SaunaScape

The Müller’sches Volksbad is one of the most beautiful places to swim and take a sauna in all of Europe. This Art-Nouveau bathhouse, a donation by Munich citizen and engineer Karl Müller, was originally opened in 1901. At that time it was the largest and most expensive pool complex ever built. The facility was rennovated extensively from 1972-1999, including removing what were a series of tubs and showers for the citizens of Munich, and replacing this area with the current SaunaLand.

The large warm water pool at the Volksbad. The cold pool is behind it, under the windows

The sauna area in the Müller’sches Volksbad is no longer the largest in Munich, but it is still the most unique. The soaring ceilings, chandelier hanging in the dome above the pool, the ornate decorative stone, wood, and ironwork, all make you feel as though you had returned to the 19th century while inside. Only the shower room with its modern fixtures and the Finnish Sauna, with its 1970’s vibe feel out of place here.

The Volksbad has only a few baths:

• a Finnish Sauna with an hourly Aufguss program (200°F or 95°C),
• a large steam room with a steam jet blowing near the door and a fountain in the back (115°F or 45°C),
• a Roman-Irish sweat bath with cool (115°F or 45°C), warm (140°F or 60°C) and hot (175°F or 80°C) rooms,
• a sizable cold pool kept at a brisk 60°F or 15°C, and
• a very large warm pool under the central dome.

During the busy hours, the facility can feel quite crowded. Especially with the small sauna, getting a seat for the Aufguss can require you to sit in the sauna for 15 minutes before it gets started.

Bring your swimsuit along, if nothing else to marvel at the architecture in the textil areas. Each of the two pools sit in arched halls. Surrounding the pools are individual wood changing cabins. The pools themselves were both set up for lap swimming and water exercise during my visit. These are probably the least kid-friendly of Munich’s public pools.

There is a restaurant in the building with the Volksbad. This is outside of the admission area. In warmer months, the terrace in front of the Volksbad appears to be their Biergarten.

When you enter the Volksbad, you pay for your ticket at the cashier and are directed to the left-hand turnstile for the Saunaland. As you pass through the turnstile it helpfully displays the latest time you can exit with your admission fee. Once you enter, you come to a recond reception desk with a stairway to your left. To the right of the stairs, there is a bank of small lockers. Choose one of these that has a key, put your entry card into the slot inside, close the door and extract the key.

The ground-floor rest and changing cabins in the Volksbad. Photo from Wikimedia Commons user Chris_73

This key will also open a corresponding locker upstairs. A rule of thumb with your lockers: The lower the number, the further back your locker will be. The highest numbers are right at the top of the stairs. One common comment about the Volksbad is its lack of privacy. Many of the lockers are in the hallway, and there are no changing cabins available on the upper floor. If this isn’t your thing, or you can’t negotiate the stairs, for an extra € 3,80, you can rent a changing and rest cabin on the main floor. These are private, locking wood stalls, and each is equipped with a small bench / bed.  I did not ask, but I believe you rent these from the attendant at the base of the stairs. In addition to the lockers upstairs is a rest room and a fresh-air terrace.

Once you’ve undressed and stowed your things, finding the showers is your next challenge. They’re back downstairs. To get to them, you must progress through the saunaland to the warm pool. Turn left here, and walk through the cooling-only showers into the shower room.

The Volksbad is in downtown Munich, right across from the Deutsches Museum, where the Ludwigsbrücke crosses the Isar. Getting there is easy by public transport: Take any S-Bahn line to Isartor, then follow the signs for the 5 minute walk to the Deutsches Museum. The Volksbad is on the same side of the street as the train station. Proceed down the stairs as soon as you cross the bridge. It is also accessable by Trams 17 and 18. There is no parking available at the Volksbad, but their website shows the location of some nearby garages.

The Volksbad is operated by SWM – the Munich City Utilities. The SWM operates a number of public pools and saunas throughout Munich. The SWM does not offer any towels, robes for rent at any of its facilities. The sauna area does not have a snack bar of any kind. Filtered water is available to fill your own bottle, or if you buy one of their cups.

Our decision to write about Therme Erding for our first post is an easy one: It’s the best sauna we’ve been to, and as such, it becomes the mental yardstick that we use to compare all other saunas.

Therme Erding claims to be Europe’s largest spa. At 129,000 square feet, it’s the size of an average Home Depot, and we’re pretty sure that this doesn’t include the area of the ample garden area that’s part of the sauna. Our count of their web literature shows that there are at least 18 different sauna rooms, from the cool 95°F (35°C) Tepidarium to the 212°F (100°C) Erdinger Schwitzstube. The saunas range from the plain wooden box with a stove to the unbelievable: A Celtic throne room, a planetarium, a salt cave, even a bakery. For the shy, there are even separate saunas for women and men (they serve beer in the men’s sauna). To cool down there are showers throughout the facility near each of the saunas, and even these are over the top: A 15′ tall bundle of calla lilies dispersing 80 gallons (300 liters) per second of water, and a deluge shower in a replica of stonehenge should paint the picture. To round things out, there are pools, and steam rooms, restaurants, a pool bar and more lounge chairs than a cruise ship. And that’s just the sauna area!

Therme Erding also is the home of Europe’s largest thermal pool park (the largest pool here is 15,000 square feet, the size of a Walgreens) and water park with 16 slides. Access to all of this is included in the admission price for the sauna.

The sauna area, like most saunas in Germany, is textilfrei – nudity is mandatory. Don’t let the photos on the web site fool you, if you’re wearing a bathing suit in the sauna, you will quickly be approached and asked to remove it or leave. Wearing a robe or towel is acceptable outside of the pools. Other than a few small areas, the sauna is open to both genders.

You will want to bring a bathing suit, as these are mandatory in the pools and water park.

Arriving at Therme Erding, you enter a large entry hall, with entrances to the water park, pools and sauna. The sauna entrance is at the left-hand side of the hall. When you pay your admission fee, you’re given a key to a locker. If you didn’t bring towels or a robe, these are available for rent at the cashier’s station. The locker area is specific for people who paid the sauna entry fee, so most people just strip down at their lockers. There are changing cabins in each row of lockers for the modest. Bizarrely, the showers are gender specific, and each is equipped with privacy panels. You must bring your own soap and shampoo.

Your locker key is attached to a nylon wrist strap. There is also a black electronic tag attached to the strap. This tag serves as your key to re-enter the sauna area if you leave, and also acts as a charge card for any food / beverages / services you purchase. You will be required to pay your charges before you are allowed to leave.

Therme Erding is located on the outskirts of Munich, a short taxi ride or drive from the Munich airport, and easily accessible by regional rail (S2 to Altenerding) from downtown Munich. On weekdays, there is a shuttle that runs from the station to Therme Erding. On weekends, it’s about a 10 minute walk, and there are plenty of people on the train with you. There is a combination train / Therme Erding ticket sold by the MVV. This ticket will not get you into the sauna. If you’re driving, their website has printable maps, and they have plenty of free parking.

The best plan to attack the Therme Erding is to pack your spa bag, and buy the full day pass. It isn’t possible to even use all the saunas if you only buy the 3-hour card.

You must be 16 years of age or older to enter.

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