Munich Spa Guide: Saunas, Day Spas and Thermal Baths for Your Stay

By Daniel Schulz, residir GmbH · Last updated: 13 October 2026

For most visitors, a Munich spa day means a sauna at one of the municipal pools, a day spa in the city centre or a day at Therme Erding. The cheapest option is the eight saunas run by Stadtwerke München (the municipal utility), where four hours cost 23 euros including the swimming pool (as of October 2026). Right in the city, the Müller’sches Volksbad on the Isar has a Roman-Irish steam bath.

We are currently fitting out our building on Ländstraße in Lehel, and the outdoor sauna in the courtyard is one of the things prospective guests ask about most. So we have put together where to work up a good sweat in Munich, what it costs and which rules apply in Bavarian saunas. Prices and times come from Stadtwerke München and muenchen.de, as of October 2026.

In this article:

• Spa and wellness in Munich at a glance
• Saunas in Munich: the municipal saunas
• Müller’sches Volksbad: a sauna in an Art Nouveau baths
• Day spas and hotel spas
• Thermal spas near Munich
• Outdoor wellbeing: the Isar and the English Garden
• Sauna etiquette in Bavaria
• Planning a spa weekend
• Conclusion
• Frequently asked questions

Munich spa and wellness at a glance: where to relax

If you are looking for a spa in Munich, there are three routes: a public sauna at a city pool, a private spa or hotel spa, and the large thermal baths outside the city. Add to that what makes Munich special in summer, namely the Isar and the English Garden. The table sorts the options as seen from Lehel.

Option	What to expect	From Lehel	Note
Müller’sches Volksbad	Roman-Irish steam bath, steam room, Finnish sauna	approx. 10 min on foot	Ladies’ day on Tuesdays
Other M-Bäder pools	Sauna, steam room, some with outdoor sauna	U-Bahn or tram	€23 for 4 hrs incl. pool
Day spas and hotel spas	Pool, sauna, massages, treatments	City centre and districts	Prices from the provider
Therme Erding	Thermal baths, large nude sauna area	approx. 1 hr by S2 and bus	Saunas from age 16
Isar and English Garden	Walks, sunbathing lawns, fresh air	2 and under 20 min on foot	free
Outdoor sauna at Ländstraße 6	Sauna for guests of the house	in the building	from autumn 2027

Saunas in Munich: the Stadtwerke saunas

Stadtwerke München runs eight indoor pools with saunas under the name M-Bäder. For visitors they are the simplest answer to the question of where to find a public sauna in Munich: no membership, no appointment, and the swimming area is included in the price. In our experience, many guests underestimate how well equipped the municipal saunas are.

Rate (sauna incl. pool)	Price
Standard price, 4 hours of sauna time	€23.00
Evening price (daily from 7.45 pm, at the Volksbad from 3 hrs 15 min before closing)	€17.50
Day ticket	€34.50
Surcharge per additional hour or part thereof	€5.50
Rest cubicle (Volksbad and Nordbad only)	€5.50

The tills close 30 minutes before closing time, and you need to leave the sauna and pools 15 minutes before. If you visit a Stadtwerke sauna after work, the evening price saves you 5.50 euros; on weekdays the evenings are often quieter than weekend afternoons.

Nordbad, Dantebad and Michaelibad

The Nordbad sauna in Schwabing has a Finnish sauna at around 92 degrees, a steam room, a sanarium with several warm-air rooms and an open-air terrace with an outdoor sauna. According to muenchen.de, there are hourly Aufguss sessions there from 12 noon on Fridays to Sundays. Wednesday is ladies’ day.

At the Dantebad sauna in Neuhausen, an outdoor sauna with a panoramic window has been added to the open-air garden, and Aufguss sessions run daily on the hour from 10 am. The Michaelibad sauna in Neuperlach has a feature found nowhere else: an earth loft sauna sunk into the ground in the garden. You can reach the Michaelibad from Lehel on the U5 without changing.

Westbad, Südbad, Cosimawellenbad and Olympia-Schwimmhalle

The Westbad sauna in Pasing is the only one of the M-Bäder split into two separate areas. The nude sauna island has an open-air terrace with a plunge pool; Wednesday is ladies’ day and Tuesday men’s day. In the sauna of the indoor pool, on the other hand, swimwear is compulsory.

The Südbad sauna in Sendling is smaller, with a Finnish sauna, steam room and sanarium; ladies’ day is Thursday. The Cosimawellenbad sauna in Bogenhausen has a tunnel sauna at around 95 degrees, while the Olympia-Schwimmhalle has the hottest sauna of the M-Bäder in its outdoor area, at around 100 degrees. Which is the most beautiful sauna in Munich is a matter of taste: for architecture the Volksbad wins, for the open air the Westbad or the Dantebad.

