I had to write about my experience at Therme spa in Bucharest, which was highly recommended by the locals I met. The website is descriptive, but disjointed. Therefore, I want to give a concise description of the spa with my review. Please excuse my lack of photos. I opted not to take any photos out of respect for guests' privacy, but there are many photos of the facilities on Therme's website.
Guests can purchase tickets online. I went on a Friday, so there wasn't a long line to buy tickets onsite. I brought my own flip flops and towel, but guests can rent towels and robes for a fee, and purchase flip flops at a desk just after the ticket kiosks.
Once guests have purchased their tickets, they are handed a wristband and a pamphlet with house rules (more on the rules later). Wristbands have a number on them that corresponds to a locker. Next to the lockers are changing stations. Wristbands are also scanned for extras such as food, drinks, and aqua massage chairs.
The spa consists of three sections: Galaxy, Palm, and Elysium. Guests must scan their wristbands to enter each section. I paid about $35 for 4.5 hours to use all three sections of the facility. Guests can purchase access to one, two, or all three sections as well as three hours, 4.5 hours, or an all day pass.
Galaxy
- Water slides
- Kiddie pool
- Wave pool
- Salt library
- Infrared light beds
- Indoor and outdoor pools
- Hydro massage chairs ($4 for 15 minutes)
- Three steam rooms (each with different infusions)
- Restaurant
Palm
- Indoor and outdoor pools
- Mineral pools
- Hydro massage chairs
- Steam room
- Restaurant
Elysium
- Saunas (each with different temperatures and infusions)
- Infrared beds
- Massage and treatment rooms, which were sold out by the time I arrived. More on that later.
- Restaurant
There is also an outdoor beach, which, I assume, is open in warmer months.
Etiquette
All guests must wear bathing suits. Unlike the spas in South Korea and the Middle East, Therme does not have separate sections for men and women. Therefore, going in one's birthday suit is not allowed.
Flip flops cannot be worn inside saunas and steam rooms. Also, guests must sit on a towel in the saunas. Skin/bathing suits cannot touch the wooden seats in the sauna. The spa has employees that enforce these rules.
Final Thoughts
My first critique is the lack of descriptions on the saunas. The mineral pools listed the chemical composition of the pools plus the health benefits. The saunas had QR codes with links to the descriptions, but I chose to leave my phone in the locker as did most guests.
My biggest gripe was the fact that Therme did not have enough "extras" for guests who wanted them. For example, massages and treatments were fully booked for the day when I arrived at the treatment desk in Elysium at noon. I read reviews where other guests complained that massages and treatments were fully booked by 9:30am. It appears that guests need to line up before the spa opens in order to get an appointment. The spa doesn't allow pre-bookings of treatments.
Also, there are complementary skin and respiratory treatments in the steam rooms and saunas, respectively. The timings of these treatments are listed on pamphlets and outside of the rooms. There are multiple saunas in Elysium that can hold a lot of guests, so capacity is not an issue. However, there's only one steam room in The Palm and stream rooms can only hold 18 guests. If one is not seated in the steam room at treatment time, staff will ask that person to leave and only the ones seated will get the skin treatment (mud mask or salt scrub). I've been to spas in Europe where guests in the vicinity of the treatment area would get the treatment. There was enough for everyone.
The other issue is the crowd. When I arrived at Therme via Uber (there are also public buses) at approximately 11:30am on a Friday, there were already a lot of cars parked outside. I can't imagine how crowded it gets on weekends. I read some reviews that weekend guests have to wait 30 minutes for showers. When I went, there were no lines for bathroom and shower facilities. There were a lot of people, but it wasn't overwhelming. However, it was close to being overwhelming. Even some of the mineral pools were at capacity. I probably wouldn't have had a good experience going on the weekend.
In Short
Would I go back to Therme? Yes.
Would I recommend Therme? Yes.
Is Therme my favorite spa? No.
My favorite is still Spa Land in Busan, South Korea. Not only did Spa Land have saunas and baths with different mineral compositions, it had enough space to comfortably hold every guest and enough staff to provide extras to all guests such as massages and other treatments. Spa Land lacked slides, swim up bars, wave pools, and steam rooms with herbal infusions, but had everything else and more with a luxury, calming vibe.
I'm looking forward to my next spa adventure.