HYDERABAD : Hungary is a landlocked country in Europe that boasts the maximum hot water springs. Placed almost in the centre of Europe, Hungary’s hot and healing waters are due to the favourable geometrical qualities of the Carpathian Basin: the Earth’s crust is an average 10 km thinner here than elsewhere. If a well is dug in any corner of the country, thermal water is likely to be found. Those who inhabited the land in the past 2000 years loved, respected and used these magical, medicinal waters.
More than a hundred medicinal hot springs feed dozens of baths in Budapest with water. It’s numerous and architecturally varied thermal baths are ideal destinations for both tourists and locals intent on relaxation. While some Baroque and Art Nouveau bathing halls exist from the 19th and 20th centuries, some baths date back to the Turkish period.
There is no other capital in the EU where genuine medieval Turkish baths are still in operation. The baths in Budapest are worth a visit for their own artistic beauty and they are the most ideal for chilling out especially after hectic sightseeing. Each bath, Gellert Bath, Rudas Bath and the summer pools like Palatinus, have a lot to offer, and will give you a special experience in Hungary.
After a frenzied day in Budapest, I chose to chill out in “Széchenyi Baths” to wallow in the warm water and feel rejuvenated as the hot springs contain minerals that are said to have healing effects. This is the biggest and most popular of all the thermal baths, not just in Budapest but one of the biggest natural hot spring spa baths in Europe as well.
I fell in love with its beautiful exteriors. Built in a modern renaissance style between 1909 and 1913, the medicinal waters of the Szechenyi Baths are sourced from a depth of 1,246 metres, the second deepest well in Budapest, and its temperature is 76 degrees centigrade. A bath existed here as early as 1881, but since it was a temporary one, it started to lose goodwill. Gyozo Czigler came up with the plans to create a more permanent structure in 1913 and it was expanded in 1927 with public bathing for men and women. By the middle of the 1960s, it was time to bring further improvements to the facility by adding a group thermal section and an outpatient clinic.
A fancy bath was installed, which is a whirling pool that twirls you around like an amusement ride. Effervescent devices, neck showers, and water-beam back massages were added in the sitting bank areas. A model of this building can currently be seen at the Mini Europe exhibition in Brussels as part of Hungary’s contribution. The entry ticket includes a number of wellness services like gyms and saunas, as well as aerobic and group exercises in the pool. At the Széchenyi baths, the city’s residents chat breezily, while octogenarians gather in groups around floating chessboards and play more chess and swim less.
This is one of the largest spa complexes in Europe. I was told that the 18 pools in Szechenyi Bath are open every single day throughout the year, including national holidays. Besides the outdoor and indoor geothermal pools, you can get massage treatments, relax by the pools with some beer, wine or even taste the natural waters that supply the pools from over thousand metres below the surface.
One can have fun trying their whirlpools, water jets, the underwater aqua massage, and explore the labyrinth of the many pools. Or simply walk around and explore the Neo-Baroque palace and the historical beauty of Szechenyi Baths; or relax, soak in the spring waters day or night, summer or winter. You can book a massage in advance to enhance the effectiveness of the waters’ healing powers.
The water in the thermal pools, high in calcium, magnesium and hydrogen carbonate, is deemed to be good for pains in the joints, arthritis, blood circulation and disorders of the nervous system. All of the thermals treat muscular, bone, and some respiratory ailments. You’re not supposed to stay in the hottest thermal pool for more than 20 minutes at a time for health reasons. Since all pool facilities are open to both men and women at all times, bathing suits (bring your own or hire one here - I took mine along) must be worn. If you wish to do lane swimming, you must wear a bathing cap too (you can also buy one here), and it makes sense to carry flip-flops.
The baths host club nights, appropriately named ‘Sparties’, every Saturday: a variety of weekly club nights in the baths combining drinking, a light show, house and funk DJs, VJs, acrobatics and bathing with a very up-for-it and underdressed crowd: brainchild of a Hungarian party producer to combine spa and party to have a massive rage in a spa. Well, that’s a Sparty! Sounds good?
The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com