Thermal Baths

Budapest

A centuries-old Turkish-style thermal bath on the Buda riverside with pools, saunas, massages and weekend late-night soaking hours.

Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria

A sole-water thermal bath in Bad Reichenhall with indoor-outdoor pools, an underground salt grotto, sauna area, fitness center and family pool, open daily

Baden bei Wien, Lower Austria

Thermal bath and sauna complex in Baden bei Wien with a sulphur-water outdoor pool and an on-site fitness center, open daily.

Seattle, Washington

A clothing-optional outdoor hot pool, sauna and sun deck in Seattle's West Woodland, open to walk-ins for three-hour day visits.

Piešťany, Trnava Region

Spa Irma on Piešťany's spa island offers historic mud and mirror thermal pools, a hydrotherapy circuit and a 60-treatment medical spa menu, adults only.

Sárvár, Vas

Large thermal bath complex in Sárvár with indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna world, slides for kids, and medical spa treatments.

Sárvár, Vas

A large thermal and wellness complex in Sárvár with indoor and outdoor medicinal pools, slides, a sauna world, fitness center and massage treatments.

Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria

Adults-only thermal baths in Bad Wörishofen with palm-house pools, mineral pools and saunas; day passes available, minimum age 16.

Taupo, Waikato

Adults-only geothermal pool complex in Taupo with five heated pools and a cold plunge, open daily noon to 9pm, no time limit.

Chaves, Norte

Thermal baths complex in Chaves, Portugal, built around natural hot springs, with hydrotherapy, sauna, steam room and massage on a day-pass basis.

Merano, Trentino-South Tyrol

Central thermal bath complex in Merano with 25 pools, a sauna world, thermal park and medical spa area, open daily year-round with walk-in day passes.

Portorož, Coastal-Karst

Thermal baths and seawater pools in Portorož, open daily 7am–9pm with walk-in day passes and a large sauna park.

Tuscany

A five-star resort in the Tuscan countryside built around a natural thermal spring, with day passes from €39 for outdoor thermal pools, hydromassage circuits

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Historic 1924 thermal bathhouse inside the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, offering mineral baths, sauna and massage, with walk-ins welcome.

Aix-les-Bains, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Medical thermal baths in Aix-les-Bains treating respiratory and oral mucosal conditions with sulfur-rich water, mostly through prescribed multi-day cures.

Spa, Liège

Thermal baths in the town of Spa, Belgium, fed by natural mineral water, with saunas, hammams and separate textile and naturist relaxation areas.

Dax, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Family-run thermal hotel in Dax with a supervised pool, sauna, hammam and a 20-treatment mini-cure over five days, plus day-pass access to the spa.

Vals, Grisons

Peter Zumthor's quartzite thermal baths in Vals, built into the mountain, open to day visitors as well as hotel guests.

Bad Gastein, Salzburg

Open-air thermal baths in Bad Gastein using the town's mineral-rich Gesundwasser, with pools, saunas and a fitness center at 1,100 meters in the Hohe Tauern.

Budapest

A large thermal bath complex in Budapest's City Park with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, and day passes for walk-in visitors.

Berlin

A saltwater thermal pool under a concrete dome near Berlin's Tempelhofer Feld, with sauna, steam room and occasional DJ nights.

New York City, New York

Thermal bath circuit and massages in a restored 1883 Tribeca textile factory, with a skylit tepidarium and candlelit thermal pools; reservation required.

Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin

Hotel-based thermal spa in Băile Herculane with sulfur mineral baths, indoor and outdoor pools, jacuzzi and sauna, open to hotel guests.

Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin

A 4-star hotel in central Băile Herculane with thermal pools, saunas, balneo and physiotherapy treatments, open to overnight guests.