Getting the best out of Budapest’s baths

By Detlef BergEach day, more than 70mn litres of mineral-rich water bubbles forth from the 118 thermal springs around Budapest. No other major city in the world has such a big resource.The thermal-bathing culture is as old as the city itself. The early Roman occupiers were already aware of the beneficial effects of the hot springs. Later on, the Turks enjoyed the baths.Today, it’s the young set that likes to party in the thermal waters.Laszlo Laki is fond of old black-and-white films including the silents. “I wanted to rent a cinema to show films that had been scored with new background music,” the musician said. “But the search for the right place proved to be difficult. At some point I got the idea of showing the films in one of Budapest’s baths.”Officials were initially sceptical about the idea, but then went along with it.The premiere drew 130 people and afterwards, everyone agreed it should continue. That was 16 years ago. Today, a Cinetrip Party night can attract young people from all over Europe to Budapest’s baths.The party crowd, clad in bathing gear, dance to the wild rhythms pounding from the loudspeakers. Visitors are thrilled by the unique mixture of modern music, cinematic effects and the historical setting.Tickets are in hot demand and must be booked well in advance.Several parties take place simultaneously. A bus shuttles partygoers for free from one thermal bath to the next.Up to 2,000 visitors are permitted at the parties in the Széchenyi spa. It is one of Europe’s largest bath complexes and is located in a small forested area on the city’s Pest side — the eastern side of the Danube River.It was opened in 1913, and was expanded in 1927 with an open-air bath. Here you can still find a scene that has been immortalised in art photos and on postcards: people playing chess amid clouds of rising vapour. “They are one of the best-known photographic subjects in Budapest,” the lady at the ticket counter says. “After all, the baths aren’t there just for the parties.”Handing a visitor a ticket costing around €10 ($13), she adds: “Go on through the entire complex — you’ll be amazed.”And indeed, there is a special atmosphere inside the Neo-Baroque building with its high-ceilinged pool rooms.The influences are mixed: the architecture recalls ancient Rome, the bathing tubs are Greek-inspired and the saunas and dip tanks have a hint of Finland about them.Because the thermal waters emerge at 74 degrees from the springs, there is plenty of energy available and the site’s expansive open-air bath is also open in the winter.At water temperatures of between 27 and 38 degrees, visitors can relax in the pool while watching the snow fall around them — or spend some time playing chess on floating chess boards.Bathing inside a monument: this could be the slogan for the Gellert baths. With its Art Deco architecture it is the jewel among Budapest’s baths. Particularly worth seeing is the two-storey-tall swimming hall with balconies and a glass skylight.The interior is richly decorated with colourful mosaics, columns, statues and vases. The thermal bath for men has been preserved in its original state dating back to 1918. The floors, walls and basins are covered by Zsolnay ceramic tiles of various shades of turquoise.Fun is to be had bathing outside in the pool with the wave-making machine which was first installed back in 1927. As in many of the other baths, there is a broad range of therapeutic treatments to choose from — ranging from tuff-stone massages, chocolate baths and mud-baths to carbonated-water pools.To bathe just once like a Turkish pasha: that is something visitors can do in the Rudas bath, located directly on the Danube River not far away from the landmark Chain Bridge.It was pasha Mustafa Sokoli who had the bath built on the remains of an older bath. The bath has been largely unchanged since 1566.A huge dome supported by eight red marble columns stretches over the main pool. The four pools located in the corners contain water of various temperatures and slightly smelling of rotting eggs, an odour that comes from the sulphur in the water.The new party-scene culture has also arrived at the Rudas bath.“This is a mixture between recuperating at a spa and partying,” event host Laki says. “Music and a laser show ensure a great atmosphere. The people while away their time in the water, splashing around until 4 o’clock in the morning.” Budapest’s first outdoor bath, the Palatinus Bath, was open to everyone from the outset. It is nestled in a well-manicured park on Margaret Island. The huge bathing landscape with its 11 pools, a wave-making pool and five waterslides is fed by thermal waters.Spa hotels on the northern part of the island also take the water for their pools.