Therme Bucuresti in Romania has been going viral on social media for a while… but is this budget viral spa really worth it? Let’s find out.
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What Is The Bucharest Viral Spa?
The Bucharest Viral Spa is Therme Bucuresti, a spa complex in Bucharest, Romania.
It’s an enormous spa with three pools, loads of wellness and treatment options, swim up bars and lush palm trees, all covered by a cool glass roof. There’s even an outdoor pool and a beach in summer. It definitely looks like a treat and a fabulous place to unwind.
Loads of people have made videos about their trip and how big and affordable the spa is, making it a viral sensation on social media.
What to expect at Therme Bucuresti spa
Therme Bucuresti is a sizeable spa with three sections – The Palm, Elysium and Galaxy. Tickets to each of these areas are priced differently.
The Palm
This is the adults-only section. There’s a pool that has a retractable roof, mineral pools, hydromassage beds, a pool bar and relaxation areas (both indoor and outdoor). Also, if you buy a ticket to The Palm you will get access to Galaxy included as well.
Elysium
Elysium is the spa’s premium area. Here you’ll find most of the saunas, wellness therapies and bespoke spa treatments. Buy a ticket to Elysium and it includes access to The Palm and Galaxy.
Galaxy
Galaxy is the family area, where you’ve got water slides, a wave pool and activities for the kids.
Age limits
Kids are classed as 3-14 years of age, and you might be asked to prove their date of birth. Children over 14 and under 3 can go in the Palm and Elysium areas.
The treatments
As far as treatments go, there are way too many to list!
You’ll find a load of different saunas (like Tibetan, K-beauty and ‘infusion’ ones that use different plants and spices) and lots of types of ‘aufguss’ (yep this one was news to me too – turns out it’s a type of sauna ritual where they use a towel to move the heat around).
Plus there are endless massage options and therapies like cupping. Most of these are in the Elysium area, and you book your treatment when you arrive at reception (they can’t be pre-booked).
To have an idea of prices, a standard massage is 60 minutes and costs £29 (170 lei). A cupping session is also an hour and costs £35.75 (210 lei).
Why is the Bucharest Viral Spa…. viral?
The Bucharest viral spa seems to have gone viral for two main reasons – location and cost.
It’s an easy trip from the UK – about a 3h flight from London and you can fly direct from Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh too.
Once you arrive, it’s very close to Bucharest’s Otopeni airport. We’re talking 10 minutes in a taxi or a 10 minute bus ride.
And most importantly, it costs a fraction of what a similar spa experience would cost in the UK. Even if you end up paying for a night of accommodation too!
Plus it looks fabulous – why wouldn’t you be tempted to book a visit when you’ve seen how it looks online?!
How much is the spa?
I have to say that prices for Therme Bucuresti are very reasonable. A 3h session during the week is just £16.50. And you can get a day pass from just £24.
As with any spa there are a bunch of different pricing options. You can pay for a few hours at a time, or a whole day. It’s also cheaper to go on a weekday, than it is on a weekend or during a school or public holiday.
They have the full list of prices on their website but we’ve popped a few below to give you a guide.
Zone | Ticket type | 3h session | Day pass |
|---|---|---|---|
The Palm | Adult | £16.50 (97 lei) Mon-Thu £18.25 (107 lei) Fri-Sun | £28.50 (167 lei) Mon-Thu £30.25 (177 lei) Fri-Sun |
Elysium | Adult | £21.75 (127 lei) Mon-Thu £24.25 (142 lei) Fri-Sun | £33.75 (197 lei) Mon-Thu £36.25 (212 lei) Fri-Sun |
Galaxy | Adult | £11.50 (67 lei) Mon-Thu £13.25 (77 lei) Fri-Sun | £23.50 (137 lei) Mon-Thu £25 (147 lei) Fri-Sun |
Galaxy | Child | £9 (53 lei) Mon-Thu £10.75 (63 lei) Fri-Sun | £21 (123 lei) Mon-Thu £22.75 (133 lei) Fri-Sun |
Reduced rates are available for seniors and students
What do I need to take to the spa?
It might sound obvious, but you need to bring a swimsuit (or swim shorts), flip flops and a towel to Terme Bucuresti.
They say on their website that you’re not allowed to wear your swimming costume under your clothes, and that the flip flops you bring can’t be ones you’ve worn outside.
