bathing in budapest

budapest is a fantastic city for many reasons. here's one of them: old dudes playing chess in a thermal bath.



apparently, going to budapest without going to a spa is like going to rome without seeing the sistine chapel. i love spas and all, but i didn't wanna go at first because i was traveling on a tight budget. plus, i generally get bored in spas after about 2 hours, and it didn't seem worth the money. but in true "when in rome" spirit, i went.

no surprise, but it was worth it. i went to szechenyi - one of the most popular spas in the city - and my general 2-hour tolerance for spas magically stretched out to an all-day affair.

szechenyi spa's been around for a century. it's massive (i think the largest in all of europe). outside are two enormous hot pools, a lap pool, a whirlpool. inside there are over a dozen mineral / medicinal spas and steam rooms. you can indulge in hungarian fare in the cafe, and i'm pretty sure they serve beer too. and yes, you can watch old dudes play chess in the hot pools.

i totally lost track of time there. it didn't even faze me when it started pouring rain on me. how could it, when i'm soaking in a brilliant 100-degree outdoor pool and gazing at neo-baroque architecture?! suddenly the 3100 forint (about 15 american bucks) that i painfully parted with, didn't seem so painful in the end.



i think wintertime would be the best time to visit the spas in budapest. throughout the year - but mostly during the chilly season - a traveling party called cinetrip throws incredible raves at these spas. complete with djs, laser lights, aerialists and all-night spa goodness. sometimes they're called "sparties" (spa + parties) and they look a little something like this:



if i was still young and hip and had a list of top places i wanted to celebrate new year's, a budapest spa would be high on that list. but i suspect you won't find any old dudes playing chess.

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