Are you ready to soak up the healing from the best bath houses in the world? Keep reading to understand why it should be on everyone’s bucket list.
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Overview
Soaking in healing waters such as a bathhouse was really popular even hundreds of years ago. People would frequently travelled to experience the curative spring bath. Coming back to modern days, we can see the resurgence of the bath house tradition making a comeback in all parts of the world. Hot baths, saunas, hot springs, steam rooms, spa cultures, etc are some of the top local attractions in many destinations. The tradition of bath houses was first adopted by the Romans around the second century BC. And later on, it spread to the rest of the world. Today, Budapest is famously known as the ‘City of baths’ in the world. This is because the Hungarian capital is surrounded by the best bath houses in all corners of the city that have existed since the ancient Romans.
Bath houses play an important role in preserving local history and their contemporary culture as well. Budapest for example, considers thermal baths a huge part of their daily life even to this day. Bathhouses are commonly utilized for the purpose of relieving pain and soreness in the body. It is also a chief method of promoting mental relaxation, boosting wellness, and improvements in their overall health.
Which countries are famous for bath houses in the world?
As the tradition of bath houses has since evolved and spread around the world, every country adopts certain culture and social norms. They also have different customs and etiquette for each destination. The purpose of constructing bath houses not only serves as a tool for tourist attraction but also boosts the country’s economy, especially in the tourism sector. #BestBathHousesInTheWorld
Following are some countries that are widely popular for bath houses in the world:
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest alone has around 125 thermal baths that have existed since the Romanian period. Hot spring baths were used as far back as 12th century as it is believed to have healing powers. Even to this day, people of all ages enjoy taking a trip to the bath houses as a means of family excursion, friends’ vacation, or couples private trip. Here, most of the bath houses facilitate in both outdoor and indoor areas. This is a good way for people to relax comfortably at their convenience.
Some of the best bath houses in Budapest are:
- Szechenyi Baths which is probably one of the largest thermal bath complexes in the whole of Central Europe. It features 13 indoor and 3 outdoor pools. And, it is also constructed with an exceptional backdrop of classical columns and canary yellow walls.
- Rudas Baths is a complex, split into three parts; the Ottoman-era steam bath, the swimming pool and a wellness centre. One can experience the thrill of the rooftop Jacuzzi with front row seats over the Danube.
- Gellert Baths and spa is the most famous Art Nouveau thermal baths in Budapest and Europe in general. Itcaptures the golden era of a 20th century Budapest with their impressive marine-tiled indoor thermal pools and detailed carved columns surrounding the swimming pool. The complex also includes smaller outdoor pools and a large swimming pool. It is famous for its 1920s style wave machine that runs on the hour. The Gellert spa is also famous for its massage treatments like the Gellert spa massage, aroma massage therapy, relaxation in the geothermal waters which comes from deep under Gellert hill and the hot saunas etc.
Likewise, there are hundreds of awesome bath houses in Budapest alone which we cannot find in other parts of the world. You can pay a visit to any of them the next time you are in the city.
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Istanbul, Turkey
Another city famous for bath houses in the world is Istanbul in Turkey. The bath houses in Turkish are called hammams. Its’s existence of were likely the result of an export of the Roman Empire that extended to Turkey around the 7th century. In ancient times, the hammams mean purifying the body which went hand-in-hand with purifying the soul as well. These spaces were also used as bathing rituals for major life events like weddings and births etc. In recent times, the hammam is still a common gathering place to socialize and relax. #BestBathHouses
A hammam typically consists of three main areas:
- hot steam room, where an attendant scrubs and massages the bather
- a warm room used for bathing
- Thirdly, a cool room for resting
Cagaloglu Hammam
The areas are usually divided based on gender and nudity is optional. A historic and probably the most popular hammam worth visiting in Istanbul is the Cagaloglu Hamami. It is a famous palatial marble bathhouse built in 1741. The Cagaloglu hammam was the last bath of the Ottoman Empire.
