I went to the spa. Naked. And it was a mental rollercoaster. My friend asked me to go with her to the spa, it is one of the most beautiful ones in The Netherlands called Thermen Berendonck. But as I saw the message appear on my phone the only thing I could think of was the fact that swimwear is not allowed to be worn there. I said yes and kept on telling myself “I can do it”, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t stressed. I have never felt comfortable with being naked. I did not grow up in a ‘naked family’ as some might call a family which sees each other naked a lot. And I have always been amazed with people who changed clothes in front of everyone without any hesitation. I can’t even explain what I would be afraid of, but I just couldn’t do it. 

Getting back to the spa topic, I still had to walk around naked, in a big spa with hundreds of other people. We picked a day which we knew couldn’t be too busy, and I kept telling myself that everyone is born naked, so it isn’t scary. Right? We arrived at the spa, and I must say that walking in already gave me such a relaxing feeling. Everything looked perfect, it smelled amazing and there were crystals bigger than me in every corner. We came to the point of changing our clothes to a bathrobe, and I just accepted the fact that I was going to do this. And to be honest, I am really glad I went and overcame my fear. I had the most relaxing day in months, and I can’t even explain how beautiful the spa looks. They have everything to guarantee an amazing day. Ranging from a panorama sauna to guided meditation sessions, saltwater baths and the most delicious food. 

We started in a small sauna which was also pretty dark, and this was a good starting point. It gave me a moment to relax and accept everything that was happening. The amount of ‘naked’ was not as bad as I imagined. The only time you are fully naked is when you are in a sauna, otherwise you wear your bathrobe or a towel. The people who go there are also familiar and comfortable with being naked, so in no way I felt uncomfortable, nor did I have the feeling that I was being watched. After a while I even forgot that I, but also everyone around me, was naked, which was a true turning point.

Also, everyone who knows me knows that I love my bathrobe, it is my favorite clothing piece (if you could call it that) and every opportunity I get, I will wear it. So being able to sit in a fancy restaurant while wearing my bathrobe looked like something out of my dreams.

So, looking back, I am very happy I went and I can recommend this to anyone.
If I was able to do it, everyone is. Go with someone you trust, and you will have the most relaxing day ever!