3 towns in Baranya, where hot, sweet and sweaty relaxation awaits you!

It is a nice pastime to just sit in the hot cabin while there is cold outside, but the real experience is when a trained sauna master “guides” you through the programme. During the programme, which lasts just 20 minutes, the main task of the specialist is to help you make the most of the health benefits of the heat and humidity. He does this through air circulation, evaporation and various substances (some of which may surprise some people, such as beer or wine!). All the while, he shares lots of useful information about the “right” way to take a sauna bath, and even performs an entertaining stand-up show.

Thanks to the growing number of sauna masters in the country, there are some very exciting sauna activities on offer. There are many different types of these sessions, including meditation, stimulation, aromatherapy, entertainment and relaxation programme, but the themes are really only limited by the imagination. In addition to the experience, there is also a strong emphasis on health maintenance, skin care and guided meditation.

Magyarhertelend is actually the Mecca of sauna bathing in Baranya County. In the sauna park, you can take a sauna bath every day of the week (often every hour), but it is also worth booking a themed sauna evening or even a day. At these events, you can take part in herbal infusions, exciting smoke seances, and it is also possible that the master will pour beer on the glowing stones or offer you honey skin scrub in a brandy glass. In the majority of cases, the expert leading the sauna seance will pass on his knowledge in an enjoyable show, so that we can then continue to apply what we have learned in a more professional way – but only at our own risk. Whichever programme you choose, one thing is for sure; in the Hertelend unit, your body and soul will be recharged.

There are several saunas in the Thermal Spa Siklós. We highly recommend the wood-burning Russian sauna, which requires you to leave the building to access it, whatever the weather – rain, snow, frost – but you will arrive in tropical heat. (You don’t have to walk huge distances.) The little house brings the real Russian sauna experience. It is in this space that the thematic sauna baths are held at the weekends, the means of which are determined by seasonality. In the autumn, for example, the region’s wine is highlighted and used in a variety of ways by skilled sauna masters. The currently scheduled weekend sauna baths are also uploaded to their social media platforms, so it is worth checking online in advance. 

At the Harkány Spa and Beach Bath, the recently renewed sauna world offers a truly hearty experience. The space includes a smaller and a larger Finnish sauna, and it is the latter where sessions are held every weekend. The sauna masters of Harkány create the programme of sauna sessions according to the latest trends, with beer, salt, honey, ice and various oils as a constant feature. A special feature of the Finnish sauna – unlike the Russian sauna, where the emphasis is on high humidity – is that the air in the cabin can reach up to 80-100 degrees. This is what the professionals in Harkány capture, ensuring that the experience is truly exhilarating.