In December 2022, we spent a night at the Aqua Dome Thermal Spa after several busy days in Vienna at Christmastime. The Aqua Dome is located in Längenfeld in the Western state of Tyrol, Austria. I came across a picture of the spa’s raised hot water basins while searching for the world’s best outdoor baths, and I knew we had to made it there some day. So what better time than the height of winter to experience one of Austria’s world-renowned relaxing getaways?
Transport and Arrival at the Aqua Dome
Transport to the Aqua Dome from our starting point of Vienna was easy and stress free. We traveled by train through Austria on a wintry day, an enjoyable ride that lasted about five hours. With no need to switch trains, our ride took us directly to Ötztal station, the nearest train station to Längenfeld. From the Ötztal train station we had two options: public bus to Längenfeld or private vehicle transfer. While the bus was easy to identify from its stop directly outside the train station, we elected to take the quicker taxi option because we were very hungry. We forgot to pack a lunch option for the train ride, and the train station in Ötztal was pretty barren. The taxi ride took about 35 minutes from the taxi stand right outside the train station to the front doors of the Aqua Dome.
Staying at the Aqua Dome Hotel
The Aqua Dome is open to both overnight and day trip visitors. There are definitely enough perks given to hotel guests that make it worth the overnight stay. The hotel itself is both clean and rustic, blending modern and alpine design styles perfectly. We booked a Auszeit Double Room, the spa’s basic room, because we knew almost all of our time would be spent in the thermal pools and spa. The room rate includes half-board, which means a great dinner and breakfast are included in the price. The hotel’s common areas were beautifully decorated for Christmas during our visit, and the staff were incredibly friendly. Our room also had a very nice patio with views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
What You Might Not Know About Austrian Spas
The Aqua Dome is a special place. With its three raised, outdoor thermal pools situated in a valley at the foot of soaring mountains that are surely beautiful year-round, this spa is the perfect place to relax and reset. But before you do so, there’s one more detail you should be aware of.
The Austrian therme is a popular wellness retreat for both natives and visitors, and for more reasons than one. The healing waters of the thermal pools are believed to help with skin conditions and joint problems. Most important to Austrian spa culture, though, is the sauna, of which there are an abundance at the Aqua Dome. But for Westerners like myself, it may come as a surprise that there is one thing missing from the Austrian therme and sauna: clothing. That’s right, most Austrian spas, including parts of the Aqua Dome, are completely NUDE.
For Aqua Dome, in particular, there are basically three separate areas, each with their own rules and access. Here’s a little breakdown:
- Aqua Dome Therme: This is the warm water portion of the Aqua Dome. It includes both indoor and outdoor thermal pools that can be accessed by both day visitors and hotel guests. Swimsuits are required in these pools, but phots are still not permitted. The large indoor pool, half of which is adult-only, connects to the outdoor one. Outside is the futuristic, glass cone and its three attached thermal tubs by which many people recognize the Aqua Dome. Each of the three basins has a different aquatic theme: massage, sulphur, and salt. Our favorite was the salt water thermal pool.
- Sauna World: The Sauna World is the entirely nude portion of the Aqua Dome. This is a rule for everyone and is enforced and followed. Here you will find everything from various saunas and steam rooms, each with a different theme, elemental design and temperature, to cold plunge pools, thermal pools, and even a waterfall. There are signs at the entry to each room that specify the room type, temperature and treatment but also the rules. But believe me, you will know instantly when you’ve entered Sauna World, as hotel guests and day visitors alike will be leaving their clothes behind as they walk from the shower to their choice of sauna or pool.
- SPA 3000: This is the portion of the spa that is available to hotel guests only. There are additional thermal pools, mineral and herbal steam rooms with saunas, private sauna rooms, and more. This area also allows swimwear, although it may not be required.
Our Aqua Dome Experience
After checking in to the hotel and eating a quick snack, we quickly changed into our bathing suits and were ready to hit the spa for some relaxation. It was the afternoon, and because we Aqua Dome Therme was open until 11:00 PM, we had plenty of hours of relaxation ahead of us.
