The Art of Bathing - Thermal Waters and Architecture: The Széchényi Spa in Budapest
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If you have ever visited Hungary, you will know that one of the most highly touted attractions are its thermal spas all over the country. The most famous, and probably most recommendable one is located right in the capital, namely the Széchényi Spa. This beautiful bath not only offers exceptional bathing experience, but is also great for people who appreciate beautiful architecture. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the building is a mix of neoclassic and neo-rennaissance styles, adorned with numerous aquatic themed sculptures. Though I have not been to Hungary in over a decade, I really wanted to include a post about this spectacular spa in my Art of Bathing series.
The Need to Get Clean
While I was living in Budapest I passed by the Szecska, as it is commonly called by the locals, on a regular basis. But it took me more than a year to actually enter it, which also arose from an interesting circumstance: I had four friends from Germany visiting me, while at the same time my sister was also there: all of us in my tiny studio apartment! This full-house happened to coincide with some major plumbing problem (correlation is not necessarily causation, right?), of course on a national holiday. So while we got away with using the toilet of the KFC two floors below us, we eventually we had to find a place to take a shower. So we decided to hit the public bath.
A Hint of Tuvalu
As we entered the lobby of the massively decorated front building we almost felt we had gone back in time, where the upper crust of Victorian society would surrender themselves to the bizarre water treatments by doctors with twirled mustaches. At the same time the massive upkeep of the place was also not lost on us, raising the immediate question of how clean it would actually be. Have you seen the film Tuvalu? It takes place in a huge public bath, built in beautiful art nouveau style, which is literally falling apart. (Great movie, by the way!)
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The other thing feeding into this impression was the Hungarian urban legend of moldy walls and general disrepair that characterized the Szecska. Though it was probably a bit exaggerated, it may have been based on some truth, since it wasn't until 1997 that major renovations began on the spa, lasting all the way until 2006. To make things worse, Life Magazine published a list of "the world's 12 dirtiest places" to which the Széchényi Spa was also added, but thanks to a massive public outcry was taken off again.
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Shining in its Former Splendor
Thankfully, as soon as we entered the bathing facilities we realized that none of those horrible descriptions applied. The facilities were all clean and well working, though their appearance was left in their original style, giving off a classical feeling, which made the experience more interesting. Beside numerous pools, there are various sauna rooms and steam baths, offering such pleasant services as chamomile steam or infrared sauna. The waters are actually fed by a local hot spring, coming up from 1200 meters depth at over 77°C.
Since our immediate needs of urgent cleanup had been taken care of in the showers, we spent our time checking out the design of the building and eventually the great outdoor pool. Obviously we didn't have any of our phones with us, so I don't have as many of my own pics to post here as I would like. Fortunately, there are sufficient photos online to give you an idea of what the elaborate beauty of the Széchényi Spa. Still better yet, of course, is to get your own first hand impression, so if you're even in Budapest, you should not miss visiting this amazing bath.
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