Therme Bucharest — Attraction in Balotești

The place is absolutely amazing , everything is super clean, everything is well made and it looks sensational inside . But… there is a big BUT , the entire experience has been ruined by a few encounters with staff that have been somewhat rude. Experience one: on arrival when we had to scan the tickets bought online the lady at the tills aid to me when I wanted to scan the ticket: hey mister , can't you see you need to scan the ticket here not where you are holding the phone . The tone of voice and the irritated demeanor was my first encounter at this beautiful place. Encounter 2 : lifeguard conversation when I was looking at some slides that my son has been on and not noticed is for kids only and was contemplating if I should go or not when a lifeguard jumped and said: hey can't you read ? The sign there says maximum 10 years old . I apologised as I did not noticed and told him is not polite to talk to anyone like that. Encounter 3 : when my 11 yeqr old son tried to come back to us in the restaurant area after he got changed he was told he cannot go back to us . So he was stuck there between the showers and the main pool area. While we understand the policy it would have been polite for the guard to take him to us and then we would have gone out as well as I was left behind taking our belongings . The kid did not have street shoes on , was still wearing the internal flip flops we bought . That is undue stress for a child. While inside some ladies were wearing street clothes (modern clothes and no head covers inside and was told for religious reasons( which I totally agree, even if an hour before they were in a normal bathing suit ,but I am not debating that, policy is policy just the way it was handled. Like I said the place is amazing just needs some refinement on the customer service front in terms of approach of customers and how staff comes across. And this is because you have a lot of international customers that have seen and been in many places and in comparison the customer service aspect is not at the same level as you would find in other similar places in other countries. And there would be some improvements in the tickets bought online (suggestion only) : please send them in one document so I don't have to download 5 of them for my family and scan each of them even if I bough a package for the family. Another note is the excessive restrictive rules in the pool( my view again) where you have families and playful children. Basically it restricts a lot of the reasons you are there in the first place and that kids under 14 cannot go in the pool area that is more than 1.25 m deep. I think you should let parents decide if they want the kids go on that part of the pool. My kids swim very well and are tall for their age but do seem under 14 so.... While the company has the obligation to provide a safe space but let people enjoy. Was like a permanent whistle from the life guards , and then is the entrance in the pool where you can only use one part to enter and exit and then there are steps that you can only use for exiting the pool and there is a notice there not to go in through there as it is exit only. But people go there to have fun not to read a million notices. Put a form of barrier that only allows to let you out and not in the pool where the steps are. And another thing was mobile phones in the outdoor pool. Lifeguards were whistling their lungs out to tell people off not to use mobile phone in the pool. Again I do not understand this rule as is not for privacy as people were taking pictures from the outside of the pool to their family or friends in the pool. So a lot of small improvements could be done for a seamless customer experience because you have an amazing setting g, you got know how just apply it and improve the human touch in customer facing staff. Once that is sorted you have my 5 stars and more . Visiting Bucharest as a family holiday and city break has been decided based on Therme as well as we were all impressed on what we read and seen online. My kids gave...

A Disappointing and Stressful Experience at Therme Bucharest

I visited Therme Bucharest on February 8th with my three children and some friends from the United States who wanted to explore Europe. Since we had previously visited this place and found it charming and relaxing, we decided to return and share the experience with them. However, this second visit turned out to be a complete disappointment, filled with poor service, overcrowding, and an overall lack of organization.

Overcrowding and Lack of Available Services

We arrived early, at 9 AM, hoping to secure access to various services, especially massages. However, despite our early arrival, we were unable to book any massages because they were already unavailable. Additionally, the facility was overcrowded, making it nearly impossible to use the restrooms, which were constantly packed with long queues.

Poor Service and Disrespectful Staff

One of the most frustrating experiences was the poor customer service. The bars, which are supposed to be a highlight of the experience, were completely overwhelmed. We had to wait 30 to 45 minutes just to get three beers and two cocktails, which, to our disappointment, were of poor quality. Finding a place to sit and relax was also impossible, as there were no available seating areas.

Furthermore, we encountered an extremely rude cleaning staff member. While trying to clean a flooded area, a staff member used a floor squeegee so aggressively that it startled everyone nearby. Initially, we thought this was an isolated incident, but it happened multiple times, causing unnecessary stress in what was supposed to be a relaxing environment.

