Amalienbad — Attraction in Vienna

Beautiful, huge old building. Had a pleasant sauna experience.

The sauna (at least on the men's/mixed side) includes a steam bath, two regular saunas, a "biosauna" (I didn't go in, I don't know what it is), a cold pool (15° C), a warm pool (33° C), a whirlpool, numerous showers, footbaths, and chairs and sunbeds. There was also a massage area I didn't go to, which is likely an extra I hadn't paid for.

Once you pay, you go up to the appropriate sauna area, and hand your ticket to the person behind the desk. He'll give you an electronic locker key wristband. The changing area has many cabins (which are an extra you need to pay for), or basic lockers. To get into the locker, you press the part of the wristband that vaguely resembles a watch against the button on the locker. That's also how you unlock it. Get completely undressed, including any metal jewelry. No swimsuit. The only things you take with you are your wristband locker key, your towel, and (optionally) a bathrobe (if you want to go to the restaurant mid-bath, or if you want to wear something to lounge around in), (optionally) flipflops.

Go back out to where you got your locker assignment and go downstairs to the sauna proper. Take a shower first, then enjoy the facilities to your heart's content. Things to note: do not enter the sauna if there is a red light above the door. Always have a towel to sit down on in the sauna or any of the chairs or signs. (You don't need to sit on your towel in the steam bath, but it's a good idea to hose down the benches before and/or after. Don't go straight from the sauna to the pools, shower first. Don't hold the doors open, go quickly through.

Please note that in "mixed" times, there may be the opposite sex there as well. The night I went, there was one woman there, who I saw only once, everyone...

This rating is NOT for the facility. This is for the woeful state of customer service — or the total absence thereof — in this most gorgeous of swimming holes. What an absolutely lamentable experience to have met perhaps two of the rudest, most abrupt and ill-mannered staff members working in a public service amenity. The cleaning lady who pounced on us should give a master class in how not to be behave towards paying customers (or to other people, in general)... The middle aged (50-60 yo) red-shirted man we approached to say “I’m here to sign in” didn’t even let look up but instead cut me off with “nein, nein, nein...” I was transported to that time I inadvertently sat next to a couple of neo-Naz**. I hope he is not a permanent employee in any position of authority. Wow. RUDE. I didn’t have the energy except to politely restate, and again the response was “nein nein nein ”. I just can’t even! Wow. There’s some kind of cognitive issue there. I would hate for him to be a swimming instructor (scary!). If he is a contractor affiliated with a swimming school, well, I’m sure his day will come when a less controlled, polite customer or parent will have words with him. Oh dear.

It’s no wonder that there are reviews that have given this place such low ratings, which is a veritable pity because the facility itself deserves 5-stars. It’s because those reviewers experiences seem to speak about the nasty personnel they’ve had the misfortune to encounter. The city of Vienna must look into investing in training its front of house staff and public servants so that these employees do not unnecessarily detract from the beauty of the buildings in which they work, and from the experience of the people who are merely looking to appreciate and enjoy these...

I have developed a habit of reviewing public swimming pools and their inclusive sauna in European cities that I paid a visit to. Amalienbad is the jewel reigning at the top of my list, overtaking the place of Piscine du Centre in Brussels designed in 1953.

My rating metrics include architectural aesthetics, architectural functionality, water quality and temperatures, atmosphere for a serious swimmer, cleanness, service, other specialties.

And Amalien is off the charts on all the criteria.

For the architectural aesthetics, to sum up its many facets beauty I quote: „It is an Art-Deco swimming complex completed with mesmerizing ceramic mosaic.“(https://bluecrowmedia.com/blogs/news/art-deco-swimming-pool-amalienbad-vienna , source fore more information of the interior architect)

You can see photos of the domed swimming pool, and the hammam style sauna.

The experience for me was, I paid 16.50 for sauna+ swimming, and it felt like a themed park to spend hours inside. The architect is well preserved. Sauna is clean, beautiful, and has many rooms. Relaxed and mesmerised by the reflection of light on coloured tiles on the roof, seeing the watch hung midair by a thin thread, I couldn’t separate sky and water.

The facilities functions perfectly, and is well maintained frequently by staff.

When I visited on Sunday afternoon there were only two separate lanes, and the free swimming area took half of the area, but for serious swimmer, swimming together with competing teenagers might just be as inspiring as with adult professionals in my opinion.

What a fantastical recreation venue for the neighbourhood. A nice place for a common neighbourhood - it was the original motto of...