Mineraltherme Boblingen-- a Great Place to Discover the Pleasures of Mineral Baths

My husband Bill and I recently moved from the Washington, DC area to Stuttgart, Germany, courtesy of the United States Army. Housing in the Stuttgart area is in short supply; consequently, Bill and I were stuck living in a German hotel with our two beagles for six weeks while we searched for a place to live. A couple of weeks into our stay, I was feeling particularly frustrated about being homeless. At the height of my frustration, I told Bill that I wanted to go somewhere that would make me happy to be in Germany-- some place I couldn't find in the United States.

Okay... let me make something clear. I know that Germany is beautiful and in the heart of Europe. Of course there are things here that I would never find in America. And whatever I can't find here, I can probably find in one of the other fine countries in Europe. I know I'm lucky and a lot of people would trade places with me in a second. But living in a hotel, especially a no frills hotel, can get pretty old after several weeks. Luckily, on our way to Panzer Kaserne, a U.S. military installation, I noticed a large building with steam coming out of it. Then I saw the sign for the Mineraltherme Boblingen. I was intrigued. I searched online for more information and found that the Mineraltherme Boblingen had a Web site.

I surfed to the site and discovered a small problem. It's entirely in German! Yes, that makes sense, since the place is located in Germany and mostly frequented by Germans. But I was curious and I don't speak a lick of German. I kept searching and found one review written in English. It turns out the Stuttgart area has lots of hot springs. In Europe, Stuttgart's concentration of warm and hot springs are surpassed only by Budapest. It was enough to sell me on trying the place. I told Bill I wanted to go. He balked.

"Why don't you want to try it out?" I whined. "I bet it's beautiful there and the warm water will make your joints feel better."

Bill blushed and mumbled something about not having a bathing suit handy.

"You have your nylon Army shorts. Those are close enough to a bathing suit. Besides, you'll be in the water." I pointed out.

"That's true." he said, stil reluctant.

I asked him again what his issue was. He said he wasn't big on pools. I quickly figured out that my husband was shy about wearing his bathing suit in public. While I can understand the shame of wearing a bathing suit in public, the man is required to be in shape for his job. I was guessing there would be people at the baths who had a lot more to be shy about than either of us. Bill finally gave in and we made our first trip to Mineraltherme Boblingen.

First thing's first...

Bill and I tried out Mineraltherme Boblingen on a chilly, cloudy evening in early October. Parking at Mineraltherme Boblingen is free and somewhat plentiful. There are several parking lots near the facility and access to a parking garage for days when the place is teeming with people. We had no trouble finding a spot. After figuring out where the facility's front door was, we climbed some stairs to the cashier's station. Elevators are available for folks who either can't or don't want to climb the stairs. A small selection of towels and bathing suits are for sale at the cashier's area. We heard that towels weren't provided, so we brought our own. That was a lucky thing. Towels aren't provided, at least not for free.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

I don't speak any German and Bill's German is strictly basic. It's important to know that not only is Mineraltherme Boblingen's Web site entirely in German, so is the signage in the facility. Consequently, it can be a little confusing for non German speakers visiting for the first time. A standard ticket costs 9 euros. Bill purchased two, which covered two and a half hours in the baths and the saunas. All day tickets are available as well as family rate tickets. Once he forked over the money, the cashier gave us two armbands with chips in them. They looked a little like wristwatches. From watching other people, we figured out that we were to strap the bands around our wrists and follow the queue to a turnstile.

Bill decided to try entering the baths first. He waved the green circular chip over the reader on the turnstile. A light on the turnstile turned green, indicating that Bll could pass through. Being slightly handicapped by the language barrier, Bill missed his chance. That was a lucky break for me. I waved my chip over the reader, watched the light turn green, and knew to push through immediately. I got through and waited for Bill, who was getting help from a staffer.

The entrance leads directly to a unisex locker room. I know that seems kind of weird for those of us who are used to segregated locker rooms. If the prospect of changing clothes in a unisex locker room freaks you out, I have good news. The locker room has a bunch of little changing rooms that lock. The changing rooms have two doors, one that opens into the outside of the locker room, and one that opens into the interior. We found empty changing rooms, making sure to lower the arm that locks the doors. Once we changed into our bathing suits, we exited the changing room through the door that leads to the interior of the locker room. We found empty lockers, put our stuff in, and waved our armband over the locks. The locks closed immediately. Again, instructions aren't in English, but the process is not too hard to figure out. After a quick shower we were ready for the baths.

