bathing in Budapest with the ladies

I recently went on another travel adventure with some girlfriends; this trip took us East, to a place I had never visited: Budapest, Hungary.  

Budapest is renown for her geothermal springs that have been enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, dating back to Roman times.

Several years ago I may have foolishly skipped this part of the city, but I've grown to be a lover of and a believer in the curative powers of the mineral-enriched, thermal waters offered by our dear Earth, wherever I may find them.

I chose the the Széchenyi Thermal Bath for us solely because a friend who has visited Budapest several times suggested that it would be a great place to start...and it was.

We enjoyed the outdoor pools and really liked the series of hot and cold baths and saunas indoors as well. Sit in the sauna until the sweat drips, dip in the frigid pool, repeat. I'm telling you...pure bliss. Try it, and you will be a believer, too.

Budapest evokes a certain feeling of grandness for me, and the bathing experience certainly holds true to that as well. I may have had one of those rare "What am I doing here?" moments while beholding the grandeur of the bath.

A selection of treatments and massages are available at surprisingly low rates, I suppose partly because this is a public establishment with health as the objective and partly because the dollar seems to go further in the East.  After arriving late, we missed out on those. Hey...there will be NO early rising on girls' weekends.

We did all opt for fish pedicures and Thai massages, both offered by private contractors housed at the location. My first Thai massage....I'm still not too sure how I feel about a small Asian woman man-handling me...my masseuse was a tad rough. The other ladies loved it.

I did, however, absolutely enjoy every moment at the bath, and I hope to return some day. I hope you do, too.