Cultural Bathing- Budapest

Budapest, Hungary is referred to as "the city of healing waters." The city sits on a thin layer of earth under which is an abundance of thermal heat that creates hot springs. The original Celtic settlers of the area discovered the magic of the warm water springs, but the Romans moved in later, and harnessed it's power. Today the city is covered in spas, both public and private, that attract people from all over the world, and are used everyday by it's citizens. The combination of different pools with different water temperatures, in addition to massages, make the spas of Budapest the perfect place to relieve stress and the pain of arthritis and joint and muscle pain.
The pools are typically separated for men and women. Traditionally, only the men were allowed to bath, and even today the spas have men-only days. The process of bathing is almost ritualistic. A bather signs in, goes to a locker to change, showers, then starts in the main pool. After a long soak in the main pool, it is customary to move to the smaller, warmer pools, then to the sauna. Once the bathing and steaming is over, there are rooms that one can go to, to take a nap before dressing. The whole bathing experience is supposed to last around 2 hours.
I chose the baths at Budapest for this project because I want the bath that I design to be a place of healing and relaxation. I want it to be an experience that can be had everyday; one that will be enjoyable.