I'm looking for recommendations for a thermal bath in Germany. I'd like someplace I can visit without staying at a super-expensive hotel. I'm interested in soaking and massage, not much beyond that.
I'd like this bath to be in a pretty town where it's a pleasure to take a walk.
Wiesbaden more or less fits the bill, but I've been there and would like to try someplace different.
I know there are one or two posts with good information here, but for some reason my searches aren't working the way they did last week.
My current plans have me in the far north and Bavaria, but I have a couple extra days and don't mind a train trip to get to someplace I'll enjoy.
Thanks very much for your help!

Have you thought about Bad Nauheim or Bad Homburg? Both have beautiful baths and you can find hotels for any budget in pretty much any town in Germany. Bad Nauheim is also known for being the town where Elvis was posted when he was in the Army, so they are having their annual Elvis Fest this weekend. Also known for their Art Nouveau architecture.


Bad Homburg has the summer palace of Kaiser Wilhelm 2 and the Redeemer church he had built next door. It is a wow church inside. Nearby is the Saalhof, a reconstructed Roman fort. Very interesting and unique. Beautiful Kur Park and Casino too

MMMM-not sure Aachen is what you mean by North, but is is North West of Weisbaden. Full of wonderful history and architecture.

We had a great weekend up in the Aachen area and spent the night at a super hotel just down the street from Aachen's very clean, upscale Bad. Very affordable.

I have plans today, but will come back with more info. As you know, probably, any town with Bad in the name has a bath (or at least a bah history). Haven't been to Bad Kreuznach (A61?) but if you look at a map of the areas you are interested in, a deeper web search will provide the info on the individual town's spas. That's what we do, anyway.

Note of caution regarding massage: our local spa - Bad Schönborn - is very nice and offers massages, but I was very disappointed with the massage portion. I need/like deep tissue massage and I was told (once I was at the massage) that that sort of massage required seeing one of their doctors first. The massage I got was a "sport massage" which was very superficial and too "frou-frou" for my needs. So, see if you can talk to somebody wherever you go about your needs when you make your appointment.

Thank you both for the wonderful suggestions. At a glance, they all look appealing, and I look forward to researching them more.
klondiketoo, of course you're right. I have been researching Baeder in Bavaria--there are dozens of them--but the ones most convenient for me look like they're newer and not quite what I had in mind. That's why I thought I would rather go farther afield to find something really nice ... so let me know if you think of anything else!
Thanks again,

There are not really many spa towns which also have a decent town center or museums etc. Most are quite small, as they have not much more of a purpose than to cure people and offer a nice park plus a few cafes and restaurant.

Big cities like Wiesbaden are probably the top end of what kind or urban atmosphere you can expect in a spa town. The other one that comes to my mind would be Baden-Baden (not in Bavaria, I know). The beautiful Bad Nauheim or Bad Homburg which mainhattengirl suggested are also already big towns by comparison.
The overwhelming majority is small towns with 5-20K inhabitants, though. Not much they can offer than the spa itself.

And several new spas or "Thermen" have mushroomed everywhere. They often have big glass domes that roof several pools, sauna, often also more fun-oriented features like whitewaters or slides.

When you look for the "old world" spas, you can also jump over the border to Karlsbad or Marienbad (I always forget the Czech names) while in Bavaria.

In Bavaria proper, you might look into Bad Reichenhall. The salines are quite a sight, so is the new thermal pool "landscape". It's a quaint little town, and Salzburg is just a stone's throw away with frequent suburban trains if you need more "culture".

Sorry it took me longer to get back with you on that Aachen hotel. It is about a 10-15 min walk to oldtown and just down the street from the Bad. Fantastic breakfast. Nice beds.

We stayed at the Hotel Granus. Passstrasse 2a. Zip 52070
tel. 49 (0)241-15-20-71 run by the Behrens Familie
www.hotel-granus.de

Oh, so nice that you are going traveling in Germany! And will enjoy a spa somewhere. There are a lot of good places to go to in Germany, you should check this page out for all of them. http://www.thermalbathguide.com/ther...thermal-baths/.

A a safe and great trip!!

Y'all thanks for the tips. I'm in Germany for 2 months for work. If I didn't go to an Elvis military place I would not be allowed to go home again

Great information.

Bad Wilsnick has 12% salt baths and the local church has the host with drops of wet blood on them, what's not to like.