Wellness vacation for beginners: naked or with a towel? 6 etiquette tips that will save you embarrassing moments in the spa
Naked in the sauna or would you prefer bathing clothes? The same rules for staying in the spa area do not apply in all hotels. Wellness hotel expert Andrea Labonte gives helpful tips and shows how you can avoid having to put up a fool.
1. Book spa appointments before your stay
Are you looking forward to relaxing massages and facial treatments before your wellness holiday? Then you are advised to take a look at the spa menu of your hotel before you start your holiday. It is best to book the desired treatments from the comfort of your own home. If you only express your desired dates in the hotel, you risk going empty-handed. Because especially during the holiday season, the most popular spa appointments in the afternoon and early evening are quickly booked up.
A little tip: If you value your application to be massaged by a therapist of the same sex, express your wish in advance. Most of the time, the spa staff endeavors to respond to your preferences. And if not, don't worry, a trained therapist will protect your privacy at all times.
About the expert
Andrea Labonte has an extraordinary job that many envy her: she is a wellness hotel tester with the online guide Wellness Heaven. In this capacity, she not only gathers splendid spa experiences, but also gathers the most bizarre events from her day-to-day work in the regular column "From the life of a hotel tester".
Her professional background: She studied business administration in Mainz and Paris, where she also met her husband, with whom she founded the hotel portal in 2006. She worked in marketing in various sectors, most recently six years for one of the largest international luxury goods groups.
Very important: while you are changing, he should leave the massage room and only come back in after you have made yourself comfortable on the massage table. In addition, the untreated body parts are covered with towels.
2. Pay attention to punctuality – if you are late, you will be left behind
When you arrive at the wellness hotel, it is advisable to arrive on time for your treatment. We would like to recommend this to you in this wellness etiquette. Those who are late run the risk of being treated shorter than booked. Because of the follow-up appointments, your treatment time may be reduced according to your delay.
A timely cancellation is also worthwhile. In the event of a cancellation that is too short, your application will often still be invoiced, since the application date can usually not be otherwise given for such a short time.
3. Pay attention to the dress code – high heels instead of flip flops
Such a wellness day is known to make you hungry. So that the walk to the restaurant does not end in embarrassment, it is advisable to inquire about the restaurants and the dress codes there at check-in. Is there a spa restaurant that you can also visit in the wellness gulf or should you rather dress up between a sauna session and a steam bath? If you know about dress codes, avoid being referred to the place in your bathrobe as "underdressed".
Otherwise, everything that is comfortable is allowed in the wellness area. You will usually find a bathrobe, slippers and sauna towels in your room. Despite the often offered flip-flops, it is recommended to have your own flip-flops in your luggage. Because the hotel slippers are mostly made of fabric and very quickly bless the temporal after swimming and sauna. The sauna area is a textile-free zone in most German spa hotels. You only wear swimwear in family saunas or textile saunas.
Enjoy your wellness vacation abroad, you should definitely inquire about the prevailing customs there. Because in many countries, such as In North America, Italy, France and sometimes also in England, the Adam's costume in the sauna is considered frowned upon. It is best to appear in a bathrobe with the booked massage. The therapist usually gives you a disposable panties that you can wear during use. Swimwear is the order of the day in the swimming pool and whirlpool, while a sport outfit is suitable for the fitness courses on offer.
4. Adequate behavior for sauna and steam bath
For hygiene reasons, you should take a shower before going into the sauna, but then enter the sauna dry afterwards. In order not to disturb the other guests, it is important to close the sauna door quickly and to remain calm in the sauna – if entertainment, then only in a whisper.
When taking a seat, make sure that there is a towel between your body and the wooden bench. In addition, you should not move too close to your sauna neighbor. Resist the urge to stare openly at your counterpart, even if they have an oversized bird of paradise tattooed on their chests that is hard to beat in terms of hideousness. Because inappropriate goggles are out of place in the sauna.
In contrast to the sauna, clean your place in the steam bath thoroughly with the water hose before you sit down and leave the steam bath. Here, too, there are usually towels available to put under the steam bath. After the sauna and steam bath, a shower is recommended. Cooling in the plunge pool is also suitable for better circulation and to strengthen the immune system. However, only if you have showered thoroughly beforehand. Otherwise you rightly risk an acute disgust alarm at the other wellness guests.
5. Don't make big speeches
Always remember that other guests at the wellness hotel want to relax and unwind. That is why ringing smartphones and loud calls in the hotel spa are out of place. Peals of laughter with your best friend or loud discussions with your partner, who is currently not your opinion, have no place in the wellness area.
If you know that you are a chainsaw snorer, out of consideration for the other guests, you should retire to your hotel room for a long nap and not sleep in the relaxation area. And although the dried fruit and teas in the spa taste like kneeling, loud smacking and sipping noises are taboo in the wellness area.
6. A "thank you" is part of the good tone
The employees in a wellness hotel often do their best. Therefore, not only the waiter in the restaurant or the cleaning staff in the room, but also the beautician in the spa is happy about a friendly "thank you" and a tip. With a spa treatment, ten percent of the treatment price is considered a good guide and a sign of your appreciation.