Therme Erding is a short trip from Munich, but to spend a day there is fun for everyone. I know that everyone of you dreamed once about spending time in a thermal bath like Therme Erding with warm and pleasant water.
Every time I have this opportunity I enjoy as anyone this second by second. Warm, relaxing atmosphere in the air and nothing to worry about… the best possible experience you can get. Especially during these cold, winter days.
We all do have some problems and unexpected difficulties to carry about. That’s something that comes along with our lives. It’s just up to us to find the best way to cope with them.
But when it comes to wintertime, a nice and careless time on thermal baths can be an effective solution. So, that’s why I am going to write about the Therme Erding in Munich.
History of Therme Erding
Therme Erding is the second by size thermal bath complex in Europe after the one in Budapest, Hungary. It is located half an hour by car northeast of Munich. And its popularity is really big. It is visited by around 4000 people every single day.
During the February in 1983, the American oil company known as ‘Texaco’ drilled 2350 meters below ground, just outside the city of Erding near Munich. But instead of oil they have discovered sulfuric water.
Initially a ‘mini thermal bath complex’ was constructed on the site. And then, the foundation stone of Therme Erding was finally laid on the 10th of November 1988.
It was officially opened on October 3rd, 1999.
The complex has a clothed bathing area and a non-clothing sauna section.
In 2007, Therme Erding got some additions and underwent an expansion.
The same year at the end of the March, the water-slide section ‘Galaxy’ opened, making it one of the biggest indoor water parks in Europe.
The same day newly expanded ‘Saunaparadies’ reopened. With an area of nearly 13000 square meters, it became the largest sauna complex in the world.
Imagine how massive is that!
Both of these additions meant that Therme Erding more than doubled in size, increasing from 70000 to 145000 square meters. A section of the old sauna areas was named the ‘Vital-Oase’ and is now designed only for clothed use.
Another interesting section has been open since 1st March 2009. That’s the exclusive beauty section ‘Royal Day Spa’. What is surely good to know is that more than $100 million has been invested in the park since its inauguration.
That is a breathtaking amount of money if I may say… Also, more than 600 jobs have been created.
Some specific sections of Therme Erding
Galaxy
This water-slide part is covered by 25 meters high metal dome which can be half-opened in the summer months. There are 20 water-slides, one of which is the longest tube slide in Europe at 360 meters long.
From 2012 there is available a new 10 slides with a combined length of over 2750 meters.
Vital-Oase
The Vital-Oase is available and opened just for the use of those aged 16 or over. Maybe it sounds a little bit unfair to the younger ones but I suppose there is a good reason behind it.
Probably because it contains areas where alcoholic drinks can be bought such as restaurants for example.
This area contains a spa pool with a pool bar, a sulfur mineral spring, clothed saunas, and quiet rooms so as a restaurant. Three health pools were opened in 2008. They are enriched with minerals from the Dead Sea such as selenium and calcium.
If you got the chance to experience it you will definitely have enough to tell the grandchildren about.
Saunaparadies
This complex also has the rule of being available only for the ones aged over the 16 years. It’s because it offers the nudist sauna (this is a German tradition) and multiple beauty treatment parlors on a large scale. Also, here you can find two steam rooms so as a big interior of around 14000 square meters.
The Saunaparadies’s main building lies beneath a 60 by 40 meters large glass roof which can be fully opened in nice weather of course. In this building, you can relax in large jacuzzi beds, large pool, whirlpools, neck showers, and other outside pools.
The outer pool is surrounded by three external saunas and the sauna lake. Of the rest, along with a meditation pool and a ladies-only are there are seven saunas on disposal for the guests.
Thermenparadies
The Thermenparadies has also a very big surface area so as an interior. The interior stands out with a great spa pool, pool bar, grotto, waterfall, neck showers, massage jets, jacuzzi beds bad current channels.
Around the pool are located quiet rooms, a massage area, health baths, a steam room, bio-sauna, children’s area, and a restaurant. You can just make your own visions of this place after knowing all these available sections of it.
And there is more:
The thermal garden is home to an outside pool that joins directly to the large indoor spa pool with sulfur mineral springs. Outdoor slides and beach volleyball pitch for some sportsmen are also very close.
This is just another great area of this large complex that offers pretty much excitement and joy.
The unforeseen troubles
We are all aware of how security has to be the number one in public places like this thermal bath complex. Unfortunately, some troubles have happened through the long history of this place due to a careless approach by employees or accident cases.
The sports equipment at Therme Erding is tested at regular intervals by the security expert organization TUV. That should be enough to keep you calm.
However, often due to misconduct from visitors, it has been significant in causing injuries that were leading to even broken bones.
The majority of injuries have tended to be due to non-compliance with prescribed and clearly advertised safety instructions though. Everybody got upset when wider media coverage was focused on the case of a 16 years old boy. He injured himself on a bouncy castle outside.
Imagine his size and the size of the expected audience!
Truth to be told, the business regulator and the police found no evidence of negligence by Therme Erding. Several lawsuits have been filed against Therme Erding following accidents.
What is nice to hear is that most cares are quickly dismissed but in one it was ruled that Therme Erding pays monetary compensation.
Those accidents and unpleasant events need to increase the awareness of people who like extreme parts of this place. Like the X-treme area for an instance. Although safety measures are established, we should always be careful and keep our safety untouched.
Because even in this place where all you think about is relaxation, nasty and unforeseen things can happen.
A little guidance through the Therme Erding
If you enter the entrance you line up to pay the entrance fee. Here you have to decide how long you want to stay and what parts of the facility you want to see. If needed, you can rent bathrobes and towels.
After you pay (by cash or credit card), you get and RFID-Tag for your wrist. Depending on what you booked, you enter either the locker rooms for the Tropical Spa or the one for the Sauna world.
Your RFID-Tag locks and opens your locker (the number of it should be printed on your tag).
But I would like to give you one important note. The Saunaworld is a naked area, especially for non-European visitors, this information can be very useful. That means it is not allowed to wear clothes starting at a certain point.
This fact has already led to one or the other cultural shock.
But that’s part of the European sauna culture. Of course, it is allowed to wear a bathrobe or wrap a towel around your body.
Furthermore, over 90% of the Sauna world is not separated according to gender. As I already mentioned, the minimum age to use this part is 16 years.
All your consummations you can book onto your RFID-Tag and pay when you leave the Therme Erding.
What is important to know is that the stuff is only allowed to sell a maximum of three alcoholic drinks per person to prevent all visitors from drunk guests. If you ask me that’s a great decision.