Strictly speaking the pool at the Liquidrom isn’t for swimming in, but since I was lucky enough to visit it last week I thought you might like to know about this unique facility.

Located in central Berlin, a short walk from Potsdamer Platz, the Liquidrom is an upmarket spa offering several saunas, an outdoor hot tub, and a most intriguing thermal pool. I visited with my bemused boyfriend, who had never set foot in a spa before. In the event his presence proved to be a good thing because one of the first things we noticed was that everyone seemed to be accompanied by their significant other. Later a Berlin friend confirmed that visiting a spa was a very cool thing to do on a date. But judging by the nudity rule for the saunas, I doubt anyone comes here on a first date.

Anyway the sartorial rule for the pool was strictly swimsuit, so we got changed and entered the dimly-lit liquidrom, and slipped into the dark water of the circular pool. The water was warm, I’d say at least 34ºC, and salty. It was really easy to float, but I noticed that our fellow spa users didn’t have much faith in their own buoyancy and were using several woggles (noodles) each to support their relaxed bodies. I surface dived under the water and was met by … sound. There is music in the pool, and when we arrived they were playing that plinky-plonky whalesong type that you always get in a spa treatment room. However, I’m glad to say that changed to some mellow jazz, then some big band vocal tunes.

I did some gliding and floating on my own but we soon noticed that the rest of the loved-up couples were all floating linked together by their woggles, so we decided to try that too. So there we were lying in the water with ears appreciating the haunting waterborne sounds, gazing up at the polished concrete dome whilst lights bouncing from the water’s surface played on the ceiling. It was quite an experience.

We also enjoyed the sauna, so I’m not sure if it was the pool or the sauna that was responsible for my feeling of clear head and lungs on stepping out onto the street again. The salt water had definitely improved my skin though. I thoroughly recommend it if you are visiting Berlin, particularly if you experience a rainy day, but be aware that if you want to sauna it is a mixed facility with a nudity rule in the hot rooms.

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