As my sweetie was in the hospital for some renal problems, I decided to spend my 53rd birthday in…read morethe city of my birth, Frankfurt. I have often visited the Amsterdam Sauna in Sachsenhausen. I love the friendly familiar atmosphere in the pub area and the somewhat older clientele, many regulars who obviously know each other. A similar ambiance can be found in the Atlantis Sauna in Ludwigshafen across the Rhine River from Mannheim.
I was planning to try something new. My eyes were on the Metropol, right downtown where it all happens. I researched reviews and saw a few that recommended Saunawerk instead. I teetered between the two until I saw that on this particular day it was FKK. As a closet nudist, I jumped and decided to go here.
A little out of downtown, this establishment lies along the first German subway/metro line. I used to take it as a 2nd grader to school. Nostalgia! The entrance is clearly marked.
A pleasant entrance with a super friendly gentleman to check you in. (Of note is that when the aforementioned Atlantis Sauna has FKK days, the staff complies with the dress code.)
The venue is very nice, clean, well kept. It was early afternoon, so not all facilities were open. Multiple shower areas, a dry sauna, a steam room, a jacuzzi/hot tub (not quite hot enough), a small swimming pool, a hammam like room. The tepidarium and the "foam party" room were not yet in service till later in the evening.
There is also a covered outdoor area with beach chairs. There smoking is allowed.
Upstairs there are first come first serve rooms for privacy. I saw at least one private room. Common in US bath houses, these are not common in Germany.
The entrance area is the hospitality area. Bar/restaurant is not comparable to either the Amsterdam which has a huge food and drink space, or the Atlantis which does BBQs in the warm months.
Now to the biggest reason for the only three star rating. The clientele. Normally you have either the young crowd where 52 year olds are invisible despite adequate endowment. Or you have an older set of men, some of which are quite social. (The latter is indicative of the Amsterdam and the Atlantis. The former reminds me of a gorgeous bath house in Karlsruhe). Here, unfortunately, you had mostly older guys with little to show who were quite standoffish and antisocial.
So facility fantastic, clientele not.