Public baths in Berlin

August 31, 2012 3:16 AM

I am lucky enough to be going to Berlin for a week in September, and would like to know if some recommended public baths are okay.

Have had recommendations of two different public baths, but this is from someone who was there a little while ago. Do you know what these places are like now?
Thermen am Europa-Center (I know this is a bath where everyone goes naked, that's not a problem)
Sultan Hamam

I am interested in both Turkish style baths and more badkultur type places, so if you have any others to recommend, please do!

posted by Megami to travel & transportation around Berlin, Germany (5 answers total)

Both are fine as in are not fronts for brothels, the one at Europa Center is a bit worn-looking and you may be the only under-eighty-year old there.

This place
http://www.hamamberlin.de/index2.htm

is a nice little local hamam for women only, nearest station Görlitzer Bahnhof.

The Liquidrom
http://www.liquidrom-berlin.de/
is expensive but very nice, the main vaulted pool is designed for floating and listening to music on underwater speakers.
posted by runincircles at 3:23 AM on August 31, 2012

Oh, in case it is relevant - I am an Anglo woman who speaks very little German.
posted by Megami at 3:29 AM on August 31, 2012

That won't be a problem at all at the Liquidrom, and probably definitely not at all at the hamam above, will a bit of smiling and nodding.
posted by runincircles at 3:46 AM on August 31, 2012

Can't speak for the Europa Centre, but at Sultan Hamam you'll be fine. A note about Sultan Hamam: it's a few floors up in a big industrial looking building which looks like nothing much from the outside. You might be thinking "what the hell am I doing in this weird place?" but don't worry, once you get inside the Hamam itself it's actually quite lovely.

As for English-speaking, at the Liquidrom and probably also at Sultan Hamam you won't have any problems.

I would also recommend the Stadtbad Neukölln, it's a really beautiful, non-skeevy place, which includes a number of different saunas.

If it's warm when you visit, then you should definitely head out to one of the many lakes around the city for a true slice of Berliner Badkultur. Wannsee is the classic choice, as it has a large beach. Krumme Lanke is also nice. A bit of Googling will turn up lots of different lakes which are all very swimmable.
posted by guessthis at 4:27 AM on August 31, 2012

Here's the link to the "Berlinerbadebetriebe" which is the office that controls the 'public baths' - you can read it with Google/Chrome translator. The 'public baths/pools' are really terrific, I've found. Clean, well run and not too expensive.

And here's a good link that talks about a bunch of the various lakes around Berlin. (There's other general tourist stuff at that site as well.)
posted by From Bklyn at 10:18 AM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]