Spa towns or thermal baths

A great spa town is Baden-Baden, Germany. The Friedrichsbad Spa (https://www.baden-baden.com/en/attractions/friedrichsbad-spa-5360c6ac31) is the famous one, but there are others in the town, which is quite charming. Royalty across Europe used to meet every summer in Friedrichsbad. The nearby Black Forest is great for hiking.

I answered your other post.
If you are landing in Frankfurt, head over to Wiesbaden for the night and to visit their spa. Alternative is Bad Homburg and their spa.
Many towns and cities in Germany with the word Bad in them have spas and baths. Baden Baden is famous, but there are smaller spa towns too, like Bad Nauheim or Bad Soden.

show her a spa town or thermal baths along our way to Italy

To clarify, is the spa before or after Rothenburg? Are traveling on by train to Italy or flying from...?

If you want to go before Rothenburg, I agree with @Ms Jo. as I really enjoyed a stay last year in Bad Homburg. Fully worth a spa day and night in town (look for a deal at the Steigenberger!).

If after and along the way via train, you are probably connecting through Munich. So Spa Erding is an option. Just outside Munich. Huge, really huge. Has on-site hotel options.

I vist German spas whenever possible. I find them a great way to address the discomfort of a long transatlantic flight and sweat-out the German beer that I find so enjoyable. My favorite is Vabali in Berling. A bit out of the way for your trip.

Enjoy

It's not in Germany, but in looking at the train route from Frankfurt to Italy, The Man in Seat 61 recommends an overnight in Chur, followed by the Bernina Express. https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Frankfurt.htm#Frankfurt-Italy

Outside Chur is Tamina Therme, https://www.taminatherme.ch/de/kontakt-anreise.

I agree with the previous post about staying the first night in Wiesbaden. We did that after flying in to Frankfurt in early July. We stayed across the park from the public pool, which had an indoor/outdoor thermal pool. We happily floated for about an hour, which washed away the transatlantic flight.

Most of the traditional (textile-free aka naked) spas had a women's day, but none of them coincided with our stay, and neither of us are into sauna or nakedness, so the family-friendly public pool was just right for us.

If you don't mind "Kleiderfrei", there are a number of nice spas back in the northern Black Forest. There is one in Bad Herrenalb, just up from Karlsruhe, another in Freudenstadt. My favorite is the Palais Therme in Bad Wildbad, which was originally the private spa of a duke. Beutiful Moorish design.

My suggestion is Bad Kissingen.

Second Bad Kissingen. Between Frankfurt and Würzburg. You’re not even going out of your way. Rothenburg is 45 miles from Würzburg. I will PM you information if you’re interested.

I answered your original post also and recommended the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Therme in Wiesbaden. It's at the end of the pedestrian zone (Langgasse) in the centre of town, but it is a way from the train station, so take a cab.

Wiesbaden is about 40 mins to the west of Frankfurt, part of the same local train system. If you can insert a stop between Frankfurt and Rothenburg you can probably still do it; you could probably just stay in a hotel in Frankfurt and day-trip to Wiesbaden.

Lavandula

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Therme

Very enjoyable therme. I highly recommend. For me, great selection of saunas, steam rooms, pools, and relaxation rooms.

Bad Kissingen is on my to do list. Expect to visit there on my next trip to Germany.

If a spa says FKK, this means there are some nude sections or there may be nude days. It means Frie Körper Kultur.

jkh. . Thank you for your input. I think we’d like to do Bad Homburg. You mentioned staying at the Steigenberger. My husband and I always stay at the Steigenberger both arriving Frankfurt and departing. I believe there are two in the area, we always stay at the one closest to the airport. Is that the one you were referring to? I’d like to make sure. We will be traveling by train or flex bus just not sure yet. This will be my first trip without my husband. I want to make sure I’m researching all our options.
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions.

The Steigenberger in the city center is beautiful. Built in 1876, it has a lovely, old world charm to it. I think that is the one I would go to instead of out by the airport. You are close to all the historic sites, the river, restaurants, etc.

I believe there are two in the area, we always stay at the one
closest to the airport. Is that the one you were referring to?

@Deb, I was refering to the Steigenberger Hotel Bad Homburg located on the Kaister-Friedrich Promenade in Bad Homburg, just across the street from the Kurpark.

Hi Deb,

Outside of Frankfurt is the Vital Hotel Therme Frankfurt.

We stay there every time when we fly home from Germany.

It has a huge swim area swimsuit required.

and a very big FKK (textile free) therme. Outdoor pools, sauna, plunge pool, steam bath, etc.

Have a great evening

Amy

Just up the road from Rothenberg is the small town of Bad Windsheim. Go there. https://franken-therme.net/

Bad Homberg is excellent and I have many friends who make this a long weekend destination.

If you go to Nuremberg try here: https://palm-beach.de/

South of Frankfurt my neighbors prefer Sinsheim: https://www.badewelt-sinsheim.de/

Baden-Baden is the historical place.

Thoughts on Baden-Baden vs Wiesbaden? Rick seems to pooh-pooh Wiesbaden, but it's a lot closer to Frankfurt.

Other thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/thermal-bath-tour

Honestly, I don't believe Rick has ever set foot in either Wiesbaden or Mainz, because if he had, he wouldn't dis them in his book. Wiesbaden is a beautiful town that didn't suffer from a lot of bombing. Gorgeous architecture, good museums, and a fun Christmas market. Ride the funicular up to the top of the Neroberg, where there is a beautiful Russian Orthodox church and cemetery.