German sauna culture: nudity, Aufguss and rules
By the Find My Sauna team·
Updated ·
7 min read
German saunas are some of the best in the world, and some of the biggest. They also come with rules that surprise visitors, starting with the one about clothes. Here's how it all works, so you can relax instead of wondering what everyone else knows.
The short answer
In Germany, the sauna is almost always textile-free: you go in naked, and most saunas are mixed, men and women together. You must sit or lie on a towel so that no part of your skin touches the wood. Talk quietly or not at all, shower before every round, and wear a robe in the rest areas. Many saunas hold a women-only day each week. The highlight is the Aufguss, a scheduled session where a sauna master pours scented water on the stones and fans the heat around the room with a towel.
Why Germans sauna naked
Saunas spread through Germany and Austria in the second half of the 20th century, borrowed from Finland, and the Finnish habit of bathing naked came with them. Today the sauna area of a German spa or public pool is a textile-free zone. At vabali, which runs big spas in Berlin and Hamburg, the house rules say plainly that the sauna cabins may only be used without clothes.
The reason given is hygiene: a swimsuit traps sweat against your skin and can carry pool chlorine into the heat. Naked, you sweat freely and shower it all off afterwards. Ask a German and they'll also tell you it's simply more comfortable, and that nobody is looking. That's true. The atmosphere is relaxed and matter-of-fact, and staring is the one thing that will get you funny looks.
The pools are often a different story. In many complexes the swimming pool and the sauna area are separate, and you wear a swimsuit in one and nothing in the other. Our guide to what to wear in a sauna compares the rules country by country.
Is it FKK?
Not really. FKK, Freikörperkultur or "free body culture", is a German naturist movement with roots in the life-reform ideas of the late 19th century. The first FKK association was founded in 1898, and nude beaches became especially popular in East Germany. It's an outlook on life.
Sauna nudity is something else: a practical custom, like being naked in a shower. People who would never go to a nudist beach sit naked in the sauna every week without a second thought. So don't read anything into it.
The towel rule
This is the rule that matters most. Bring a big towel, a proper sauna towel of about 2 metres, and lay it on the bench so that your whole body is on it, feet included. Sweat on the wood is the thing Germans find unhygienic, much more than nudity.
You'll usually need two towels: one for the benches and one to dry off. A robe and slippers for the rest areas are expected too. Big spas usually rent all three.
Mixed saunas and women's days
Most German saunas are mixed. Couples, friends and families go together. If that isn't for you, many saunas run a women-only day or keep a separate women's sauna. In our listings, the Müller'sches Volksbad in Munich has its women's day on Tuesdays, Hamburg's Sauna Parkbad and JärveSauna near Bielefeld on Thursdays, and SaunaHuus near Bremen on Mondays.
A few places also do the opposite and hold a swimwear day. SchwabenQuellen in Stuttgart, otherwise fully textile-free, has a Textiltag on the first Saturday of each month.
Quiet, please
A German sauna is a place to rest, not to socialise. Keep your voice low in the cabins and the rest rooms, and many rest rooms are silent. Phones are often banned in the sauna area because of their cameras; vabali, for one, asks you to leave yours in the locker. Bring a book instead.
Aufguss and the Saunameister
In Finland, bathers throw their own water on the stones. In German saunas you usually don't. A sauna master, the Saunameister, pours the water at set times in a ritual called the Aufguss. They add scents such as eucalyptus, citrus or honey, then wave a towel to push the hot, scented air around the room. A board outside each cabin lists the times.
The German Sauna Federation, which has existed since 1949, trains Saunameister in fanning technique, scent blending, hygiene and emergency care. Big sauna parks run them all day: SchwabenQuellen in Stuttgart lists more than 30 a day. Read our guide to what an Aufguss is before your first one, because the rules about coming and going are strict.
A day at a German sauna
German "sauna landscapes" can be enormous. Saunalandschaft Wischlingen in Dortmund spreads over more than 12,000 m² with 11 saunas, including a kelo log sauna for about 100 people. Expect several Finnish saunas at 80–100 °C (176–212 °F), a gentler bio sauna or herbal sauna at around 60 °C (140 °F), a steam room, cold plunge pools, a garden for fresh air, rest rooms with loungers and a restaurant. People stay all day, and day tickets are priced for it.
First-timer tips
- Shower before every round, and dry off before you go in.
- Towel under your whole body, feet too.
- Robe on outside the cabins. Walking around naked between saunas is fine in some places and frowned on in others, so copy the regulars.
- Cool down properly after each round: fresh air, then a cold shower or plunge. Rinse off before you get into a plunge pool.
- Don't open the door during an Aufguss, and arrive a few minutes early if you want a seat.
- Check the age limit if you're bringing children. vabali admits children from 12, for example.
Not sure how long each round should be? See how long to stay in a sauna.
Where to go
Find My Sauna lists 193 textile-free saunas. These cities have the most:
SchwabenQuellen
Stuttgart · 30+ Aufguss sessions a day
SaunaHuus Ganderkesee
Bremen · Beehive sauna in the garden
wellness pur – Sauna Sonne Wasser
Freiburg · Independent sauna house
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to be naked in a German sauna?
In almost all of them, yes. The sauna area is textile-free, and swimsuits are not allowed in the cabins. Pools in the same building may require swimwear.
Are German saunas mixed?
Most are. Many hold a weekly women-only day or have a separate women's sauna.
Why do you need a towel in a German sauna?
You must sit or lie on a towel so that no skin or sweat touches the wooden benches. It is the strictest rule.
Can I wear a swimsuit in a German sauna?
Usually not. A few places hold occasional swimwear days, which they list on their websites.
What is a Saunameister?
The sauna master who runs the Aufguss sessions, pouring scented water on the stones and fanning the heat around the room with a towel.
