I love the idea of German Saunas. It's relaxing and feels amazing. And the Germans have absolutely…read moreno problem enjoying this while being naked with members of the opposite sex. I really appreciate that. They really don't see anything sexual about the experience.
The sauna on Schoenhauser was known as a "wellness lounge".
You enter the facility, and you are given a key to a locker, and a towel. You go into your gender's changing room, strip down completely and put your clothing in a locker, emerging with only a towel. From there, you wander into one of the saunas, placing the towel on the wooden seat. Forget the towel, and you'll most certainly be corrected by one of the attendees of the proper protocol. Germans are very polite, but they won't hesitate to tell you when you are breaking the rules.
If you are lucky, you'll get to experience the Aufguss ritual, in which an attendant will come into the sauna once everyone is seated, pour water on the hot stones to create steam, and then expertly whip a towel around to hit each person in the face with the hot steam.
I'll never understand the point of the ritual, just that it appears to be an essential part of the Germany experience, and I didn't want to deny myself this experience.
An hour later I leave the wellness lounge, fully refreshed and warmed up - the hangover from last night now a distant memory.
