tranxx Floating Schwebebad & Massagewelt

At tranxx on Akazienstraße in Schöneberg you float in 36 degree warm brine made from Epsom salts, carried on the surface by the salt alone. Each pool sits in its own room with a shower, and light and music can be switched on or turned off completely. A four person team adds massages, and a quiet lounge with tea rounds off the visit.

Floating in warm brine, without light and without sound

Andrea Bosch discovered floating in London in 2001 and opened her own center on Akazienstraße in 2005. The idea behind it is simple and radical at the same time: if you lie in a 25% brine solution made from Epsom salts, you are carried by the salt and no longer have to hold a single muscle. The water is 36 degrees Celsius, almost exactly skin temperature, so that the boundary between body and liquid is barely noticeable after a few minutes. The pools measure 2.30 by 2.30 meters and are located in individual, separate rooms with their own showers. Light and music can be switched on, but you can also opt for complete darkness and silence. If you prefer it even more secluded, take the float tank, a 2.40 meter long and 1.70 meter wide capsule that is sound and light insulated when the lid is closed. The float pool costs 75 Euros, the capsule 70 Euros, and the larger pool can also be used by two people. Against stress, what helps most here is that nothing happens and nothing is expected.

Massages by four pairs of hands and a relaxation area without a fixed schedule

In addition to the water, a four-person massage team is available, each with their own specializations. The menu ranges from classic wellness massages, deep tissue work, and Ayurvedic applications to Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Nui, plus a facial massage, a pregnancy massage, and appointments for two people side-by-side. Natural essential oils and organic aroma oils are used. Erotic services are expressly not offered; the establishment makes this clear itself and rejects corresponding inquiries. A one-hour massage costs 85 Euros. After the treatment, you can go to the Relax-Lounge, a spacious relaxation area where water and tea are available for free and no one urges you to leave. A bathrobe, towel, and terry slippers are available for a ten Euro rental fee; bringing your own is also fine. If you come by car, you should know that there are no dedicated customer parking spaces; the U-Bahn station Eisenacher Straße and the S-Bahn station Julius-Leber-Brücke are each a few hundred meters away. If you want to get rid of the stress of a long workday, you get both here in one place: first the weightlessness in saltwater, then two hands that seek out tense areas, and finally an armchair where you can sit for as long as you wish.