Müller’sches Volksbad: a sauna in an Art Nouveau baths on the Isar

The Müllersches Volksbad opened in 1901 as the city’s first indoor pool and is a listed building. It stands by the Ludwigsbrücke on the east bank of the Isar, around ten minutes’ walk along the river from Lehel. If you want a sauna right in the centre of Munich, there is no shorter route and hardly a more beautiful place to sweat.

The Müllersches Volksbad sauna consists of a Roman-Irish steam bath with warm and hot-air rooms at different temperatures, a steam room at around 45 degrees and a Finnish sauna at around 90 degrees. There is also a cold plunge pool, a warm pool at around 34 degrees and rest cubicles. The open-air courtyard is currently closed due to building work (as of October 2026).

Day	Sauna hours
Monday	3 pm to 10 pm
Tuesday (ladies’ day) to Thursday	9 am to 10 pm
Friday and Saturday	11 am to 9 pm
Sunday	10 am to 6 pm

Afterwards you can swim a few lengths in the great hall with its 31-metre pool. The Volksbad is popular, and on Sundays the sauna closes as early as 6 pm. If you want to see the river beforehand, you will find the route in our guide to the Isar in Munich.

Day spas and hotel spas in Munich

A day spa in Munich is booked for half a day or a full day without an overnight stay. Typically there is a pool, sauna and relaxation room, with massages or beauty treatments at extra cost. The choice ranges from small spas in the districts to large facilities in the city-centre hotels, and each venue sets its own prices and packages. For a spa right in the centre of Munich, the big hotels are your main option.

Some spa hotels in Munich open their facilities to day guests. According to its website, the Bayerischer Hof on Promenadeplatz offers day spa packages for its Blue Spa. Not every wellness hotel in Munich opens its spa to day guests, so check times and prices directly with the hotel before your visit, and ask whether bathrobes and towels are included.

A private spa in Munich is usually rented by the hour for two people, with its own sauna or hot tub. It is popular with couples looking for wellness in Munich and gets booked up early at weekends. If you are after a cheap day spa in Munich, to be honest you will end up back at the M-Bäder: hardly any private offer beats 23 euros for four hours.

Massage in Munich

Almost all day spas and many hotels offer a wellness massage in Munich, and there are numerous massage studios in every district. You should book a few days ahead, especially for Saturdays. Massages are not part of the standard offer in the M-Bäder saunas.

A hotel with a sauna in Munich is handy if you are only staying one night. From three nights, an aparthotel in Munich with a kitchen often works out better, as you can cook for yourself after your sauna day rather than depending on restaurant hours.

Thermal spas near Munich

Anyone looking for thermal baths in Munich almost always means Therme Erding. It lies around 35 kilometres north-east of the city centre, about an hour away on the S2 to Altenerding and the local bus. According to the operator, it has 38 saunas and steam rooms; the large sauna area is nude and only open to those aged 16 and over.

A day ticket for the thermal baths costs 52 euros on weekdays, or 62 euros with the saunas (as of October 2026). It gets very busy at weekends, during school holidays and on rainy days, so an online ticket with a reservation guarantees entry. Prices, directions and tips for families are in our separate guide.

If you are looking for other thermal baths near Munich, head to Upper Bavaria or the Allgäu, usually more than an hour away. For spa breaks around Munich, this works better as a day trip by car. Check the opening times and prices on the official website of the thermal baths in question before you go.

Outdoor wellbeing: the Isar and the English Garden

Not all relaxation comes with an entry fee. From Lehel you are on the banks of the Isar in two minutes; in the morning there are joggers and dogs, in the evening people sit by the water. A walk to the Praterinsel and back takes barely half an hour.

In less than 20 minutes on foot you reach the southern part of the English Garden in Munich. The large meadows behind the Haus der Kunst are quiet on weekday mornings. In summer, for many locals an afternoon there is just as much a part of unwinding as a sauna day in winter.

Because of the currents and cold water, swimming in the Isar and the Eisbach is only for experienced swimmers. If you like a cold dip after the sauna, stick to the plunge pool at the baths.

Sauna etiquette in Bavaria: nudity, Aufguss and quiet

Guests from abroad are often surprised: in German saunas you go naked. All the M-Bäder saunas are textile-free, and you need a full-length towel to sit or lie on completely. According to muenchen.de, under-16s may only enter the nude areas with an adult.

In the cabin, place your towel so that no sweat drips onto the wood, including under your feet. On loungers and in the café, wear a bathrobe or a towel wrapped around you. These basic rules of sauna etiquette apply almost everywhere in Bavaria:

• Shower thoroughly and dry off before your first session.
• Leave your smartphone in the locker; phones are banned throughout the sauna area at the M-Bäder.
• Keep quiet and stay seated in the sauna and relaxation rooms.
• Only staff pour water on the stones; doing your own Aufguss or adjusting the stove or thermostat is strictly off limits.
• Do not enter or leave the cabin during an Aufguss.
• Smoking and vaping are banned in the open-air areas too.

