Friedrichsbad (Frederick's Bath), Baden Baden

Friedrich's Bath is a spa building completed in 1877. The opulent Renaissance-style facade of Friedrichsbad features inscriptions from Goethe’s Faust in gold letters. In 1867, with the impending ban on gambling in Germany from 1872, the city of Baden-Baden sought alternatives to maintain its appeal to spa guests.

Karl Dernfeld, Baden-Baden's district building inspector, and Dr. Carl Frech, the grand ducal spa doctor, were tasked with visiting renowned health baths to gather knowledge for the construction of Friedrichsbad. The architectural inspiration for Friedrichsbad came from the Raitzenbad in Budapest and the Graf-Eberhardsbad (now Palais Thermal) in Wildbad, both visited by Dernfeld during his exploration of major health resorts in Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Grand Ducal Friedrichsbad officially opened on December 15, 1877.

For more than 125 years, the Friedrichsbad has been the esteemed venue for Roman-Irish bathing, an amalgamation of Roman cold-blooded thermal bathing tradition and the Irish practice of hot air baths. The elaborate Roman-Irish bathing ceremony, hosted within Friedrichsbad, unfolds across 17 distinct stations. The sequence encompasses showers, warm and cold baths, steam baths, and massages, culminating in a serene phase for relaxation and reading. The intentional variation in temperatures during the treatments and the use of thermal water aim to invigorate both body and mind.

Friedrichsbad proudly upholds the tradition of nude bathing, inviting patrons to immerse themselves in the experience without clothing. Gender-segregated bathing ceremonies take place on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while the rest of the week allows for mixed-gender bathing sessions.