You know the dream where you walk into a roomful of people and realize you’re naked and everyone else is dressed? I now know that it’s way worse in real life.
I was visiting the Austrian Alps for the first time and had checked into Aqua Dome, a hotel connected to a nearly 700,000 square-foot spa where you can take in views of the mountains while soaking in an elevated outdoor mineral pool that resembles a gigantic martini glass. The spa is so large that I needed a tour — which was a good thing because I learned that specific areas within the spa are “textile free,” a.k.a naked.
Although I’ve traveled extensively through Europe, this was my first experience with a mixed-gender spa that didn’t just suggest going au natural but actually required it. I won’t say I was excited about the prospect, but I figured if this many people were into it, I might as well give it a try.
My opportunity came sooner than I imagined: checking in for my massage about a half hour early, I realized that guests getting facials or massages have access to Aqua Dome’s three levels of pools, saunas, steam rooms, mineral showers, and salt rooms. Rather than sit in the tiny waiting area, I decided to use my 30 minutes to go ahead and get the big reveal out of the way.
I chose a quiet indoor pool surrounded by lounge chairs. Removing my robe, I entered the water loosely wrapped in a towel, which I peeled off and tossed to the side as I descended. After a bit of half-hearted paddling, I eased out of the water, grabbed my towel, and retreated to a lounge, where I sat until it was time for my massage. No one had glanced my way.
Emerging from my treatment with newfound confidence, I took a chance and stepped into the textile-free infrared sauna. Again, no glances or sniggers. And I loved the infrared sauna, which warmed my spine with its gentle, relaxing glow.
As the day progressed I felt like a pro, whipping off my robe and striding into steamy chambers filled with naked strangers.
I had become so comfortable with my unclothed state that, upon entering a room filled with antigravity relaxation lounges I realized with stomach-churning horror that I hadn’t looked for the bright red “textile free” sign and was currently the only naked person in the room. Worse, I was backlit and paralyzed. Shakily trying to wrap myself in the towel I had brought to sit on, I did the one thing that would keep me from slipping out unobserved: I dropped my metal water bottle onto the concrete floor. Grabbing it as it rolled, I ran for, where else, the bar.
In Austria, there are about 40 sites where mineral-rich thermal water bubbles to the surface; a facility can only refer to itself as a thermal spa if it has access to one of these springs. I can’t imagine the amount of water these springs must produce: Aqua Dome alone has more than 26,000 square feet of mineral-fed pools on the property.
The resort opened in 2004 in the Otztal Valley, a 40-mile-long gorge rimmed by a fortress of 10,000 foot-tall peaks. It was once so remote that the local language is UNESCO protected; today, Innsbruck is less than an hour away by car and about 90 minutes by train. Still, it’s all about outdoor fun: Mountain bike trails, white water rafting, glacier skiing, and other adventures attract sporty types from all over the world.
The largest city in the valley is Solden, a ski resort that was also the location for several of the action sequences from the James Bond thriller Spectre. The site has become so famous that you can take the same gondola that Q took in his daring escape from the bad guys to the top of the mountain to visit 007 ELEMENTS, a wonderfully futuristic museum for Bond geeks that details how a number of the franchise’s most compelling scenes were shot. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at moviemaking.
Adjoining 007 ELEMENTS is Ice Q, which accurately bills itself as the highest altitude gourmet restaurant in Austria. Although the structure doubled as a set piece in Spectre, it would be worth a visit even without the view, thanks to a creative menu of Tyrolean classics, some updated (a smoked fish salad was made stellar with the addition of apple, celery, and a dollop of caviar); others (perfectly crusted wiener schnitzel) untouched by modernity.
While Solden is about 25 minutes from Aqua Dome, tiny Langenfeld, is a five-minute walk from the resort, has a few shops and restaurants, a weekly farmers market and an atmospheric 14th-century church.
The town is also a jumping-off point for a number of challenging hiking trails that weave their way up, down, and over the mountains, through the woods, and past the treeline. One day I joined a small group for a trek up the mountain where we had lunch in a traditional mountain hut before making our way down the other side of the loop. Without lunch, the hike would have taken about two hours, which, in my book, is long enough to require a bit of post-exercise recovery time in the spa.
One of the things I liked best about Aqua Dome was that, as a hotel guest, I could utilize SPA 3000, a mini version of the massive spa that limits entry to hotel guests and, if there’s space, a few paying clients. Here I could luxuriate in a sauna or bath scented with local herbs and look out over the snowy landscape, dunk myself in a mineral shower, and relax in a salt room where I could inhale all sorts of minerals and trace elements, all without getting lost. The resort’s 17 treatment areas, where massages, scrubs, and facials make use of local honey, herbs, salt, and even wood (Swiss stone pine is said to be so relaxing that it is used to make bed frames) are also located here.
Hotel guests also have free access to the fitness area, where you can work out on your own or take one of the eight-or-so complimentary classes offered each day. Some, like HIIT and various yoga practices were familiar; others, including faszientraining, a training method said to relax fascia, less so. There are also a number of “walk and talk” sessions, which combine outdoor strolls with relaxation techniques as well as daily guided hikes that Austrians call easy but anyone else would find challenging. The variety of classes was a real indicator of how seriously Austrians take fitness and the importance of spending time outside.
I also hadn’t realized how seriously Austrians take their saunas. Nearly every hotel in the region has some sort of sauna program, but none come close to equaling Aqua Dome’s Sauna World, where I not only discovered that there are a variety of saunas — Sauna World is home to a loft sauna, a stone sauna, a sauna canyon, and hay barn sauna — but something called sauna Aufguss, or a sauna infusion. Held in a hot sauna, Aufguss sessions are led by a sauna master, a sadist in a towel skirt who pours scented oils and potions over the hot coals then, using a giant fan, swirls the searing air toward the participants, who are not only naked but, given the popularity of Aufguss, sitting nearly cheek to cheek. Literally. There’s music themed to the infusion and, afterwards, a cold concoction geared to the theme. It’s fun, in a weird sort of way. Unlike most sauna experiences, which last as long as you can stand the heat, infusions last about ten minutes and participants are encouraged to stick it out. I longed to leave early, but the thought of climbing, naked and slippery with sweat, over my neighbors was just too much to bear (the thought did make me giggle, though, which was a life saver.) Making it through was exhilarating, too, as was that first burst of freezing cold air as we went straight from the sauna onto an outside patio, wrapping ourselves in our towels as we walked.
I spent three days at Aqua Dome and wish I had had a bit more time. Beyond the prospect of more treatments (I never did get the honey massage), the hotel has a sleek lobby bar that served a remarkably diverse list of delicious cocktails and the restaurant served so many local dishes — cheese from nearby dairies, ox filet, spaetzle — that I would have liked to have had the chance to try them all. Easy access to the town and hiking trails made the whole experience stress free. Even better, I’ve got the whole naked thing figured out.
Feature image courtesy of Aqua Dome.
