A Little-known German Relaxation Treatment 
After cross-country skiing along Germany's most forested region, the Pension Arnika was a welcome surprise.
International Living Postcards--your daily escape Friday, March 9, 2007
Friedrichshöhe, Germany Hay bathing, we were told, stimulates your immune system and relieves rheumatism, sciatica, and arthritis problems. Plus, as a hay bath causes perspiration, your skin is purified, too. We weren't looking for a "hay bath" when we arrived in the small village of Friedrichshöhe. After a cross-country skiing tour along Rennsteig, we discovered Pension Arnika when it emerged from the fog to greet us. In 1998, Florian Meusel, an agrarian engineer by profession, opened a guest house with a sauna. He renovated his old house (which dates back to 1885), and used a new steel frame and lots of glass to convert the rickety barn into a hay bath sauna. Before taking a hay bath, you prepare your body with two trips to the sauna; this stimulates blood circulation and opens your pores. The hay beds have synthetic mats filled with warm water. Steamed hay, herbs, and meadow flowers are put on the mat, and the guest, wrapped in a towel, lies down. You are then covered with hay for 30 minutes, during which time the temperature climbs up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The hay consists of wolf's bane, veronica, cowslips, and other meadow flowers, plus several ethereal oils. After the bath, you rest, enjoying the panoramic views of Rennsteig (Germany's most forested region) while you sip mineral water or Thuringian herbal tea. Florian proudly boasts: "Japanese professors from the University of Kagoshima visited our guest house to learn about the compatibility of nature, medicine, recreation, and tourism." The Pension Arnika can host up to 30 guests. Bed and breakfast starts at 30 euro ($40) per night; a hay bath is 18 euro ($24). Stay for a week, half-board, and take all the hay baths you can handle…and the cost is 360 euro ($475). The website http://www.pension-arnika.de is in German, but if you fill out the "kontakt" tab you'll get a response in English. [Don't miss out. Get your free IL Postcards subscription today.]
Jörg M. Unger
For International Living P.S. The region along Rennsteig, where winter sport athletes are training for the next Olympic Winter Games, offers many sporting opportunities. As well as 125 miles of prepared ski runs and more than 1,000 miles of trails for ski hiking, there are also steep and gentle ski slopes for every age. Plus, tobogganing, ice rinks, and horse or dog sleigh rides through the snow-covered woods. Sometimes you can watch German or international competitions in biathlon and bob sleighing in Oberhof. If you prefer swimming or relaxing in a whirlpool, you can visit the thermal bath and spa in Masserberg.
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