The Aufguss ritual

During an Aufguss (sauna infusion), a sauna master pours water, often with essential oil, onto the hot stones and fans the heat around with a towel. Times are posted; at the M-Bäder, for example, daily on the hour at the Dantebad and the Olympia-Schwimmhalle, and at 10 am, 4 pm and 8 pm in the Finnish sauna at the Michaelibad (as of October 2026).

Arrive a few minutes early, as popular sessions fill up at weekends. If you cannot take the heat, sit on the lowest bench. Most visitors call it a day after three sauna rounds with cooling off and rest breaks.

Planning a spa weekend in Munich

A spa weekend in Munich combines well with sightseeing because distances are short. This is what we would suggest for guests staying in Lehel:

• Friday: arrive, then head to the Müller’sches Volksbad in the evening at the evening rate and walk back afterwards.
• Saturday: morning by the Isar, afternoon at a booked day spa appointment or massage.
• Sunday: a walk in the English Garden or, if it rains, a sauna day at one of the other M-Bäder.

A spa day in Munich often ends with an appetite. If you are staying somewhere with your own kitchen, you can simply cook in the evening rather than hunting for a table looking fresh from the bathrobe. Our serviced apartments in Munich with a sauna in the building are designed for exactly this kind of stay: bed linen and towels are provided, and you can wash sauna towels in the building’s washing machines.

The outdoor sauna at Ländstraße 6 will be available to our guests from the opening in autumn 2027. We will tell you how use is organised and when it is open when you enquire. We do not have a reception desk or a staffed spa area. What to look out for in general with a holiday apartment with sauna is covered in our separate guide.

If you are in town for work for longer, it makes sense to plan the sauna as a fixed evening each week. Our temporary housing in Munich is designed for stays of several weeks like this, with your own kitchen and washing machines in the building.

Conclusion: sauna, spa or thermal baths

For sauna and spa time in Munich, the municipal pools are often all you need, above all the Müller’sches Volksbad on the Isar; and if you would like to be just a few minutes from home afterwards, from autumn 2027 you will find holiday apartments in Munich in Lehel with an outdoor sauna in the building.

Frequently asked questions about saunas and spas in Munich

Where can I find a public sauna in Munich?

The best-known public saunas in Munich are run by Stadtwerke München in eight M-Bäder: Cosimawellenbad, Dantebad, Michaelibad, Müller’sches Volksbad, Nordbad, Olympia-Schwimmhalle, Südbad and Westbad. All have a sauna and steam room, and several also have an open-air area with an outdoor sauna (as of October 2026).

How much does the sauna at the M-Bäder cost?

The standard price for four hours of sauna including the swimming pool is 23 euros, the evening price 17.50 euros and a day ticket 34.50 euros. From 1 May to 31 August there is no time limit (as of October 2026, source: Stadtwerke München).

Does the Müllersches Volksbad have a sauna?

Yes, the Müller’sches Volksbad has a Roman-Irish steam bath with warm and hot-air rooms, a steam room and a Finnish sauna. The sauna is open on Mondays from 3 pm to 10 pm, Tuesdays to Thursdays from 9 am to 10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to 9 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm; Tuesday is ladies’ day (as of October 2026).

Are saunas in Munich nude?

The M-Bäder saunas are textile-free, and you need a full-length towel. The only exception is the sauna area in the Westbad’s indoor pool, where swimwear is compulsory.

Are there thermal baths in Munich?

If you are looking for thermal baths, you will usually go to Erding, around 35 kilometres north-east of the city centre. It takes about an hour by S2 and bus. Within the city itself, the M-Bäder saunas and the day spas are the obvious choice.

What is a day spa?

A day spa is a wellness offer for one day without an overnight stay, usually with a pool, sauna and bookable massages. In Munich, independent spas and some hotels offer this, and each sets its own prices and booking terms.

When is ladies’ day at Munich’s saunas?

Ladies’ day is on Tuesdays at the Müller’sches Volksbad, the Michaelibad and the Olympia-Schwimmhalle, on Wednesdays at the Nordbad and the Westbad, on Mondays at the Cosimawellenbad and the Dantebad, and on Thursdays at the Südbad (as of October 2026). On public holidays the sauna is open to everyone.

Are there holiday apartments in Munich with a sauna?

Yes, from autumn 2027 our building at Ländstraße 6 in Lehel will have an outdoor sauna for guests. We will tell you how and when you can use it when you enquire.