You get given a smart wristband when you arrive, which you use to record all your purchases in the spa, like food and drink. When you check out, you leave the wristband and pay for what you’ve used.
@cheapholidayexpert The VIRAL Bucharest spa - is it actually any good?! LET’S CHAT 💬 📍 Therme Bucharesti I have seen the comments - I know it splits opinion 😆 but here’s what I genuinely thought. Before I went, I was a CYNIC. But actually, fair doos lads. For the price, it completely exceeded my expectations and I would go back. HOWEVER, I’ve seen the videos too. It gets well busy and I too would prefer to avoid human stew, so Tuesday and Wednesday are apparently the best days to head there 📆 I have heard from some that first thing is BUSY, and I assume that’s because people who have bought the day pass wanna get their bed for the day. However, I do wonder if there’s something in arriving midday once those who have done the first 3 hours have left, because it felt pretty chill when we were there! Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts and please let us know what month, day and time you went and how busy it was!!! Will help us all out! 🙏 #viralspa #bucharestspa #thermebucuresti ♬ original sound - Holiday Expert
Can you eat and drink at the spa?
There are a few different restaurants and bars at the Bucharest viral spa. The Palm, Galaxy and Elysium each have a restaurant and pool bar, and The Palm has a further outdoor pool bar too.
To give you an idea of prices, a cocktail from The Palm’s main pool bar costs about £6 (34 lei). A beer costs from about £2.75 (16 lei) and a soft drink about £2.25 (13 lei). At its Humboldt Restaurant, you can get a burger for £9.50 (55 lei) or a plate of pasta for £7 (41 lei). They also have Asian dishes like pad thai, bibimbap and sushi.
These prices aren’t exactly a steal by Romanian standards, but if you think what a meal or drink would cost you at a spa in the UK, these prices feel pretty decent.
When is the quietest time to visit the spa?
I visited on a Wednesday in February which I found to be great. It was busy but not crowded, and felt like an ideal vibe for chilling out and relaxing.
You’ll want to avoid busy times – which are weekends and during Romanian school holidays – when I’ve heard it gets VERY crowded.
Not only does this take away from the tranquil spa experience, it also means you might not have access to everything you want to do. For example, treatments will get booked up, sauna areas will get busy, and there can be long waits for food in the restaurants.
They actually have a real time counter of how busy the spa is on their website. On the right hand side of every page you’ll find little horizontal lines – hover over them to see the ‘occupancy rate’ of the three areas – The Palm, Elysium and Galaxy.
When is the best time to visit Therme Bucuresti?
The best time to visit the Bucharest spa is when it’s less busy. So, look at going midweek in the off peak months – arriving first thing so you can bag yourself a bed.
For me, I’d be heading there in January, February or November when travel takes a bit of a dip in general – though check for local school holidays within these dates!
Where is the best place to stay for the Bucharest Viral Spa?
You’ll find plenty of affordable accommodation both next to the Bucharest Viral Spa, and in Bucharest city centre. Some options to try are:
There are also plans to build a hotel on the site, so you’re all sorted for a dreamy spa experience all in one place.
On the flip side, you could visit the spa for the day – getting an early flight out and a late one back, removing the need for an accommodation budget!
Suggested hotels
Close to Terme Bucuresti/ Otopeni airport
Ami Residence from £41 per night
Libertatii Garden Residences from £48 per night
Mathias Airport Residences from £50 per night
City centre
CM111Apparthotel From £44 per night
Hotel Hemingway Residence from £53 per night
La Boheme Boutique Casa Soare from £67 per night
My experience of the Bucharest Viral Spa
But I was pleasantly surprised when I got there. It is really well done, super modern with loads of technology – and it’s absolutely massive.
For that price I got access to The Palm, the adults-only area, as well as Galaxy which is the family zone where the slides are – my fave tbh!
There were loads of places where you could just sit in the pool with a drink. I also went in the steam room, and at certain times in there they did treatments like face masks, which were included in the price.
Overall I was super impressed. But I do understand why some people have gripes. It was busy when I went on a Wednesday lunchtime and it would have been difficult for me to bag a bed at that time. I asked the staff when the quietest times are – they said Tuesday and Wednesday, the earlier in the day the better.
Have you visited the Bucharest Viral Spa? What did you think?
