He was not a police officer or a customs agent. And I'm sure there was a "please" in there somewhere...
After a leisurely promenade through the pools of varying temperatures (from 20°C to 40°C) at the Széchenyi Baths in Budapest, I was asked if I'd like a man or a woman.
The full package includes a one-hour massage. The women do a rather gentle job with perfumed oils, while the men rough you up good (I'm paraphrasing the explanation). "I'll take a man, so."
And boy, did he do a good job! I usually expect to doze off towards the end of a massage, but not this time. I got a thorough work out from head to toe, front and back, all in perfectly good taste, needles to say. He discreetly adjusted my swimming shorts to give maximum exposure, all the while maintaining a professional level of decorum.
He released me into the relaxation area where iced tea and fresh fruit were available à volonté. After a relaxing break, it was time to try the outdoor pools to see if my muscles still worked.
The atmosphere outside is quite different; definitely more beach than spa.
Since I didn't manage to get my annual sea swim this holiday, this was the next best thing.
We stayed not far from the baths when we were there in February at the Hotel Andrassy at the first corner on the left as you go down Andrassy back into the centre. It was spectacular as it was cold at the time and there was a permanent cloud of steam rising from the baths. You may be interested that a lot of "Paris" backdrops are filmed in Budapest as Andrassy is an archetypal and unchanged boulevard (so much so it has UNESCO World Heritage status) and the banks of the Danube pass muster for the Seine. That and I presume it is cheaper in Budapest and easier to stop the traffic!
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