FORTYSEVEN, Baden, Switzerland
Whenever I travel to Zurich, visiting spas is at the top of my todo list. There are many wonderful thermalbads across Switzerland, boasting hot pools, saunas and other wonderful amenities. By Swiss law, the pools at a thermalbad must contain water from a ground-heated source (i.e. a hot spring) and it’s amazing how many exist across the country. It was a tough choice, but I decided to visit FORTYSEVEN. Its name alludes to the Celsius temperature of its source water.
The town of Baden, where FORTYSEVEN is located, is beautiful. I started off by taking a quick stroll, admiring the hillside views, riverside paths and traditional architecture. I then headed to the spa.
Spa Entrance
Being an English speaker, I’ve had my fair share of confusing check-ins at European spas, but checking in at FORTYSEVEN was a breeze. I rented a towel and bathrobe, and went to the change rooms.
Spa Check-in
They were clean and separate-gender, with privacy stalls available for changing if necessary. Like at most Swiss thermalbads, I was given a wristband I could use to close my locker and pay for any incidentals.
I started off by relaxing in the hot pools. Thermalbads tend to come in two varieties bright and airy and dark and atmospheric. FORTYSEVEN definitely fell in the first category. The pool area was impressively large, and had a tall ceiling and broad windows.
Pool Area. Edited to remove identifiable faces.
It was wonderful. A beautiful view of the Limmat (river) could be seen from almost any point in the pools, indoor or outdoor. Outside of Switzerland, I would give it the view 10/10, but the competition is stiff, and I’d rate it 7/10 compared to other Swiss spas, as a highway and some traffic was visible. But overall, it is one of the best pool areas I’ve seen in any spa. There was a good variation of temperatures between the baths, lots of space, and many relaxing features, like foot jets, waterfall spouts and currents.
View near FORTYSEVEN
Next, I visited the textile sauna. Most thermalbads have textil (swimsuit) and textilfrei (nude) sauna for visitors to use according to preference. FORTYSEVEN had one of the best textile areas I had ever seen. At the start was a poster that explained sauna etiquette in English and German in a way that was encouraging to visitors, and each sauna had a placard explaining its cultural history and how to use it. My favorite was the Swedish biosauna, which was only slightly warm and had a beautiful floral scent, but there was also a very hot Finnish Sauna and Japanese steambath among others. Water and tea were available to avoid dehydration.
Next, I visited the Kosmos area of the spa, advertised as a unique space-themed area of the spa with specially-composed music. I started off with the meso-cosmos, which was a warm stone slab with a relaxing video overhead. It was a bit hokey, and while most spa visitors had good etiquette, I was next to two ladies who talked loudly the entire show. I also wished there was some sort of indicator for when the show ended so I could be sure I saw the whole thing without getting up to check the timer. But it was a unique experience. I moved to the makro-cosmos salt pool, which was relaxing, though I preferred the main thermalbad pools. The mikro-cosmos was especially lovely, a multistory relaxation area with a full view of the Limmat and beautiful garden-themed decor.
Feeling a bit chilled, I visited the ladysauna, a woman-only sauna area. The saunas there were all ‘repeats’ (same scents and temperatures as the textile area), but nudity is required/allowed. It can be a bit daunting for a North American to experience clothing-free saunas, but I definitely recommend it. It lets you experience heat on your entire body, and you don’t realize how much a damp swimsuit interferes with your relaxation until you take it off. Most Swiss saunas are co-ed, even in the textile-free area, so it was great FORTYSEVEN had a women’s only area as well for people who are less comfortable. My only complaint was that another guest brought a laptop into the ladysauna relaxation area, even though electronics are forbidden. Even though she was clearly not using it to play games and not take photos, it made me uncomfortable enough I left.
I’d booked a Wave to Heaven massage, so I went to the treatment area, and was soon taken by a therapist to a treatment room. As an avid spa-goer, something I find challenging, especially when visiting other countries, is figuring out when it is appropriate to undress. I wouldn’t want to flash the poor therapist, after all. Unfortunately, this wasn’t clear at all, and I was still in a soaking-wet swimsuit under my robe when the treatment started with a footbath. The therapist then asked me to select a ‘massage-candle’ out of various scents (I picked citrus), then we moved to the massage, before which I was finally able to remove my swimsuit.
The treatment was like none I’d ever had before. The table was like a cloud which could move and vibrate, and I was given headphones with relaxing music. Then the massage started with long, light strokes. Throughout, the therapist poured bits of the wax from the lit ‘massage candle’ onto my back, creating a warm sensation. It was perhaps the most relaxing massage I’d ever had in my life. Afterwards, I was given the remainder of the candle to use at home, then had to change into my cold, wet swimsuit-- the therapist didn’t put it into a warmer or dryer during the treatment, like many American spas do.
Extremely relaxed, I went to the final part of the spa, the textile-free sauna. This is a nude, co-ed area. I admit that I was too nervous to experience similar areas in Swiss spas for many years, but once I tried it, I found the strangeness of being nude in a public area wore off quickly. Most spas do ‘infusions’ in their textile-free saunas, where a ‘host’ does a bit of a performance while placing essential oils on the saunas’ stone heating element, sometimes waving a fan or doing tricks with a towel, sometimes synchronized with music. But this description doesn’t really do it justice-- infusions are one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had at a spa. If you ever have the opportunity to try one, I would highly recommend it.
I hung out at FORTYSEVEN for two infusions: “fresh and fruity” and “citrus.” Both surprisingly contained mint along with other aromas. There were some interesting musical selections, including some obscure American country music, but overall, both were great. They weren’t the best infusions I’ve ever experienced-- the scents came out a bit burnt for whatever reason, and the music didn’t always fit, but they were still a great way to spend 15 minutes.
Completely relaxed, I ended my visit with some pomegranate sorbet at the cafe.
Overall, FORTYSEVEN was one of the best thermalbads I’ve visited. The pools and saunas were lovely, there was a lot to explore and it was a great value. I will definitely return!
I paid: 69 CHF entry fee plus 189 CHF for 80 minute massage treatment plus 15 CHF for robe and towel rental
I visited in Spring (non-peak season).