This bathhouse offers various luxurious services like:
- Turkish bath ritual with an oriental experience and special massages
- The royal Ottoman experience
- Sultan Mahmud the First luxurious service, which is a special package service that honours the name of the person who built the Cagaloglu Hammam
- The bridal bath, which is a famous traditional bath from the Ottoman period, a service preferred by most brides-to-be
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Russia
Historical researches have found that, Russian bathhouse or a banya played a pivotal role in the central society. According to Slavic mythology, a banya spirit name Bannik existed which was believed to hide under bathhouse benches. And, revealing itself only when a visitor misbehaved by throwing hot rocks or boiling water at the troublesome bather.
Throughout Russian history, bathhouses or banyas were enjoyed by people from all classes of society. One of the oldest and most famous banya in Russia is Sanduny Banya. It was built in 1806 and situates at the Country’s capital city Moscow. This banya is a large complex consisting of swimming pools, a fitness centre, a beauty salon and a restaurant.
Japan
Another country with a rich heritage of natural hot springs is Japan. The Japanese onsen or bath houses are a result of the country’s plentiful volcanic activity. Japanese onsen dates back to when Buddhism was first introduced in Japan in the 500s. The natives would often practice soaking in thermal baths for the purpose of healing, spirituality and rejuvenation of their spirits, and so on. Studies have found that, Buddhist monks played an important role in founding some of the country’s earliest spa-like spots destinations. A great aspect of the Japanese onset is that, most of the onsen are based on natural formations which have existed for around thousands of years.
Dogo Onsen is one such example of an ancient onsen that has existed for around 3000 years now. It is located on the Island of Shikoku and was believed to have welcomed Gods, Emperors and Peasants alike as illustrated and mentioned in Japanese history.
Another famous onsen in Japan is the Takaragawa Onsen. It is located in the Minakami Onsen area, and is one of the four major hot springs in Gunma prefecture. The baths of Takaragawa onsen generally consists of mixed gender, female and male only facilities. The Onsen is surrounded by the beauty of nature. Therefore, one can experience the beauty of enjoying its bath while gazing at the beautiful foliage in the fall and the snow in winter.
South Korea
In South Korea, visiting bath houses is a family affair as evidently seen in entertainment platform like the movies or k-dramas. A Bath house in Korean is called Jimjilbang. Here, people of all ages from children to elderly citizens pay a visit to the jimjilbang at least once or twice a week. Like Japan, bath houses in Korea originated due to the country’s abundance of natural hot springs. Some of them have been in operation for more than thousands of years now. Today, many of the Jimjilbangs are open 24 hours a day and offers services such as lodging.
The unique features of Korean Jimjilbangs are the materials which they use to build saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs.
For example, they incorporate the use of jade in the saunas to relieve joint pains and reduce stress. And as Koreans are famously known for taking extra care of their skin, baked clay is used for detoxification. And, the use of body scrubs are also very common, using mitt with milk and water to moisturize the skin and promote circulation.
One of the most famous jimjilbangs in South Korea is the incredibly epic Dragon Hill Spa. It is located in the country’s capital city Seoul. Dragon Hill Spa is a seven storey building entirely dedicated to recreational activities and featuring facilities. This includes seawater bath, a salt room, saunas, baths, a swimming pool, fitness centre, a nail salon, a golf course, movie theatre, an internet cafe, gardens, a food court, massage therapy center, etc. The primary attraction is the main sauna which is a room of heated charcoal and infused with an oak aroma.
And the list goes on and on.
Bottom Line
As the world has now recognized the fact that, bath houses contributes to a major boost in the tourism sector, many countries have now come forward in constructing aesthetically pleasing bathhouses in various destinations. They are to attract more tourists to inflate the country’s economy and to also promote their culture and heritage.
The concept of a bathhouse is not only to cleanse your physical body but also to promote healthy mental and spiritual growth. And as the world evolves, so do the people. We can now see many enthusiastic adventurers going out their way to experience all corners of the world. Therefore, if you are reading this and is one of them, make sure to add ‘visit a bathhouse’ in your bucket list on your next destination.
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