The spa city
First things first: in Europe, when we talk about spas, we mean baths.
Bathing is an important cultural tradition everywhere on the continent, yet there is something special about Hungary in that sense. If you think about it, spa resorts are always in little towns hidden in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains of a European country where nobody speaks English. The brochures can try polish the facts as they might, but you will always have to travel long distances to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of these luxury retreats.
Well, not in Hungary, for Budapest is a real spa city, where bathing has become an inherent part of people's lives and never stopped being so. In fact the city is so rich in thermal water that the same thermal spring provides the water for the Budapest Zoo's hippos which fills the pools of Széchenyi Fürdő, Budapest's most popular bath in City Park.
In Communist times, even though the baths were in somewhat worse condition, going to spas was so cheap that it was even more widespread than it is now when they are in better condition and people can afford it more to indulge themselves a little bit on weekends. The therapeutic uses of thermal waters are widely accepted in the region, and rheumatologists often prescribe spa treatment for pensioners, which they couldn't afford otherwise. If you take a careful look, you will almost certainly spot some elderly gentlemen playing chess while in the water.
Bathing is an important cultural tradition everywhere on the continent, yet there is something special about Hungary in that sense. If you think about it, spa resorts are always in little towns hidden in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains of a European country where nobody speaks English. The brochures can try polish the facts as they might, but you will always have to travel long distances to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of these luxury retreats.
Well, not in Hungary, for Budapest is a real spa city, where bathing has become an inherent part of people's lives and never stopped being so. In fact the city is so rich in thermal water that the same thermal spring provides the water for the Budapest Zoo's hippos which fills the pools of Széchenyi Fürdő, Budapest's most popular bath in City Park.
In Communist times, even though the baths were in somewhat worse condition, going to spas was so cheap that it was even more widespread than it is now when they are in better condition and people can afford it more to indulge themselves a little bit on weekends. The therapeutic uses of thermal waters are widely accepted in the region, and rheumatologists often prescribe spa treatment for pensioners, which they couldn't afford otherwise. If you take a careful look, you will almost certainly spot some elderly gentlemen playing chess while in the water.