Vogue featured the healing baths of Budapest

The historic Vogue magazine recently posted an article that gives an insight into the healing baths of Budapest through the photos and stories of photographer Márton Perlaki. The article stays true to the well-known fashion sense of Vogue and presents the Hungarian bath culture from a completely new aspect.

Journalist Rebecca Bengal starts by stating that the world’s biggest geothermal cave system lies under Budapest. This is why the thermal bath culture looks back on a great history, the curing power of thermal springs have been used by people for centuries.

Márton Perlaki has a special connection to these baths. First of all, his parents met in the baths, they fell in love and had three sons. The family used to go to the springs on summer weekends, which the photographer enjoyed very much. He probably had no idea back then that a few decades later he would be taking photos of the historic baths.

The article gives a brief review of the history of Hungarian baths. The springs withstood Roman and Turkish occupations, two world wars, and they saw the twin cities of Buda and Pest unite. What’s amazing is that they somehow managed to remain true to the spirit of the centuries-old culture.

The photographer accompanied his mother and two of her friends on their regular bath visit, where they swim, lounge, exercise in the pools and enjoy the sun-rays. Márton believes that her mother is an expert on treatments, she frequently enjoys the benefits of mud treatments, subaquean traction baths and different massages.

The bath selection is quite diverse in the city, each spa has its own distinct character. For instance, the Széchenyi Bath is known for its 21 pools and mix of renaissance and baroque architecture, while the St. Gellért Bath dazzles its visitors with blue walls, coloured tiles, and art nouveau and secessionist styles.

“You know, I would never think of taking a bath with strangers, but here, it is a completely normal thing. You think about the whole absurdity of the situation. And you think about how beautiful it is.”

You can read the whole article and watch the beautiful and unique photos of Márton Perlaki on this link.

Featured image: www.gellertfurdo.hu

Ce: bm

Source: http://www.vogue.com/