nakey, no biggie. Perhaps the last few years of cycling and yoga have given me that extra boost of body confidence? Also, the average customer age on the day I visited was much higher than my own and seemed to be indirectly proportional to everyone’s level of comfort with their own nudity. I’m not 100% if there is a women’s locker room there as I ended up in a mixed one. Oh well.

Let’s get naked, Berlin! On the day of my visit, it was a lush 30+ degrees celsius, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze that was caressing my body in places where it never gets the opportunity to do so. Once I managed to stop myself from staring at all the weiners dangling about nonchalantly, it felt amazing. I very likely had the Berlin sauna mixed-gendered fist-timer stamp on my forehead, but hey…

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THE GROUNDS

vabali nude spa berlin has a huge outdoor area comprising of a swimming pool with sundeck and lounge chairs, a restaurant terrace, large garden with relaxation area, private massage cabanas (where I got an excellent 50-minute massage by one of the massage therapists), more loungers and several saunas and steam rooms sprinkled across for quiet time. If the weather isn’t on your side, the indoor common area is equally impressive with its open-space swimming pool, cozy relaxation areas with heated waterbeds and fireside, and even more saunas and steam rooms, as well as tea room. I’m honestly looking forward to the weather going bad for my second visit and spend a day indoors curled up in a waterbed with a good book.

A STEAM ROOM FOR EVERY TASTE

It took me a little while to understand the daily infusion sauna schedule as it was only in German, and there are so many steam rooms with different minerals to pick from. Trust me, it’s well worth asking around for help in understanding the chalkboards. Turns out, German nude sauna is serious business!

There’s a full schedule of different aromatherapy ceremonies and treatments going on at every hour in many of the steam rooms, ranging from being ‘whipped’ by the Saunameister with tea-infused tree branches in a Finnish sauna, to coffee body scrub, revitalizing meditation, birch stick and chamomile blossom treatments. So day passes are probably best if you want to get the full experience. These are all free and make the experience feel like you’re getting so much more bang for your buck! They are all very popular and, at some point, there must have been at least 30 of us squeezed tight next to one another, completely naked, huffing and puffing from the unbearable heat in a tiny wood cabin whilst being ‘whipped’ with tree branches in between cold baths. Kind of a unique experience. Make sure you drink plenty of cold water during the day and drench yourself with more buckets throughout the day of as you’ll sweat a lot!

Berlin naked spa in a nutshell (LOL)

Whereas I came here to experience what a nude spa Germany was all about, at the end of the day, these were all very trivial points in the grander scheme of things. I had the most relaxing day ever with good food and sunshine and, if anything, being naked simply contributed to making me feel really awesome about myself and super relaxed. Not what I expected!

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IN A NUTSHELL

* Mark a full day off your calendar to experience the whole daily herbal full spa treatment schedule. I got there at 11am and reluctantly left at 6pm because I had another engagement elsewhere. vabali is open from 9am to midnight daily. Make the best of it!

* The current day rate is 39,50€ on weekdays and 42,50€ on the weekend for a day pass.

* The restaurant specializes in Mediterranean and Asian delicacies and will gladly accommodate special diets upon request to their best ability. They have the best fruit smoothies and great food!

* There is a large massage menu to pick from, ranging from Ayurveda treatments, Reiki, Shiatsu, Thai massages and algae body packs. I opted for the classic full body massage and I honestly think vabali is one of the best massage places in Berlin.

* The vabali Germany nude spa is located a ten-minute walk from Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Central Station) – directions here

vabali Spa Berlin
Seydlitzstr. 6
10557 Berlin

More great Berlin activies!

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All photos courtesy of vabali Spa Berlin. Many thanks for hosting me!