Coincidentally or not? The two spas are operated by the same organization and are located only meters apart, but they offer completely different experiences and cater to completely different audiences. I asked my hotel for a spa recommendation but they were well-trained by the Baden-Baden tourist information board and would only tell me that both spas were equally wonderful.
So what is the best spa in Baden-Baden, Germany? Friedrichsbad bills itself as a Roman-Irish bathhouse. The classically-inspired building dates back almost years, and the interior of the spa is an unusual combination of Neoclassical design there are lots of naked Greek- and Roman-style statues and what I would describe as Soviet medical utilitarianism even though Baden-Baden was never in East Germany.
Inside the building there are two sets of facilities laid out in a perfect mirror image of one another — this allows men and women to spa separately on Monday, Thursday and Saturday as of early and enjoy a coed spa experience on the other days of the week. Why separate men and women? Friedrichsbad offers its guests a prescribed, time-restricted visit through exactly seventeen stages of spa-ing is that a word?
Friedrichsbad was the first spa I visited in Baden-Baden. Overall, I found the experience quite underwhelming. I had a hard time keeping track of the time and anticipating how much time I would need at future stations, so sometimes I rushed through areas only to end up waiting at others. I am not convinced that the prescribed, seventeen-step ritual offers any health benefits over a self-directed spa visit at another facility.
This is kind of weird, because I feel like Friedrichsbad is designed for an older audience who treat spa visits as medical treatment, rather than as a luxurious indulgence.
