Because Z and I ocassionally have different viewpoints on the same subject matter, I’m posting my take on the Szechenyi Baths.
I loved both times we visited the baths. After, my second visit, I concluded that the Szechenyi baths are for those who enjoy S+S+S & S. I guess I should break that down. Selfies+Suntans+Single & Sleep. Not necessarily in that order.
On on our two visits to the baths, we spent 6+ hours, so I had quite a bit of time to observe. I found the baths to be overcrowded. The great majority of the people were in the age range of mid teens to late 20’s. They spent most of the day parading their wares from the outdoor baths to the indoor baths, taking selfies and pics of one another. The outdoor large thermal pool looked like a sea of I-Phones extended up to the sky. Once they got bored with the pool photo opportunities, they were off to the selfies in the indoor thermal baths. This made it almost impossible to find a bath that was not overcrowed with people conducting their own private photo shoots.
The outdoor baths were not as popular as the indoor baths. If I had to guest, I would bet that most of the younger generation are not thrilled by the idea of standing in a 100 degree thermal pool in 80 degree weather. Heck, they are not interested in the mineral benefits of the water. That’s for old people, like me, who wake up with a different pain every day. So, what’s better than selfies? Sunbathing and sleeping, of course. This makes it almost impossible to find an open lounge chair. The next best thing is lying out on the concrete slab. So here you have it, my take on the Szechenyi Baths. To be fair, we also visited the Gellert Baths. See our Post Gellert Baths. I’m still debating on which was my favorite. I may have to go back to lovely Budapest to make up my mind. That would be difficult, but I would have to manage.
