Yes, I’m with you op.
In NL/Germany/Austria it was made very clear to me as a young 20 something year old what the spa/sauna etiquette was (“I was young, how would I be expected to know if I didn’t read the signage or until they told me” is what they said). The older people taught the younger people.
A nice example in a German sauna in Spain - toddlers hour where parents bring children, demonstrate to shower first, sit quietly on a towel in the sauna, don’t fidget, be calm, shower after, all naked, and all happily rewarded with an ice lolly afterwards.
Whispering / low level talking sometimes ok-ish - but you do have to read the room, and I don’t think generally younger generation Brits are always doing this.
I think in UK there seems to be little knowledge generally of spa etiquette and guests often just don’t read either the signage or read the room - i.e. you can just quietly observe how to behave in the environment you are in.
I will be shot down probably, but do spend 50% of my time in these settings and sadly it’s often younger generations of Brits that I just quietly observe being inappropriate and disturbing other guests - UK and Europe wide.
In Spain it might clearly be marked as a “zona de silencio” in a spa for example, with signage asking for quiet respect for all guests, but it’s the Brits most often spoiling it for everyone.
In Croatia, English staff themselves disrespecting the facilities, being shouty, and inappropriately dressed, wearing outdoor sports clothing in the pools…when the signage indicates otherwise, “washing” their dirty footwear in the pools, some women screeching like they are at party central.
In UK in a quiet sauna where everyone is relaxing silently and young adults come in loudly with “shall we stop in ASDA for fish fingers on the way home babe?” comments or phones in the sauna on loudspeaker (when challenged saying they are “on a business call” - when it’s Tik-Tok).