Budapest and the Bath Culture
October 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Exotic Locations
Budapest is the richest in thermal springs among the capital cities of the world. Therefore, ever since the Roman times, bath culture has been thriving in Budapest. With this booming bath culture attraction, the city has been entitled the “City of Spa” in 1934. The city is sometimes called the City of Baths and Caves because of the rich hot springs and underwater caves and springs. These hot springs and thermal baths have become an important aspect in Budapest’s health and tourism culture.
Tourists all over the world are enticed to visit Budapest in order to personally indulge themselves in this thermal bathing culture. Tourists and locals alike would spend time in thermal baths for medicinal, therapeutic, or recreational purposes. After a long day of work or tour within the city, they will definitely find themselves soaked in one of those open hot pools or prestigious and elegant hot baths in hotels.
Two famous thermal baths in Budapest are the Hotel Gellert’s bath and the Szechenyi bath. The latter is always overcrowded everyday – even during the winter season. Gellert bath is a natural mud pit and is well-known for its medicinal and healing properties. Some of the popular features in Gellert are the covered and open-air swimming pool with artificial waves.
Since hot springs are easily available in Budapest, other public and affordable pools had sprouted in the city to cater for the needs of the natives and the tourists.
Excluding the spa and thermal baths in Ramada Plaza, Thermal Hotel Margitsziget, and Corinthia hotel, there are around 15 public thermal baths in Budapest. These include Ruda’s Bath and Palatinus Bath in Margaret Island.
Young tourists will mostly be hooked on some other spas that are placed inside theme parks and hotels because of their special features for children, such as the wave pools, water chutes, and whirlpools. Professionals and businessmen in tours will definitely have a relaxing and soothing weekend in spas and baths that have green fields in it where one can just relax, sunbathe, read his favorite paper or magazine, or perhaps do sports.
Aside from its recreational and thermal spas, Budapest is also known for its medicinal baths. This tourist attraction has made Budapest a must-visit tourist spot in the world. These medicinal baths used the thermal springs which have been used by the Romans since the 2nd century.
These thermal springs have a temperature that varies between 21°C and 78°C and produces up to seventy mega-liters of water a day. The dissolved minerals and salt in these waters coming from one hundred eighteen different sources, which could either be natural springs or bores, have made them suitable and preferable for treating and curing hundreds of illnesses that range from circulatory problems to joint and muscle damage, rheumatic diseases, and blood-related problems.
Hungary’s medicinal waters are effective for locomotor disorder treatment. Some are even particularly efficacious in the treatment of gynecological and dermatological disorders. Moreover, some even form part of a drinking cure for renal and metabolic conditions, as well as stomach complaints.
Several of these medicinal baths and spas have been built along the banks of the Danube River. These are the Ruda’s, Kiraly, Csaszar and Rac baths. These spas are open all days of the week. Some of the amenities and features they offer are tub and thermal bath, sauna, dental shower, and indoor swimming pool.
Most of these baths provided other services and facilities such as therapeutic massage, mudpack treatments, and physiotherapy exercises. Within the spa and baths are water fountains and wells that provide spring and medicinal water.
Below are the most popular medicinal spas and baths in Budapest:
· Széchenyi Baths
· Gellért Baths
· Rudas Baths
· Király Baths
· Lukács Baths
· Császár Baths
· Csillaghegy Baths
· Dagály Baths
· Dandár Baths
· Pesterzsébet Salt Baths
· Újpest Baths
If one decides to come to Budapest, he should plan to go to Budapest’s baths to take a swim, soak in the tub, sit in the whirlpool, or just enjoy the silence. The relaxing and soothing ambience of the spa and bath is ideal to release all the stress and worries of a weary and tired body.
