No spa without Goethe

Toskana Therme Bad Sulza

Lying horizontally in saltwater with a temperature of 35°C, patrons of the Toskana Therme experience a kind of floating state. With half of their body and their ears underwater, they listen to selected music – an experience that is unique in itself. Even without the wondrous natural landscape around Bad Sulza.

The spa town of Bad Sulza is surrounded by verdant vegetation – most notably the vineyards of the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region. The region still embodies what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe valued about it: the heart of Thuringian cuisine, wine and culture beats in Weimarer Land – closely linked to the aspiration to provide people with health recreation thanks to the natural occurrence of healing water. It was also the poet, natural scientist and politician who advised Sulza, during a visit in 1828, to open a spa.

I am different to everything that you know

Built more than 25 years ago, the spacious bathing and sauna complex with its idyllic outdoor area has a timelessly modern appearance – nature seems to be growing into the building. A total of eleven indoor and outdoor pools and whirlpools are filled with approximately 3% thermal saltwater – when you lie down, half of your body sinks into the water. The relaxation factor sets in straightaway in the water, which is at body temperature, benefiting your limbs, your muscles and your skin. The unique character of the Toskana Therme is also shaped by the Liquid Sound® concept devised by the hydroacoustician and cultural director Micky Remann: “We learn to listen in water in our mother’s womb. On this level of cellular memory, it is easy for everyone to connect to the sense of basic trust.”

The architecture of musical bathing

It was not just because of his precarious state of health that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe liked to spend time in famous spa towns – he also met fellow artists and other interesting personalities there. He would certainly have liked talking to the creator of Liquid Sound®, Micky Remann, who, with his very personal project, was celebrated for the first time at EXPO 2000 in Hanover. As a Germanist and author, he knows how to explain how this listening pleasure works in an intelligible way – enhancing his explanation with poetic language that reflects his basic philosophy. The technology, the ambient air and a number of other details play just as important a role as the sounds. Micky Remann has compiled a 2000-hour music mix that is suitable for being played underwater – including classical music, New Age relaxation music and avant-garde techno music. He knows what goes down well. He time-tested it during his time as a DJ in the Frankfurt party scene. It was a musical adventure with whales in the Caribbean that gave him the initial idea for Liquid Sound®.

Short plays, poems and stories presented underwater

The wonderfully recited collection of literature entitled “Lyrik unter Wasser” [underwater verse] is in 200 parts and was compiled by Lutz Görner, who was primarily known in Germany as an actor and director. He studied theatre studies, German language and literature, the history of art, philosophy and sociology. With this background, it was easy for him to select valuable lyrical treasures by internationally renowned poets such as Charles Pierre Baudelaire, Maria Wisława Anna Szymborska or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Listening in the water

In water, sound waves are transferred, primarily via bones and the skull, directly into the centre of the brain – five times faster than through the air. This means that hearing-impaired people can also enjoy the music and verse at the Toskana Therme.

Learn more about me, you will love me

The spectacular domed structure of the bathing complex is continued on a smaller scale in the sauna area. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe would probably have noticed one of the quiet areas with quotations on the walls or the Lektarium. In this room, books invite you to enjoy literature – sitting on heated benches. A visit to the steam bath with a salt scrub sounds tempting. And now? A session in the soft sauna, in the much hotter Finnish version or in the vineyard sauna with an open fire. The panorama sauna with a temperature of 90°C and a view of the countryside attracts experienced patrons.

When your body awareness feels as if it has been dissolved by magic

Musia Heike Bus can arouse a new feeling with one of her Liquid Bodywork® sessions. One visitor reports: “I entered the darkened temple-like water hall, noticed the shimmering lights, went down the steps into the warm water and started Musia’s session. I lay on the water and she performed careful stretching exercises on my arms and legs. A little later, she made me feel like a ballerina, and then it was as if we were dancing together. Next she pulled me in sinuous lines through the water and made my body flow like a silk scarf that was being waved in the air. She gave me a gentle prod to warn me every time that I was going to be submerged. This happened several times, for a longer period each time. She always knew when I need air again and brought me up to the surface. My body was rotated around its own axis. Then came the embryo position and a forward roll followed by a backward roll. She guided me gently, but determinedly. I did not have to do anything and that was the amazing thing.

Even more Goethe

The Böhm-Schneider family, which owns the Toskana Therme, acquired the one-to-one replica of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Gartenhaus that was produced as part of Weimar’s year as the European Capital of Culture in 1999, and rebuilt it in Bad Sulza. After extensive renovations, it is open for visits from the public and for weddings. Its exposed location in the park, which has the Ilm flowing through it, and the vines on the house allow you to see the poet’s lifestyle up close – you can touch the furnishings.

Header Picture: Toskana Therme Bad Sulza, ©Ollertz Architekten BDA, Toskanaworld AG
Picture Info-Box: Goethe's Gartenhaus II in the park of Bad Sulza, ©Thomas Müller, Weimarer Land Tourismus e.V.