Last updated on 10/27/2026
Dreary weather is thermal-bath weather, and Brandenburg conveniently lies right on Berlin's doorstep. Numerous healing springs bubble up in the surrounding area, and the choice ranges from a quiet sauna landscape to a big fun pool. The Spreewald Therme in Burg is considered Brandenburg's thermal brine spa par excellence, with water from a depth of 1,350 metres and treatments using regional Spreewald herbs. The Kristall Kur- und Gradier-Therme in Bad Wilsnack builds on brine and its own graduation tower, while SATAMA Sauna Resort & SPA on Lake Scharmützelsee is made for anyone looking for quiet. For something tropical, Tropical Islands near Krausnick holds a piece of the South Seas under an enormous dome. Which one will be your next day trip?
Ellen Mehrhoff-Roddewig
For me there is hardly a better break from everyday Berlin life than a day trip to one of Brandenburg's thermal baths. The warm water, the sauna landscapes, the scent of eucalyptus and that feeling of driving home completely relaxed afterwards: that is exactly what makes the little trip to the surrounding area worthwhile. I paid attention to water quality, cleanliness, the variety of treatments and the atmosphere.
The thermal brine spa in Burg draws its brine from a depth of 1,350 meters, with 240 grams of salt per liter. Seven pools are spread across 772 square meters of water surface, including an intensive brine pool with eight percent brine for floating, plus six saunas in its own SaunaGarten and a property of over 30,000 square meters.
In Bad Wilsnack, thermal brine bubbles up from a depth of 1,018 meters at 39 degrees Celsius and about 16 percent salt. The facility combines five brine pools ranging from 1.5 to 12 percent, a salt lake with 24 percent brine, eight themed saunas in up to 300-year-old farmhouses, and a 50-meter-long graduation tower, the first graduation facility in Brandenburg.
On the shore of Lake Scharmützelsee, there is no thermal bath, but a pure sauna resort: seven saunas and a steam bath, including the SATAMA Theater for up to 160 guests and the Maa-Sauna with up to 120 degrees Celsius. Founded in 2002 with five saunas, today it hosts infusion world championships and attracts around 80,000 guests annually.
On the shore of the Großer Zernsee in Werder, the Havel-Therme welcomes its guests with Moorish-Andalusian architecture and palm trees. The brine and spring pools range from 34 to 40 degrees, and at the pool bar, guests sit on underwater stools in the warm water. Additionally, there are 13 saunas and steam baths, and a 160-meter-long pier leading out to the lake for cooling down.
About 80 kilometers from Berlin, in the spa park of Bad Belzig, there is a facility whose spring brine, with around 20 percent salt content, approaches that of the Dead Sea. Six pools are spread over more than 750 square meters of water surface, plus seven saunas with hourly infusions, and the LichtKlangRaum, a brine pool with sound and light effects underwater.
In the north of Brandenburg lies a facility with 1,055 square meters of bathing landscape, where brine rises from a depth of 1,650 meters at 57.7 degrees Celsius and 15 percent salt content. This includes a 110-square-meter wave pool, a grotto passage with six percent brine, two slides of 98 and 102 meters, and eight saunas in an 1,800-square-meter sauna garden.
In Lübbenau, a 45.5-meter-long curved plexiglass pane separates the guests' outdoor pool from an enclosure with Humboldt penguins. There are also fourteen saunas, the largest selection on this list, spread across an indoor area and a sauna village styled like a Spreewald farmstead, with a cucumber sauna, a hay sauna and a cave where Spreewald legends are read aloud.
The Catharinenquelle delivers thermal brine from a depth of around 450 meters, which reaches up to 36 degrees Celsius with a three percent brine content. This includes four whirlpools, an AquaSound pool with underwater music, and seven saunas distributed across two buildings, including a bread-baking sauna where bread is made in a wood oven and then tasted.
Spread across 13,400 square meters, four areas are united under one roof: a fun and sports pool with a 370-square-meter wave pool, a mineral forum with a graduation tower, a sauna world featuring the 70-square-meter Panorama Sauna, and a spa. Approximately 1,500 square meters of water surface and a slide tower reaching up to 55 kilometers per hour are also included.
On Lake Ruppin, the facility extracts its iodine-rich healing brine from a depth of 1,700 meters, with a 17 percent salt content and a reservoir temperature of 63.4 degrees Celsius. It is Brandenburg's only state-certified healing spring. There is also a floating pool with eight percent brine and a lake sauna with a glass facade and steps into the water.
