Getting Into Hot Water

Drive a stick into the ground anywhere in Hungary, the saying goes, and thermal water will come surging up. The country has some 100 thermal spas, part of a tradition dating back almost two millenniums. Yet today, when most travelers consider a spa trip, they think Japan or Iceland. Hungary is out to change that. By the end of next year, the government and the hotel industry will have spent some $510 million on up to 100 projects ranging from spa refurbishments to a $12.6 million thermal water park in the eastern town of Debrecen. Some of the best spas:

GELLERT Budapest's most opulent public bathhouse—bathing here is like soaking in a cathedral. Built in 1918, the Art Nouveau bath is a maze of eight thermal pools, and a feast for the eye with its fine statuary, mosaic walls and columns lining the pools. One-day entry is $10.80.

SZECHENYI One of Europe's largest spa complexes (pictured), it features 12 thermal pools, indoors and out, and an outpatient clinic for physiotherapy. Built in 1913 and greatly expanded in 1927, this gorgeous spa is a bargain at $8.40 a visit.

MARGARET ISLAND Shared by a couple of four-star hotels (the 1970s Danubius Thermal Hotel Margitsziget and the turn-of-the-century Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget), this is Budapest's largest private spa. Renovated in 2002, it includes two thermal pools, a swimming pool, sauna and a 400-sq-m fitness center. A one-day package (several relaxation treatments, such as massage and aroma bath, a light meal and access to pools and fitness center) costs $56.50 on weekdays, plus an extra $4.90 on weekends.