Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/753864
TIME FOR A SPA The grand neo-Renaissance Friederichsbad spa must look the same as when it was built in 1877, with high-domed ceilings and pale green tiles. A sign says the spa building is heated thermally, just like it has always been. Here clothing is not an option—bathing suits are not permitted—however there are ladies-only times. There's a system: you go from station to station, directed by the numbers on the wall (thankfully, no Eng- lish required), and signs indicate how much time you should spend in each pool or sauna, with showers in between. With no clothes to indicate modern times, domed ceilings and tiles decorated with peacocks and flowers, the atmosphere is dreamy and meditative. The ritual has l6 steps, and if you take your time, you could spend three hours here. Temperatures are calibrated to heat up and cool down the body, but there's only one ice-cold pool at the end. Then you go to a nap room, which, I imagine, is like a girl's dorm in a Swiss boarding school. Next door is the other major spa, Cara- calla. Sleekly modern, with bathing suits required, the 4,000-square-metre family- friendly spa dazzles with 12 natural springs supplying a hot and cold rock grotto, whirlpools, waterfalls and water jets, both indoors and out. There are hot and cold saunas and herb-infused steam rooms, where scents and sounds of New Age music create a multi-sensory experience. You can sign up for massages and facials, but bathing seems to be the point here, just as it has always been in traditional spas. For a facial, I head to the town's legendary grand hotel, the Brenners Park-Hotel and Spa. Its expanded spa facility is now located next door, in Villa Stephanie, once the residence of a German duchess. My 80-minute, multi-step facial includes everything from aromatherapy to massage, and leaves me feeling aglow. The extensive menu includes massages, wraps as well as personal trainers, including cyclists who will take you on the biking and hiking trails of the Black Forest just beyond. For me, the spacious luxe atmosphere, with terraces overlooking the gardens, is part of the pleasure of the cure. I swim in an azure blue indoor pool and then relax in the rest area. SIP AND SAVOUR And then lunch, and that other renowned WINTER 2016/2017 DREAMSCAPES 45 OPPOSITE: The beautiful outdoor surroundings of Baden-Baden inspire locals and visitors alike to follow healthy regimes. ABOVE: The casino in the Kurhaus is adorned with gilt-framed mirrors, crystal chandeliers, cherub statues, vermillion carpets and roulette tables. Baden-Baden Kur & Tourismus GmbH LEFT: Le Jardin de France serves traditional French cuisine. Jacqueline Swartz