2024-03-13 11:54:19
Winter seems almost over, the darkest days of the year have been overcome, and yet a relapse can still come. May the gloom return, the rain become meaner. In Berlin, the period leading up to spring is particularly difficult. Here, the winter gloom clings to the street lights and cargo bikes, even if it isn’t that cold. It’s all the more important to know which places you can escape to to feel a bit of warmth. In Berlin in 2024, there are basically only two wellness places that city souls in need of rest can choose between: either the Vabali or the Liquidrom.
Let’s first drive to the 20,000 square meter spa oasis behind the main train station. If you stop by spontaneously, you have to expect a long waiting time. The Vabali can accommodate up to 500 visitors, and yet the crowds are huge. Only on Monday morning at 8 a.m., said one employee with a wink, was there a little less going on. We came on a Wednesday. Lanterns light the way into the bathhouse. A Buddha statue welcomes you in front of the entrance and prepares excited visitors for a carefree time. You have to buy towels and bathrobes in addition to the hefty daily admission price of 47.50 euros. The locker is small and there are no changing rooms.
Jump into the warm water: View into the central swimming pool in the Vabali Spa Berlin: Image: Vabali Spa Berlin
From the outset, it is made clear to visitors that they are now entering a free-spirited area where all genders can immerse themselves together, unclothed, in the great happiness of physical and mental relaxation. However, in Vabali you need a moment for this. Because before relaxation comes orientation – and that doesn’t come easy. There are overview maps and signs, but if you’re here for the first time, you may feel overwhelmed for a moment. Ten saunas, three steam baths, four pools, massage rooms, relaxation oases and a restaurant form the core of the Balinese-oriented wellness oasis. There is also a spacious garden that invites you to linger with lots of sun loungers, small, pretty pavilions and old trees. And yet, given the choice, you can’t stay in one place for long, there are too many extraordinary spots to discover, and the fear of missing out on the crucial opportunity to relax is too great.
Romantic ambitions
Up on the terraces of the bathhouse there are whirlpools and cold showers, large bowls of incense cones ensure a cozy state of mind. However, it is clearly pointed out that the exchange of affection should be “reduced to a minimum”. If you have romantic ambitions, you can rent a suite and bathe and drink champagne in an intimate setting. A garden with a pavilion is also part of the offer, as is a fruit plate.
Pure floating: look into the Liquidrom. : Image: Liquidrom
One of the most popular places at Vabali is the birch sauna. The benches in the wooden hut are usually full ten minutes before the infusion. Time and again, latecomers run into the sauna in confusion and are sent out again amidst general jeering. Then the infusion master comes with birch branches, wets the hot stones of the sauna heater with water and swirls the branches around the room. They sweat and groan, cough and finally flee together. Berlin’s wellness elite stagger out of the hot fog and sink into one of the wicker chairs provided in the shimmering light of the full moon.
#Vabali #Liquidrom #Wellness #Berlin