They were looking for oil in the ‘60s, but instead Vienna got its own thermo-mineral spring. Therme Oberlaa is not exactly a designer wellness temple at the moment but renovation is rapid as it tries to keep up with Austria’s boom of chic thermal spas. And we think it’s going to catch up with style!

Ancient Romans already knew that thermal water boosts your well-being—remember that “SPA“ actually stands for “Saludis Per Aqua”, Latin for “health through water”. Oberlaa’s spring spouts sulfur-mineral water at 54 degrees Celsius. Eight geysers fill five indoor and outdoor pools (ranging from 26 to 36 degrees) and three whirlpools. The sauna area is, thankfully, newly renovated with fashionable Italian glass mosaic tiles. Sweat it out in herbal cabins, Finnish saunas, the sole steam bath and more. Oberlaa offers numerous massage and relaxation therapies like watsu (water shiatsu).

A word about the spa’s “social hierarchy”: Oberlaa’s regular guests, mostly pensioners who come daily, expect special privileges in return for their loyalty. Which means they get well indignant if you sit in the deck chair they’ve occupied for years. Visit the original Kurkonditorei Oberlaa afterwards and get a laugh out of Vienna’s idea of “spa cuisine”. Try this pastry shop-cafe-restaurant’s signature Oberlaa Kurbad cake—walnut sponge layers with milk chocolate mousse and nougat glaze.