Gellért Bath is among the most beautiful Art Deco baths in the world

BBC News Designed made a compilation of the best Art Deco baths in the world among which we can find baths from such big cities as New York, Paris, Berlin, Los Angeles and Sydney, but the Hungarian Gellért Bath is also chosen as one of the best representatives of this style. Let’s find out what the style, Art Deco is, and how it makes the Gellért Bath so unique.

Art Deco

BBC.hu and Britannica.com report that the style came from Paris in the beginning of the 20th century. Although it was not only meant for the elite, it still preserved its architectural sophistication.

It was influenced by the styles of Art Nouveau, Bauhaus and Cubism, but it also used ideas coming from the American Indian and Egyptian cultures, and turned back to nature, too.

It retained the nature motifs, but put aside the so-far used colours of chrome and black. The experimentation with geometric and angular shapes, mirrors and mirror tiles very much dominate the style and make it unique.

The Gellért Bath of Budapest –  the representative of the style

The Gellért Bath, opened in 1918, offers medicinal water for relaxation and also as treatment. The unique underground springs are the same as used in the 12th century by the Knights of St John and later the Turks.

It is considered that the Turks laid down the basis of the thermal baths in the country and introduced the “wellness” treatments as known today.

It is true that during the Turkish era, the Hungarian bath culture flourished and since then, Hungary is rightly called “the bathing world-power” including famous baths like the Gellért Bath.

Services

Apart from the steam bath and sauna services, the Gellért Bath also offers special massages, some of which are only available upon medical prescription. Underwater jet massage, curative gymnastics and electrotherapy are great ways of  feeling refreshed and energetic after the treatment.