We are normally all about the sweat but who can resist the adrenalin rush of a water slide? The first major documented water slide attraction was “The Water Chute” at the New Zealand International Exhibition in 1906. Fully dressed participants rode a “chute-boat” down a 220ft track before skimming over the surface of a lake at speeds of up to 30mph. Quite a beginning for what is now an $18 billion global industry. Since then, the race has been on to offer more thrilling and extreme rides. We spoke to the maestro of water slides Rainer Maelzer (and self-styled “Chief Fun Officer” at Therme Group), to hear more about the world’s most awe-inspiring rides.
When we asked Rainer what goes into making a great slide, he said it’s a complex mix from having the idea and prototyping, to making it financially viable – as in how many bathers can ride per hour – and building a safe slide. After the design considerations are solved, you need to partner with someone to take the risk of building the first one.
Here are Rainer’s five favorite slides:
Art of descent
RAINER MAELZER: Our team at Wiegand, my former company, built artist Carsten Höller’s slides – first at Tate Modern, London and then in many other locations. It is an example of how we would ideally build all slides – as both a work of art and an attraction – but it was controversial at the time as some said they are not art. These dry stainless steel slides have an advantage – a normal water slide has an average slope of 10% but the dry slides have a slope of 25% – so you can turn them elegantly around a central pylon. But that’s not the only point – if we make them beautiful, but people have to queue for hours, it’s not as fun as it should be.
Circular dreams
In 2021, our team created the SlideWheel, a rotating water slide. Bathers enter, and then the slide itself turns three times around them. To date, it’s the most extreme and unique waterslide ever built. The idea for the slide actually came from a nine-year-old boy who thought the most beautiful thing in the world would be a never-ending water slide. When he looked at the structure of DNA, he could visualise how to make it. His Dad bought a patent and, five years later, we built the first example and won many prizes for the best product ever. We pay a substantial licensing fee for every slide installed. The father believed in his son, and with this product, they have made more than enough to buy a family home. I think that is inspiring.
Moments of weightlessness
Around 15 years ago, the Boomerango slide was the first attraction to create that breathtaking zero-gravity feeling. Riders shoot down a slope and then surge up a near-vertical wall, hovering weightlessly for a brief moment before gravity pulls them back. This split second of weightlessness always draws a crowd. In every survey we conduct, it consistently ranks number one. It’s like the Porsche 911 of water slides – a classic with a uniquely thrilling sensation that makes you want to ride it again and again.
Sliding at sea
The Slidecoaster is a hybrid rollercoaster and water slide with an adrenaline-inducing 0-31mph mechanical launch to speed riders round the tubes. It uses a magnetic, mechanical limb to push riders up the initial slope, followed by a more typical waterslide descent. It’s a brave strategy to build the first one on a ship because it’s a complex, harsh environment with limited space and people walking underneath the slides. If a slide requires frequent maintenance it quickly becomes a problem. When the ship is in the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world, you can’t just send a technician for a quick fix — you essentially have to keep them on the cruise for weeks, just to keep it running.
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Slide galaxy at Therme
New Therme destinations are platforms for slide innovation. For future destinations like Manchester, we will no longer build “loud” and colorful standalone attractions. Instead we are designing them into the concept from the beginning – just as we did at Therme Bucharest, where the slides are suspended from the ceiling and glide through the space.
The slides will blend organically into the building, with support structures integrated into the architecture. Signature attractions, such as the Boomerango and large bowl slides, will be on show inside the space, allowing us to design interactive moments for guests viewing the slides from elevated platforms.
These signature elements will go beyond pure ride experience – they will be curated as art installations, where sound, light, and even scent come together to set the atmosphere.
Rainer Maelzer
@rainermaelzer
VP of Attractions & Partnerships, Therme Group and President of Whitewater ERA, GmbH
Rituals in the women’s hamman, Bukhara
In Bukhara, Uzbekistan, the ancient women’s hammam is a place of cleansing and social gathering. In this new film just released on Sauna Channel, Women’s Hammam directed by Sasha Kulak, weekly washing takes place alongside centuries-old rituals marking important moments in life. A new mother is wrapped and massaged in a practice that ‘closes’ the body after the opening of pregnancy and birth; and her baby girl is tenderly washed with clay and salt in a ritual promising purity and strength. The ceremony finishes with an immersion bonding mother and child.
Happenings
Seattle Sauna Festival
The Pacific North West’s large-scale gathering dedicated to sauna, wellness and community
National Nordic Museum, Seattle, November 1 & 2, 2025 Book here
Culture of Bathing Gathering
We are hosting our second annual industry Gathering for bathhouse owners, operators, and sweat luminaries to exchange ideas, share stories, and slip into a sauna… It’s a space for people shaping the future of bathing to connect, learn, and chart what’s next.
New York, January 11-14, 2026
Space is limited, and if you’d like to express an interest in attending, please fill in this form:
News
White Lotus star Sam Nivola shares his love for New York City bathhouse as he films video from latest visit
Attitude, October 10, 2025
The New York Times profile of Yuval Zohar who wrote last week’s CoB post
Master of a Thousand Satisfied Soaks
New York Times, October 11, 2025
One Last Thing
Pigs love water slides too!
We’d love to hear from you - please send a DM, or email hello@cultureofbathing.com
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