Welcome Innsbruck - Winter 2015 / 2016

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WELCOME || 93
thing to do on a weekend in Innsbruck. Walk down the squeaky woo-
den stairs to the showers. The turquoise tiles transmit a calming, clear
and relieving feeling. The warm water runs softly down the skin. Sim-
ply wonderful! Then it is time for an infusion. Even better – sweat it all
out in 90°C. The man responsible for the infusion introduces himself
as Kurt. He looks funny with his little belly and the gold chain. He exp-
lains that those who get to hot are allowed to leave. “Most preferably
through the door,” he adds with a grin. Some people laugh. Humour is
always on the agenda in Tyrol. Three loads of water hit the hot stones
of the oven, the humidity starts filling the air and it smells like moun-
tain pines. Sweat starts running down the visitor’s backs. Two older la-
dies talk about their failed baking attempt from the other day. A lot of
the people here know each other. From another corner you can hear
people whispering about light speed and the Theory of Relativity.
“Three hairs in a soup are quite a lot, but three hairs on the head not
enough,” jokes another one. He receives a warning look. Sauna disci-
pline!
“Please talk quietly!” reminds Kurt. Saying this, he dramatically sha-
kes the sauna towel like a helicopter propeller to get the hot air down.
He pours more water over the stones. Once, twice, three times in total.
“Remain seated,” he shouts out before the last round. In the end, ever-
yone usually claps their hands and out they go – to the showers and
the cold-water pool: The tiles are ultramarine coloured.
After that, people go to the warm water basin, above which a yellow
flowery cupola out of glass can be admired. The walls are decorated
with ornaments and small, golden tiles. Everything is tidy, well-struc-
tured and done in the art nouveau style, which has developed as an
antithesis of the florid Baroque style. Space and time are two physical
constructs that don’t play any role here. Sweating in this amazing ar-
chitecture will make you forget about daily life and even time. It’s like
the world outside wouldn’t exist anymore. One of Goethe’s poems says
“Calmness covers all the summits”.
This perfectly describes the atmosphere in this art nouveau style sau-
na. The buffet of the sauna offers beer and tasty grey cheese with
oil and vinegar. The Tyrolean grey cheese represents a major part of
the Tyrolean snack culture. Life can be so beautiful… If the sauna is
too hot for your taste, enjoy the steam bath made out of white mar-
ble stone, which is extremely humid and therefore good for cleaning
the lungs.
Unwind in the relaxation room, before you start all over again.
Everyone feels happy and relaxed in Innsbruck’s haven. We enjoy life
naked without a care in the world. ||
DAMPFBAD SALURNER STRASSE
Salurner Straße 6
+43 512 502-5696
Öffnungszeiten // Opening Hours:
Mo., Di., Mi., Fr., Sa. und So. von 10 bis 22 Uhr
Do. geschlossen, Mi. Damentag
Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun from 10 am to 10 pm
Thursday closed, Wednesday is women’s day
Wer mehr über die Architektur des Dampfbades und den Jugend-
stil erfahren will, findet Bilder im Blog des Innsbruck Tourismus
unter // Find pictures of the stunning architecture of the art
nouveau sauna on Innsbruck’s Tourism blog under:
DE
EN
© IKB