chocholow thermal pools, or “termy,” is the largest thermal pool complex in poland, and opened just a few years ago. the main reason i came to southern poland was to experience it, and it did not disappoint. there are multiple large indoor and outdoor pools, filled with warm thermal water. you get an electronic bracelet for your locker, and you can also use it to buy food at one of the multiple in-spa restaurants. i really wish something like this existed closer to home. in the meantime i’ll probably go back to poland to experience it again, because it is just that amazing.
the best part of the complex is the sauna center on the top level. there are many saunas, steam rooms and pools in an exclusive zone, where everyone has to be naked. so no photos of that here, lol. the largest sauna has a glass wall and looks out over the high tatra mountain range. here, every hour or so throughout the day there are aufguss sauna rituals, which are basically organized serious sauna-going classes/performances, in which a saunamaster spins and whips a towel at the front of the sauna, choreographed to music and the crushing of essential oil-infused balls of shaved ice on to the hot sauna rocks. at the last of these of the evening, the saunamasters decided to go all out and dump all of their remaining ice, about 10 liters of water, and a bottle of menthol essential oil on to the sauna rocks all at once. it was an extreme, tear-inducing experience which definitely made everyone in the sauna pre-syncopal. one very committed sauna sweat hat-wearing guy who had been there all day had to get up and leave because of how intense the heat and menthol rush was, and everyone cheered/jeered him out the door. an epic end to an epic day!
