Fortress of Solitude

Batman has his 'Batcave', Superman his 'Fortress of Solitude', but for me it's the Lukács fürdő.

In winter or summer, early evening or at 6 in the morning, dawn or dusk, rain or shine, the Lukács is my special place to enjoy Budapest's thermal waters and get in my 30 laps, usually a couple of times each week.

Here's my ritual: Spend not a moment past 5pm at work, zip over to Nyugati on the metro and hop on the 4-6 over to the Buda side of Margit bridge. Take the underpass near the front of the tram and continue to the right, up the stairs to find the #17 tram curving onto Frankel Leó utca towards the sanitarium-like building on the right, the Lukács. This means I usually get there by 5:30, which leaves me just enough time to get a dose of Lukács.

First, I get 'warmed up' In the indoor, thermal water part of the Lukács. The water from the spigot in the 'cool pool' is especially sulfurous and I usually stick my head under it-for a while, saunter over to the near nuclear temps of the hot circular basin, back to the cool water, and into the steam bath before heading out to the warmer of two outdoor pools, which are even open in winter.

In summer, one can enjoy the old world atmosphere of the terrace which sits on the roof and offers a great view of the pools. While the old sun beds are not incredibly comfortable, they're fine and I've even dosed off on one of them on occasion. On sweltering days it's best to scoot them under an area covered by trees. What's great about this terrace is how relaxed it is - not filled with screaming, running children but usually populated with old ladies. So don't go expecting much 'eye candy' either.

After the indoor thermal water regime, I swim my 30 laps and usually have just enough time to spend 10 or so minutes in the sauna, which is located near a 'circular jet stream' pool, a place to entertain the little ones.

As a regular, I'm very familiar with the staff and all of the faces of the other regulars. One of the locker room attendants always smiles and kids around with the bathers, while one bather typically comes into the sauna and just starts talking at everyone about football or Hungarian politics. After a bit of sauna, it's usually about closing time, 6:45.

The Lukács is not perfect, which is part of why it is dear to my heart. It's not as exotic as the Turkish Rudas or Kiraly baths, nor is it as expansive as the Széchenyi. And in fact it does need a bit of repair and renovation, but that's probably what keeps the masses away and makes for a more relaxed experience. Some of the showers, for example, have rusty sliding locks and their porcelain shower hooks are often broken off. The ceiling in the main soaking area is calcified and moldy.

So if you're looking for perfection, leave the Lukács off of your agenda.

Lukács Gyógyfürdő
H-1023 Budapest, Frankel Leó u. 25-29.
Telephone: (36-1) 326-1695
Fax: (36-1) 326-1696
Manager: Mr. Attila Kádas

By public transportation: buses 6, 60 and 86, tramways 4, 6 and 17 and by suburban train HÉV o­n the line to Szentendre-Békásmegyer, up to the stop "Margit Bridge".

More info:
http://www.spasbudapest.com/

WARNING! As of January 2007 the thermal bath portion of the Lukács is closed. Renovation is supposed to take at least one year.