*Barcelona - Sauna Thermas - It only got better!

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 10/5/2025 at 12:10 AM, RyTorrens said:

Give us an update por favor! i will be visiting in mid november. First time in spain.

Tip: In Barcelona, avoid speaking Spanish, especially if you're not fluent.  The locals prefer Catalan.  So much so, the signs in the BCN airport are in Catalan then English then really tiny Spanish below.

[BSR]

1 hour ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

Tip: In Barcelona, avoid speaking Spanish, especially if you're not fluent.  The locals prefer Catalan.  So much so, the signs in the BCN airport are in Catalan then English then really tiny Spanish below.

Barcelona has changed a lot since my previous trip in the Eighties.  In 1988, I heard Catalan everywhere, but since then, there has been a wave of immigration into Spain, with many settling in Barcelona and working in the service industry.

Before talking to someone, I always asked “¿castellano?”, and most of them were relieved because the immigrants from LatAm countries speak Spanish as a native tongue, learning just enough Catalan to get by.  Even the Indian and Pakistani cabdrivers I had both spoke excellent Spanish but only basic Catalan.  The mix depends on the day, of course, but a lot of the chaperos at Thermas are Latino.  The 2 Moroccans I spoke to both spoke Spanish but not Catalan.

Just ask “¿castellano?” if your Spanish is good enough.  I never had a problem with anyone anywhere.  Most people who work in tourism also speak enough English to get by, if your Spanish isn’t up to the task.

I arrived at the train station, not the airport, and was all over the tourist district.  The signage I saw was written in Catalan first, then Spanish, then English.  All 3 languages were always in the same font size, LOL.

Edited Tuesday at 07:12 PM by BSR
Clarity

[BoyGeorgeandMarilyn]

On 10/7/2025 at 8:24 PM, BSR said:

Barcelona has changed a lot since my previous trip in the Eighties.  In 1988, I heard Catalan everywhere, but since then, there has been a wave of immigration into Spain, with many settling in Barcelona and working in the service industry.

Before talking to someone, I always asked “¿castellano?”, and most of them were relieved because the immigrants from LatAm countries speak Spanish as a native tongue, learning just enough Catalan to get by.  Even the Indian and Pakistani cabdrivers I had both spoke excellent Spanish but only basic Catalan.  The mix depends on the day, of course, but a lot of the chaperos at Thermas are Latino.  The 2 Moroccans I spoke to both spoke Spanish but not Catalan.

Just ask “¿castellano?” if your Spanish is good enough.  I never had a problem with anyone anywhere.  Most people who work in tourism also speak enough English to get by, if your Spanish isn’t up to the task.

I arrived at the train station, not the airport, and was all over the tourist district.  The signage I saw was written in Catalan first, then Spanish, then English.  All 3 languages were always in the same font size, LOL.

I think that as long as they speak  a lttle bit of english, THey will accept my 50 euros to fuck them! They are in Thermas for that aren't they?

 

 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

11 hours ago, BoyGeorgeandMarilyn said:

I think that as long as they speak  a lttle bit of english,

On my visit to Thermas, I spoke with all the boys in English.  I wouldn't try discussing a dissertation in English, but it was enough to confirm 50 Euros and Bareback with each man I hired 

[babyface]

4 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

On my visit to Thermas, I spoke with all the boys in English.  I wouldn't try discussing a dissertation in English, but it was enough to confirm 50 Euros and Bareback with each man I hired 

Did they actually accept to fuck you bareback? How did you go about convincing them?

[BoyGeorgeandMarilyn]

3 hours ago, babyface said:

Did they actually accept to fuck you bareback? How did you go about convincing them?

REALLY?

[BSR]

11 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

On my visit to Thermas, I spoke with all the boys in English.  I wouldn't try discussing a dissertation in English, but it was enough to confirm 50 Euros and Bareback with each man I hired 

“Bareback” in Spanish is a pelo, but it cracks me up that Spanish gays often use the English word, just with Spanish pronunciation:  bah-reh-BAHK.

[mike carey]

10 minutes ago, BSR said:

“Bareback” in Spanish is a pelo, but it cracks me up that Spanish gays often use the English word, just with Spanish pronunciation:  bah-reh-BAHK.

Wouldn't the Real Academia Española be apoplectic about such liberties being taken with the language?