Badhuis Da Costa – For an invigorating sauna

Cheap is the new expensive, especially when you’re on a tight budget. And like some of you, I’m often on a tight budget as well. But when you really look for it, you can find ‘luxurious’ things for a decent (read: affordable) price as well. For me, one of the comfortable things in life is enjoying a nice sauna from time to time.

The simpler saunas in the city centre already ask € 15 – € 20 per visit. And even more when it comes with a lot of (in my opinion) unnecessary finery. Recently I finally found a sauna for around € 10. This one is located in an old bath house in the neighbourhood called ‘Oud West’, just outside the city centre. Bath houses where very common in Amsterdam till the 70′s when private bathrooms became more popular and affordable. Almost all bath houses closed down. But with the help of volunteers, residents and benefactors this one was saved.

Don’t expect the same treatment you’ll find at the upscale saunas in the city: no satin dressing-gowns, scrubbing salt or silky lotions are available. But if you’re more than satisfied with the single use of a Finnish sauna or Turkish steam-bath, you don’t need those things (and you don’t need to pay for them either). A no-nonsense, low-priced sauna for the common people of the area… and you.

P.S. Tuesday is women’s day… no men are allowed in! Passe-partout 5 times: €30 (morning) €41 (afternoon) €52 (evening) / 10 times: €58 (morning) €81 (afternoon) €103 (evening).