Budapest is one of the great spa cities of Europe. Numerous natural hot springs pour out over 80 million litres (18 million gal) of richly mineralized water every day. The greatest concentrations of natural springs are situated in Óbuda, near Gellért Hill, on the Buda embankment near Margaret Bridge and on Margaret Island itself. Baths have existed here since Roman times, but it was the Turks who best exploited Budapest's natural resources. Today there is a wide choice of therapeutic and recreational baths and pools.
Heated deep inside the earth, the waters of the mineral-rich hot springs which bubble up through fractures in the rocky hills of Buda and 6buda have given the city a Turkish-influenced bathing culture which has survived even the rigours of Communism. A total of 31 spa-water pools and thermal baths, with entrance fees kept low by generous government subsidies, make taking the waters an unmissable treat for visitors to Budapest.
Although the ruins of Roman thermal baths dating from the 2nd century AD have been found in Óbuda, it was only under the Ottoman occupation of the 16th-17th centuries, that the bathing culture really took hold in Budapest. Four stunning Turkish-built baths, some of the few remaining examples of Ottoman architecture in Budapest, are still in operation. The Rudas, the Rác, the Király and the Császr Baths were all built in the 16th century, and are constructed on a single model. A marble staircase leads into a chamber containing a dome-topped, octagonal thermal pool, which is surrounded by smaller dome-covered pools at temperatures ranging from icily cold to roastihgly hot. The most beautiful and the most atmospheric are almost certainly the Rudas Baths, followed closely by the Király Baths. Though not without their charms, the Rác Baths have been heavily restored and are less spectacular than the Rudas and Király Baths. The Császár Baths have been absorbed into the Lukács Baths complex. Many of the city's newer baths are for both men and women. The Turkish baths, however, owe much of their unique atmosphere to the fact that they remain resolutely single-sex. The Rudas Baths are for men only, while the Rác and the Király Baths are open to men and women on alternate days. There is no need to wear a bathing suit; as a small apron is provided.
The late 19th and early 2Oth century was a new golden age for Budapest, and saw the building of a number of splendid baths. Many have spring-water swimming pools attached. Opened in 1894 the Neo-Classical Lukács Baths offer two outdoor swimming pools as well as the 16th-century Császár thermal pool. The Széchényi Baths, opened 20 years later on the Pest side of the river, make up the biggest bathing complex in Europe. In addition to the usual indoor thermal pools, they also boast outdoor thermal and swimming pools, complete with sun terraces. With the hottest spa- water in the city, the outdoor thermal pool is popular even in the depths of winter. As well as the thermal pools, Budapest's bathing establishments also include a steam room and sauna. Professional massages are almost always available for a small fee. Some places offer medicinal mud and sulphur baths. You will be invited to take a shower, and a short nap 1n the rest room before you leave.
Nestling at the foot of Gellért Hill, the beautiful Gellért Hotel and Baths Complex is the oldest and most famous of a handful of luxury hotels in Budapest offering swimming and thermal pools, steam rooms, sauna and massage. The renowned Gellért Baths were opened to the general public in 1927, and include a fabulous, marble-columned indoor swimming pool, a labyrinth of thermal baths (one set for men and one for women), single-sex nudist sun-bathing areas and an outdoor swimming pool. A hugely popular wave machine is switched on in the latter for ten minutes in every hour. A second wave of spa-hotels were built in the 1970s and '80s. Set on leafy Margaret Island, the modem, squeaky-clean and extremely luxurious Thermál Hotel, is linked by an underground passage to the older Ramada-Grand Hotel. In addition to the usual range of baths and pools, services on offer here include manicure, pedicure and a solarium. The late 1980s saw the arrival of two new spa hotels, the Thermal Hotel Helia not far from the Pest riverbank and, on the Buda side, the Thermal Hotel Aquincum, facing north towards Óbuda. Both make use of the hot springs on Margaret Island, and offer gyms, bars and restaurants as well as swimming pools and thermal baths.
The citizens of Budapest are great believers in the medical benefits of the thermal baths. Most of the baths employ staff who can offer advice on the most appropriate pools and special treatments for a particular ailment. The spa waters are extremely good for general relaxation. They can also be helpful in the relief of a number of specific complaints, including post-traumatic stress, joint and muscle damage, rheumatism and menstrual pain.
Many Hungarians are excellent swimmers, and the country has achieved great success in competitive water sports. In addition to Budapest's many recreational pools, sports pools include the Hajós Olympic Pool complex on Margaret Island. The complex consists of three sports pools, two outdoor, including one at full Olympic size, and one indoor. The pools are used for professional training, but are also open to the public. Komjádi Béla Swimming Stadium on Árpád Fejedelem útja, the Hajós Olympic Pool is the place to go to see professional swimming, diving or water polo.
The nicest one is the Palatinus, on Margaret Island, boasts seven outdoor pools, some thermal and some for swimming, complete with water slides and wave machines. Just east of the Pest river bank is the vast, modern Dagály Strand complex. Built after World War II, it includes 12 pools, with space for up to 12,000 people. Other strands worth visiting include Római Strand in Óbuda in the north of the city. Three pools have been carefully rebuilt here, on the site of some Roman baths, together with a tore at not-so-Roman water t6mai chute. To the north of and the city at Csillaghegy on the HÉV suburban train line, Csillaghegyi Strand consists of four pools set in picturesque grounds, and includes a popular south-facing nudist beach.
