Naked spa days

Going to a spa is about personal preference and for many purists there’s no spa experience quite like a naked one.

While most spa generally require a modicum of clothing, at Thermae 2000 in Holland, tradition is a serious thing and as a result, the saunas are a clothing free zone (if you fancy it), except for every Tuesday and the first weekend of the month.

The spa experience

Nudity aside, Thermae 2000 takes a lot of spa traditions seriously, including a dedication to the thermal experience that even the Romans would have been proud of.  It includes a whopping nine saunas, two steam baths, a solarium, sun showers, treatment rooms, and floatation experiences.

Water, as you might expect, is the main focus of the experience, and that carries through into the spa treatments at Thermae 2000 as well, with water shiatsu amongst the therapies and the brand’s own product line ThermaeForMe for use in facials, rasuls, foot massages, hand massages and a whole host of other massages.

Modern style and impressive architecture

In its wider context, the hotel is ultra modern in style and architecture and it’s connected to the spa by a corridor; allowing for that other great marker of an excellent spa - you don’t need to get out of your robe.  The contemporary design is offset by the hotel’s surroundings in the scenic hills of Limburg, and with the impressive remains of the Valkenburg castle behind it for added drama.

Eat, drink and sit up high

For all its spa traditions however, the hotel is no stranger to a more luxurious side of the high life, and dining is an excellent example of indulgence at its finest and most enjoyable.  Restaurant Pure serves seasonal haute cuisine and once again, thanks to its perch on top of the hills of Limburg, the high up views are part of the entire dining experience.

A city to explore

That said, as it’s only a 20 minute drive from Maastricht, if you fancy getting your kicks away from the hotel the city is only too keen to oblige.  With its Spanish and Roman ruins, sophisticated food and drink and French and Belgian influences in the architecture, it is a city of intrigue and fascination, not to mention, great beauty.

Lively and energetic, it’s a place that holds huge appeal, and for good reason, so it’s a definite option for dining out or visiting sights including the rocket-shaped Bonnefantenmuseum, the basilica with its architectural pastiche dating from 1000, or the five-sided Fort Sint Pieter which formed the city’s southern defence.