Swiss Spa Survey

Ok. Forgive me, but I keep wanting to call the Schinznach Spa the Schnitzel Spa. Anyhow, I had the pleasure of checking it out on a Monday night a few weeks back and comparing it to my other Swiss spa adventures which include the Baden Thermalbad, The spa in Bad Ragaz, and Peter Zumthor’s spa in Vals.

Tis a terrible thing to get used to too many spas because you start comparing them and sounding like a terrible thing I never imagined myself becoming—a spa snob.

Anyhow, here’s how the spas rate:

Warmest water: Baden

Best jets: Baden

Best design: Vals

Most modern: Vals

Least modern: Baden

Most expensive: Vals (CHF 30)

Least expensive: Baden (CHF 16)

Best views from bath: Vals

Swim with the rose petals: Only Vals!

Ice Bath option: Only Vals

BYOT: (Bring your own towel) Bad Schinznach

Lazy River included: Schinznach and Bad Ragaz

Best spa for kids: Schinznach and Bad Ragaz

Warm towels: Only Baden!

Least crowded: Baden

Place where your spa experience is timed to the second: Schinznach

My Overall Spa of Choice: Baden. It’s the least modern, but has the most mineral-rich and warmest waters and the best jets for an overall body massage. Not to mention it’s less crowded and the cheapest of the bunch and is the only one to wrap you in a warm towel after you get out. (And I admit, it doesn’t hurt that it’s only a 10-minute walk away from my apartment).

But enough about my opinions. What is your favorite spa in Switzerland?

Spa by Candlelight

I was happy to find out last night that Spa by Candlelight is back from October through April at the Baden Thermalbad (on Friday and Saturday nights). It’s really quite the experience, sitting outside on a cool autumn night in a hot pool of mineral water watching the rising steam frame the moon while jets massage your every muscle. Adding candlelight just makes it well, all the more orgasmic.

Unfortunately since I was there on a Monday night, I had to make due with just various versions of bubbling mineral water, but still it was wonderful. I almost felt like I was on vacation, slipping into the old days when I was still in the honeymoon phase of the expat experience.

Of course, in Switzerland, even relaxing is done on a timetable. Every two minutes a light and bell go off, and you must move to the next jet or receive a disapproving look from the person behind you. But last night the bell was broken and the people behind me were speaking Spanish, so the atmosphere was a little more casual.

After I got out of the pool and the towel guy wrapped a hot towel around me, I couldn’t help but think, even after two years living in Switzerland, I am still amazed that this spa experience can be had a mere ten minutes from my apartment.