Shower shoes or bare feet?

Lots of people who visit Mineraltherme Boblingen wear shower shoes. I didn't the first time I went because I forgot to pack them. The next time I went, I remembered them and found them to be kind of a nuisance. I think I'll just stick to bare feet next time I go.

The baths

When we first entered the baths, we were confronted with several choices. The first was a large pool with a rotunda dome. This pool is, in my humble opinion, the prettiest one. The water is lukewarm and salty, but there are several stations geared toward different methods of massage. There are giant faucets, bubbling jets, and misters. Looking to the left and right and we saw two rooms with two more pools. The pools on the sides are smaller, but hotter. The temperatures are posted on the wall next to the doors. Like the big pool, these smaller pools have bubbling jets that come on intermittently. One pool is used for medical therapy sessions. If you visit, be sure to check the sign by the door to see when the pool is going to be used for therapy. Bill and I happened to go into the therapy pool right before it was going to be used for a class. The instructor asked us to leave.

There are also several pools outside which can be accessed from a staging area on the inside. Plastic flaps cover an entrance/exit that lead to the heated mineral bath outside. The outside bath is bordered by a hot tub and a cold pool. Looking to the right, we could see yet another bath, but to access it, we had to leave the warmth of the pool. Luckily, it was worth it!

Saunas and steam baths

Yep, both are available at the Mineraltherme Boblingen and there are signs in German pointing to them on the lower floor. Be warned, however, that the saunas and steam baths are textile free. That means you're likely to encounter folks who are naked. Neither Bill nor I really wanted to expose ourselves that badly, so we skipped that part of the experience. There's another pool on the lower level. I'm guessing it's cold, since it's by the saunas.

Want a real massage?

Massages are available at the Mineraltherme Boblingen for an extra cost. A wide variety of massages are available, including ones done with hot stones. Tanning beds are also available.

Hungry?

Bill and I were hungry the last time we visited the baths. Luckily, the Mineraltherme Boblingen has a nice restaurant that offers an interesting variety of dishes. Bill had a delicious meal made with turkey, coconut, and rice. I had smoked salmon with a potato pancake and cream. We washed our dinners down with fantastic draft beer. While I wouldn't see either of us chose the most diet conscious meals on the menu, they sure were unique and they tasted great. Service was good, too, and the prices were pretty reasonable.

Gardens and sunrooms

As if the pools, saunas, and steam baths aren't enough, the baths also have beautiful gardens and a sunroom. The weather hasn't been pleasant the last couple of times we've visited the baths, so we haven't checked the gardens out yet. The sunroom is located next to the big indoor pool. It was pretty chilly the last time we visited, but lounge chairs are plentiful and the room is very pleasant.

Checking out

We were done splashing around in the pools, so we headed back to the locker room for a shower and to change clothes. Luckily, I had made a mental note to remember my locker number. I waved my armband over the lock. It clicked open and I grabbed my stuff and a changing room. When I was done changing, I made the mistake of exiting out the wrong door and ended up locked in the interior part of the locker room. It's important to remember to go through the changing room or else you'll end up looking as clueless as I did. Once I figured out how to escape, I found the wall with a bank of hairdryers and a mirror. I fumbled around for a minute, then pulled the nozzle off the dryer. It started automatically. In case you were wondering, the hairdryers are free.

I dried my hair and made my way out of the locker room. Exiting was yet another exercise in intuition. There's a machine in front of another turnstile and we figured out that we had to put our armbands into the machine. We were well under the two and a half hour time limit. There's an automated machine that will allow patrons to pay for any time they go over the limit. Moreover, there are clocks all over the facility and scanners where armbands can be read so that you'll always know how much time you've used.

Our new favorite place to unwind

Though it took some effort on our part, Bill and I both agree that our time at Mineraltherme Boblingen was time very well spent. In fact, though he was reluctant to go to the baths the first time I suggested it, Bill now loves the place and is no longer ashamed of his body. There are people of all stripes who use the baths and nobody seems to care what kind of shape you're body is in. I find that attitude extremely liberating. You can bet Bill and I will be back to the Mineraltherme Boblingen many more times until it's time to go back to the U.S. of A..