My First Visit And Massage Experience At The Therme In Bad Steben, Germany. Article

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My First Visit And Massage Experience At The Therme In Bad Steben, Germany.

Massage therapy isn't the same everywhere... as I found out while visiting the Hot Spring Spa (Therme) in Bad Steben, Germany.

Author: Rosie Masini Pieralli

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While visiting Germany, I thought, well, why not go to a Hot Spring Spa! In Germany, well, actually in most of Europe, they are extremely popular. In Germany the health insurance will even pay for a three to four week visit after a person was ill or had surgery and needs rehab. So I wanted to see what it is like.

So off to Bad Steben it was! I went with my Mom and a friend to have company and get a bit of advice, my Mom had been there before. Bad Steben is a small city in Franconia, the northern part of Bavaria. It is famous for its hot springs, otherwise known as "Therme" or "Thermal Bad", hence the name "Bad" Steben.

We purchased our tickets and I made an appointment for my back massage. My appointment was in two hours, so we went into the pool; after all, the water has healing qualities. Therefore, you just sit in the pool and if you are lucky, sit in front of the massage jets under water. We did the "Kneipp" thing, which means that we went from hot to cold water to improve the circulation. It is a bit of a shock to the system, running from the hot shower to the cold, but the Germans swear by it. Besides, if my Mom can do it, so can I!

Finally the time for my massage arrived. Now I had massage training and many massages before, but... they were all in North America. How different can that be? I mean, a massage is a massage, right? Well, read on!

In North America, when I went for a massage, I entered a private room, undressed, lay on the massage table, covered myself with a sheet and waited for the therapist. I would be covered, except for the parts that were massaged. There would be privacy, maybe some soft music and if the therapist would talk, it would be with me, asking if the pressure was fine. I was being pampered!

Now Bad Steben. I walked into the massage area, and there were about 20 or more tables lined up with curtains that could be pulled, but were all open. It looked like a hospital room with the beds and the curtains around it. Hmmm, I thought, that-s interesting! Now picture me with my wet bathing suit... I thought well, at least I am going to take it off and towel off with a towel that I brought for this occasion. My name was called and I followed the therapist to one of the massage tables. I explained to him that it was my first massage in Germany and that I wasn-t sure what to do. Now picture my surprise when he told me to pull down my bathing suit and hop on the table... Remember, I wasn-t alone, there were lots of other tables around me. I asked the therapist about draping and he told me that in Germany they didn-t bother with this. Ok, I thought, better do as I am told! No time to be prudish. I lay on the massage table with my wet bathing suit around my thighs, otherwise fully naked. The therapist was used to wet bathing suits, I wasn-t. Let-s just say that I felt a little odd...

The back massage was done very well. However, in Germany it is a medical treatment, not like here, where we go for a massage because it relieves our muscles but also makes us feel good and pampered. No pampering with this massage. The therapists chat amongst themselves, they are very good, but the massages are definitely for the health benefit, not the pampering. But then in Germany most people don-t pay for their massages, they are prescribed by the doctor and paid for by the health insurance.

After 30 minutes, I returned to the pool area. My back was feeling much better, my bathing suit was still wet... I could have taken part in pool exercises that were just starting, but I chose to relax in one of the many lounge chairs available in the quiet areas.

Would I have a massage again in Germany? Most definitely yes! What I would do differently is this:
When checking out the massages available, I would ask about the set-up. I would also choose a place for my massage, where the therapist is working alone or with a partner, not where there are 20 or more massage therapists in one big hall.

There are many more things that we could have done that day. In order to enjoy all of it, we should have spent at least the whole day. We only had a few hours in the afternoon. I would love to try the sauna world, see the laser show and experience the hearing and feeling areas. They sound awesome and very intriguing. I guess next time I-ll plan ahead, make my appointment for the massage or other spa treatments weeks in advance so that I can have them at the beginning of my visit. At least that way I avoid a wet bathing suit on the massage table...

About Author

Rosie Masini Pieralli is a reflexologist and also has training in massage therapy and Therapeutic Touch. She is a regular contributor to http://www.my-favorite-health-spas.com

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