Therme Oberlaa

The Therme Wien is a large spa and wellness centre in Oberlaa, a district in Vienna’s 10th borough, Favoriten. It sits on about 75,000 square metres and holds nearly 4,000 square metres of water pools, a 3,000-square-metre sauna area, a 6,000-square-metre health zone and a 1,000-square-metre fitness section. On an average day between 3,000 and 3,500 people visit. In January 2012 the site welcomed its millionth guest. The spa’s history began in 1934 when a hot sulphur spring was found during an oil test drill along the Liesing stream. Interest faded and the borehole was sealed. In 1965 the city ordered a new search and on 20 December 1968 the “Kurbetrieb Heilquelle Oberlaa GmbH” was set up as a subsidiary of what later became Wien Holding. By October 1969 a temporary spa opened near the Liesing, giving 300 to 400 treatments daily. In 2009 workers drilled a second well to 900 metres and in September 2010 the present Therme Wien opened next to the old Kurzentrum. In 2011 the spa won first place in the “Best Spa” category at the European Health & Spa Awards and took third in “Best Cure Institute.” A marketing prize followed later that year. Visitors find a wide range of pools fed by the thermal waters, a large sauna world, a children’s resort, a fitness area and a health centre. A library devoted to spa and wellness topics is also on site. The complex lies beside the new U1 underground terminus opened in 2017, making it easy to reach by public transport. Nearby paths follow the Liesing stream, and the old Kurzentrum building stands a short walk away, offering a glimpse of the site’s earlier days.