Best Saunas in Essen, Germany
Krayer Saunabad
An owner-run sauna bath and massage practice on Krayer Straße in Essen-Kray. The sauna keeps a weekly rota: mixed sessions on Monday evening, Wednesday and Saturday, men-only days on Tuesday and Friday, and a women's day on Thursday. Alongside the sauna and rest rooms the practice offers massages, fango and heat therapy and Kneipp treatments. Closed on Sundays.
Gesundheitspark Nienhausen
The sauna and brine complex of Revierpark Nienhausen, on the Gelsenkirchen side of the Essen border. Nine saunas include a Waldsauna with a fireplace and twice-daily Wenik ceremonies, an herbal garden sauna, bio saunas, a steam bath and separate women's and men's saunas, with plunge pools indoors and out, a salinarium and a 34 °C outdoor brine pool. Nudity is required everywhere from 2 PM at weekends and on holidays. 2-hour entry from 20.50 €.
Grugapark-Therme
A thermal bath and sauna landscape set inside Essen's Grugapark, with a 32 °C brine pool outdoors, a 34 °C whirlpool and an indoor pool. Eight sauna stations run from a 50 °C Shinto steam bath through colour-light, Shoji and Himalayan salt saunas to the 95 °C Japan-Haus for ritual Aufguss, plus an infrared lounge and a Japanese-style garden with a cold plunge. The saunas are textile-free. Mondays are women only. Entry from 26 € for 2 hours.
Niederrhein-Therme
A brine and sauna complex in Revierpark Mattlerbusch in Duisburg-Hamborn, on the western edge of the Ruhr. It has 14 saunas and a steam bath, among them an event sauna for up to 110 people at the graduation tower, a rock sauna against a waterfall wall, a fireplace log sauna and the Ritterrunde with Wenik ceremonies, plus a cold plunge, crushed ice and a salt grotto. Nudity is required on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday from 5 PM. 2-hour ticket 19 €.
Revierpark Vonderort
The sauna landscape of Revierpark Vonderort in Oberhausen, near the Bottrop border. Its 3,000 m² garden holds an earth sauna at 95 °C, a log sauna with a fireplace and singing-bowl ceremonies, and a heated 8 × 12 m outdoor pool; indoors are a Finnish sauna, a steam bath, a Valo bio bath and separate women's and men's areas. Cooling is a cold pool and a crushed-ice fountain. The brine bath itself is closed. Closed Mondays; 3-hour ticket 16 €.
Hallen&Naturfreibad Linden
A modernised municipal indoor pool and chlorine-free natural outdoor pool in Bochum-Linden, run by WasserWelten Bochum. The 25 m indoor pool, 1, 3 and 5 m diving tower and a course pool with movable floor sit alongside a refurbished sauna; work on its winter garden is not yet finished, so sauna entry is offered at a special price of 10 € for adults, swimming included.
Hallenfreibad Hofstede
A municipal indoor and outdoor pool in Bochum-Hofstede run by WasserWelten Bochum, with six 25 m lanes indoors, a large outdoor swimming pool in summer, a children's pool with slide and a sun terrace. The bath has its own sauna; sauna entry for adults is 12 € and includes swimming, and under-16s may use the sauna only with an adult. Opening times are published on the WasserWelten Bochum site.
Stadtbad Kupferdreh
A 1971 neighbourhood swimming bath in Essen-Kupferdreh, run since 1997 by the IG Stadtbad Kupferdreh association on behalf of the city. Around its 25 m pool are a sauna area with a Finnish sauna, an infrared heat cabin, a solarium, a rest room and an outdoor area. Pool entry is 4 €; the pool opens on weekday mornings, Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and is closed on Sundays. Check sauna times with the bath.
Krayer Saunabad
An owner-run sauna bath and massage practice on Krayer Straße in Essen-Kray. The sauna keeps a weekly rota: mixed sessions on Monday evening, Wednesday and Saturday, men-only days on Tuesday and Friday, and a women's day on Thursday. Alongside the sauna and rest rooms the practice offers massages, fango and heat therapy and Kneipp treatments. Closed on Sundays.
Gesundheitspark Nienhausen
The sauna and brine complex of Revierpark Nienhausen, on the Gelsenkirchen side of the Essen border. Nine saunas include a Waldsauna with a fireplace and twice-daily Wenik ceremonies, an herbal garden sauna, bio saunas, a steam bath and separate women's and men's saunas, with plunge pools indoors and out, a salinarium and a 34 °C outdoor brine pool. Nudity is required everywhere from 2 PM at weekends and on holidays. 2-hour entry from 20.50 €.
Grugapark-Therme
A thermal bath and sauna landscape set inside Essen's Grugapark, with a 32 °C brine pool outdoors, a 34 °C whirlpool and an indoor pool. Eight sauna stations run from a 50 °C Shinto steam bath through colour-light, Shoji and Himalayan salt saunas to the 95 °C Japan-Haus for ritual Aufguss, plus an infrared lounge and a Japanese-style garden with a cold plunge. The saunas are textile-free. Mondays are women only. Entry from 26 € for 2 hours.
Niederrhein-Therme
A brine and sauna complex in Revierpark Mattlerbusch in Duisburg-Hamborn, on the western edge of the Ruhr. It has 14 saunas and a steam bath, among them an event sauna for up to 110 people at the graduation tower, a rock sauna against a waterfall wall, a fireplace log sauna and the Ritterrunde with Wenik ceremonies, plus a cold plunge, crushed ice and a salt grotto. Nudity is required on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday from 5 PM. 2-hour ticket 19 €.
Revierpark Vonderort
The sauna landscape of Revierpark Vonderort in Oberhausen, near the Bottrop border. Its 3,000 m² garden holds an earth sauna at 95 °C, a log sauna with a fireplace and singing-bowl ceremonies, and a heated 8 × 12 m outdoor pool; indoors are a Finnish sauna, a steam bath, a Valo bio bath and separate women's and men's areas. Cooling is a cold pool and a crushed-ice fountain. The brine bath itself is closed. Closed Mondays; 3-hour ticket 16 €.
Hallen&Naturfreibad Linden
A modernised municipal indoor pool and chlorine-free natural outdoor pool in Bochum-Linden, run by WasserWelten Bochum. The 25 m indoor pool, 1, 3 and 5 m diving tower and a course pool with movable floor sit alongside a refurbished sauna; work on its winter garden is not yet finished, so sauna entry is offered at a special price of 10 € for adults, swimming included.
Hallenfreibad Hofstede
A municipal indoor and outdoor pool in Bochum-Hofstede run by WasserWelten Bochum, with six 25 m lanes indoors, a large outdoor swimming pool in summer, a children's pool with slide and a sun terrace. The bath has its own sauna; sauna entry for adults is 12 € and includes swimming, and under-16s may use the sauna only with an adult. Opening times are published on the WasserWelten Bochum site.
Stadtbad Kupferdreh
A 1971 neighbourhood swimming bath in Essen-Kupferdreh, run since 1997 by the IG Stadtbad Kupferdreh association on behalf of the city. Around its 25 m pool are a sauna area with a Finnish sauna, an infrared heat cabin, a solarium, a rest room and an outdoor area. Pool entry is 4 €; the pool opens on weekday mornings, Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and is closed on Sundays. Check sauna times with the bath.