Badeanstalten Spanien: Hide from the City’s Hustle and Bustle

Behind the red brick walls, you can swim laps in the original, colorful surroundings or enjoy a homemade body scrub in the modernized spa area. You can leave your daily chores at the main entrance of Spanien Public Baths – Badeanstalten Spanien.

The building is a large block of red bricks that, perhaps surprisingly, manages to appear quite elegant. To the left of the main building, there is a recessed staircase with its own green copper roof that rises above the rest of the brick structure.

As a passerby, you can easily tell what the place offers. The word ‘BADEANSTALT’ (Public baths) is spelled out vertically in red neon, lighting up when darkness falls.

On the facade facing the busy street of Spanien, there are signs that tell visitors what to expect: ‘Swimming Pool,’ ‘Steam Bath,’ and ‘Shower’ are written above three doorways.

A Colorful Welcome

In the entrance hall, you are greeted by a wealth of colors – all just on the edge of pastel. The ceiling is light blue, framed by a red border. The walls are yellow, and the doors are green.

Tickets are bought at the original counter, surrounded by illuminated price signs that look like something out of an old movie. The nostalgic atmosphere is interrupted by the ultra-modern scanning system you must pass through to take a swim.

The main staircase, with its quirky railing in the same green color as the doors, leads guests up to the changing rooms, found next to the interior gallery. From here, you can look down into the colorful entrance hall. This vantage point is enclosed by a rounded steel railing, a design repeated on the three-meter diving board in the swimming hall. Every detail has been carefully considered.

From Communal Bathing to Wellness

Badeanstalten Spanien was designed by Frederik Draiby, who was Aarhus’ city architect at the time. It was the city’s first public bathhouse. During his 25 years in the position, he made a significant impact on the city – not least with another well-known bathhouse, Den Permanente by Riis Forest.

Like other bathhouses, Spanien was built as citizens’ hygiene standards began to change. However, since most apartments in Aarhus did not yet have bathrooms, families would visit the bathhouse to shower and perhaps take a few strokes in the pool.

In the 1980s, the bathhouse’s popularity temporarily declined as most of the city’s residents had gotten well-equipped bathrooms in their homes. But in the new millennium, its popularity has risen again, now with a focus on wellness, self-care, and spa experiences.

In addition to the bathhouse itself, the building also houses several private businesses, such as massage therapists, a fitness center, a reflexologist, skincare services, and a café.

Badeanstalten Spanien has been a listed building since 1989.