Additionally, it was evident that staff were overworked, as I noticed one employee who had been standing for over 12 hours straight without any visible rotation. While he remained friendly, the rest of the staff seemed exhausted, frustrated, and unwilling to assist guests.

Disorganized and Unsafe Environment

The lack of organization was another major issue. Activities had no structured queues, leading to chaotic scenes where guests pushed and shoved to gain access. When we tried to eat, we were denied entry to the dining area because there were no available seats, but the staff failed to communicate properly since many of them did not speak English. This created a frustrating and stressful situation, leaving us without dining options.

The worst part was the lack of concern for safety. My daughter cut her foot, and when she approached the staff member responsible for supervision, he dismissed her injury as nothing, even though she was bleeding. I was not present at that moment, and by the time I arrived—an hour later—she had not received any assistance. This level of negligence is completely unacceptable for a facility that claims to prioritize well-being.

A Disastrous End to the Experience

By the time we decided to leave, the frustration had already reached its peak. However, the worst moment came when we went to pay at the cashier. I politely asked the cashier to write down the amount for me, but she rudely replied that if I didn’t understand English, it wasn’t her problem. Shocked by this attitude, I decided to step aside to count my money and returned with my brother, whose native language is English. To our disbelief, the same cashier refused to assist us, stating that she was tired and that we should just leave.

Finally, I asked for a bandage for my daughter’s cut, and this turned into yet another stressful ordeal, as the staff spoke among themselves in a language I could not understand and made no effort to assist us properly.

Final Verdict

Overcrowded, disorganized, and with terrible service. Staff were rude, wait times were excessive, and safety was ignored. A stressful experience—I do not...

Therme is definitely an experience. As other reviews have shared it’s enormous and offers many areas in the complex. However, having been to spas across Asia, the Americas and Europe, I found this unique, but not particularly enjoyable. I was looking for a rejuvenating spa experience and while it offered upscale and modern facilities, it was chaotic, loud, and much more of a party atmosphere which seems on brand for Bucharest.

I encourage the management to reconsider its practice to allow people to save spaces. People leave their towels on all the seating areas and will not come back for hours so regrettably that means the relaxation area at the facilities are really not efficiently used or available to the majority of people unless you’re an early arriver. I was there on a Friday and came from the airport at 1 PM in late September.

The staff seems much more about enforcing the rules which are certainly important, but not about ensuring you have a welcoming and good experience. Unfortunately, I was the victim of having my rented robe taken while I was in a sauna room and I had left a personal items in the pockets, so there’s anyone who accidentally took the robe could have returned it or at least turned in the personal items. When I asked for help, it was difficult to come by and while they did end up replacing the rented robe after protracted and repeated conversations, they accepted no responsibility or support for the lost personal items. They also asked me if it was my personal robe and their casualness made me think that this is not an unusual occurrence to have items lifted. The best they could do was they offered to have me fill out a Lost and Found report in which case they said that they would not mail them and I would have to personally return to retrieve items, which doesn’t help when you don’t live there!

For me having to be hyper vigilant when I went into a sauna or a pool detracted from the experience. It seemed like many people were being overserved in the bar areas and this was in the middle of the afternoon. I found it ironic that they make you shower and tend to all the cleanliness protocols and then let everybody walk around and spill drinks into the pools.

It’s convenient to stop by on your way to or from the airport as the traffic in Bucharest is challenging from the city center. I spoke with someone from London, who mentioned that it is less expensive for them to have a spa day here than to do so and their home country so maybe they go full out to live it up although there seem to be many locals. Personally, I didn’t even end up staying the full amount of the time after I had the theft experience as it was upsetting. I realize that my opinion is probably the minority of the people that attend, but felt it was important to share so everyone goes fully prepared. Do not expect friendly service at check-in area, throughout the facilities, or in particular in the rental area, I found staff very offputting. It’s too bad as they are close to offering in excellent experience and I hope over time they’re able to find tune their practices, although they probably will always look to maximize the capacity.

While the facilities are lovely, the lack of security (even though cameras are all over) and party vibe were not for me and not what I would expect of a...