We took the elevators to the lower level of the building where the walkway is that connects the hotel to the spa. The entire walk between the two buildings makes you feel like you’re on a spaceship or a different planet and is decorated with natural elements and star-like, glimmering lights. Wristbands provided to us at check-in allowed us entry to the Therme, Sauna World, and SPA 3000. Because we came to the Aqua Dome for the thermal pools, that is where we started. We spent about an hour darting from pool to pool outside in the freezing temperatures before deciding to head inside to check out some of the saunas. This is where things got a little interesting for us.
Being hotel guests, we were permitted entry to the SPA 3000. This area is not open in the early morning, so we knew our only time to see it was during this evening. So we went there first. We found some really amazing massaging lounge pools that overlook the small town of Längenfeld where we spent some time before heading in to one of the nearby saunas. After laying our towels on the warm teak wood, we sat and looked directly across the room to see several nude men looking back at us. We basically panicked and quickly left.
About that time I realized I had left something in our bag downstairs by the Therme, so I went back down to get it while Emily waited for me in the bar at the SPA 3000. The Aqua Dome is large and a bit of a maze, so as you’d have it, I got lost on my way back up to hear and ended up in the Sauna World. As I mentioned earlier, I knew right away that I was in a different part of the spa. People were walking around naked, sitting in pools naked, and one person was even eating in the restaurant with nothing but a towel on his lap! But I also saw a lot of really neat saunas and steam rooms along with pools that looked really great. After finally making my way back up to Emily and reporting on my findings, we decided to leave our inhibitions behind and go check out the Sauna World.
Here’s the thing about nude spas like the Aqua Dome: no one’s looking at you! Everyone is there to relax, and stripping down to nothing is so freeing that relaxation comes even easier. We’ve always been the “When in Rome” type of travelers, but this one almost had us beat. But I’m really glad that we chose to sweat it out as the Austrians do, in the buff. We had so much fun conquering our inhibitions and were able to truly relax in so many beautiful, enriching saunas and pools that we would have otherwise missed. Go naked, or go home, folks!
Of course, in an effort to respect the privacy and relaxation of the guests, the majority of the Aqua Dome does not allow photography. This did come as a surprise to us and a bit of a letdown since their social media pages are frequently reposting pictures from visitors. But because we wished not to be expelled from our overnight stay, we only snuck them in sparingly. We made our way out to the roof deck outside one of the saunas in the SPA 3000 for a selfie with the mountains and also took some pictures from the relaxation room while it was empty. Then we went back to the room to get ready for a very nice dinner.
Dinner at the Aqua Dome
A very nice dinner is included with the half-board at the Aqua Dome and is served in the large restaurant area attached to the main lobby. No reservation time is required, and we were seated quickly upon our arrival. There was a large selection of breads, soups, salads, and appetizers that are served buffet style prior to choosing from the list of entrees. Emily chose the salmon while I ordered the venison. The meal was excellent! For an extra charge, we ordered a bottle of white wine to go along with the meal. Then I had a dessert of cheesecake balls that was also delicious.
We returned to the therme and spa after dinner. There are so many unique saunas, steam rooms, and baths in the Aqua Dome, and we wanted to see and enjoy as many as possible. Some of our favorites were the outdoor pools, marble steam room, and brine grotto in the Sauna World. Returning to the therme at night is a must-do as the complex is illuminated in colored lights. The steam coming up from the thermal waters in the ice-cold air is entirely refreshing. The entire place really empties out in the late evening, making it a great time to explore, especially for those who are a little weary about stripping down to make the most of the Sauna World.
More Morning Spa Time
In addition to all of the other great things that the Aqua Dome Hotel stay has to offer, guests are also allowed to use the thermal pools for two hours from 7:00-9:00 AM prior to it opening for day pass visitors. It was wonderful to, quite literally, roll out of bed, throw on a bathing suit and head to the warm waters. This was one of the most relaxing parts of our stay, as we had the entire basin nearly all to ourselves. The air temperature had dropped quite a bit overnight, so as the sun rose over the nearby mountains we kept warm by submerging our bodies almost entirely in the steaming Austrian waters.
With the complex nearly empty, we took the opportunity to take a few more photos together before packing up our things, heading to breakfast, and returning to the train station by taxi. From the Ötztal station, the train would take us back the way we’d come on a short ride to Innsbruck.
