The spa culture — going to a hot spring to relax — has been in place in Budapest for millennia. The word spa is often said to derive from the Latin words “Sanitas Per Aquam” which means healing through water. Located on the Danube, at the start of the Buda hills, Budapest, Hungary’s capitol, is the site of an astonishing 130 separate hot springs. Archeological digs have found dozens of Celtic sites of activity around the springs. The Romans settled the area to the west of the Danube, establishing their regional capital at Aquincum (now part of northern Budapest) so that they could enjoy the thermal springs.
Centuries later, spa culture is so ingrained the the life of this city, that you can be sure, when you go to one of the city’s beloved spas, you will see something you only see in Budapest. Missing out on the baths of Budapest is like not visiting the Eiffel tower while in Paris or ignoring the Colosseum in Rome. The only difference, is that neither the Eiffel tower or the Colosseum will relax you so totally that you may want to go back again and again.
Here, the spa is truly a culture, not just a recreational activity. Bathing houses and baths act as both living rooms and meeting places for the residents. Friends and family members will often meet up at a bathing house on a weekend. Business colleagues are known to have meetings while indulging in a hot bath. The baths in the city range from formal, to laid back, to wild and crazy. There are upscale spas and hotels with elegant baths that cater to wealthy guests. There are public baths provide the ideal places for families and senors to indulge and enjoy the company of others. And there are crazy spas — places organized around all night parties and music called sparties — that cater to the young, restless and yes, the X-rated.
We recommend skipping the racy sparties and instead visiting two classic spas from the more than four hundred in Budapest: the Gellert or the Szechenyi. One of these, at the very least, is a MUST-SEE.
- My favorite, hands-down is Szechenyi, (pictured above) the public bath at the edge of the city where I and my teenage daughter enjoyed an unforgettable day in 2005. The complex looks like a castle, or the residence of some great king. Stunning neo-Baroque architecture, the pastel-yellow painted buildings, built in 1881, feature sweeping colonnades and arches of such style that, approaching them, the last thing you would guess you were entering is that public facility. Definitely not your local swimming pool
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When we were there, we had an amazing time in the enormous outdoor pools. It was a little like going to a city ball, except with water. The people here come from is all levels of Budapest society, and their time here is absolutely central to sense of Budapest as a relaxed and friendly place. For the most part, you’ll also meet them at their very best here; something about the experience seems to put everyone in a happy and relaxed state of mind. Young, old, men, women, rich, poor, all find one amazing spot or another in this huge complex to kick back. Among our favorites:
- Bubble spots coming up from the floor that make you simply want to plant yourself there forever and luxuriate in the hydro massage effect. Watch out, there are some elderly Hungarian women who stand guard over their favorites! At times I felt as if maneuvering into one of these bubbly jets was like trying to mooch on a well-love slot machine at a casino.
- Whirlpool. Check out this video. We guarantee the experience of this whirlpool will give you a whole new definition of the word. Not to mention the giggles.
- The chess game: Yup. The chess game. (see right)
- The lovers: one of the most moving aspects of this place were how many elderly couples we saw, basking in the warmth of the water, and the glow of the sunshine, while holding hands. We’d never seen so many old people apparently blissed out on each other. Or just blissed out. But the hand-holding was really noticeable; we can only conclude that something about a lifelong habit of visiting the spa together keeps love warm, along with your toes.
We had an unforgettable afternoon here and were truly sad that we had to leave after four or five hours. We’d made plans to meet the Budapest Untours staff person for dinner and couldn’t make an evening of this l spa way of life. I had to nearly drag my 14 year old out, she was so delighted with it all. Imagine my surprise to learn after we were back in the US, that, despite our delight, we’d missed nearly half of the experience! We spent the whole time outside. Inside, there are fifteen pools spread over several hundred square meters, countless steam rooms, saunas, and freezing plunge pools. I guess we have to go back!
- No review of the spas of Budapest could neglect the Gellert . One of the oldest and most distinguished, the Gellert is both more expensive and more touristy than the Szechenyi. Why mention it?
- It’s perhaps one of the most stunning examples of Art Nouveau anywhere, certainly in a bath!, Renovations in 2006/7 have put a new gleam on art which was always superb. Imagine lolling under this ceiling (right) to your heart’s content under stain glass. Or feeling deliciously pounded by a lion’s head fountain that looks like it should be in a museum, instead of turning you to lovely mush.
- More of the Gellert is gender-separated, so if you prefer your spa experience with only your gender as company, you’ll want to choose the Gellert.
With 450 spas in the city, there are many, many more choices, and you should consider them all. (Here’s one good list of the leading establishments.) but these two, the Gellert and the Szechenyi make every recommended list, and both, in their way, in addition to making you feel like a million bucks physically are jewels of the Budapest culture and social life,.
Want to know more about the spa culture? Check out these great blogs and videos about this experience:
- The Gellert baths
- More about the Szechenyi at these two excellent blogs
Why not check out the Curtis apartment in Budapest — a great place to stay while enjoying the spa culture on your Budapest Untour?!.