Neptune Baths

The Neptune Baths are historic spa buildings in Romania, part of a spa tradition that stretches back nearly two thousand years. Today, the buildings stand on the verge of collapse, yet they remain majestically beautiful. 

Inside the baths, the words Ad Aquas Herculi Sacras ad Mediam are carved into the red, worn out plaster. These Latin words remind the visitors of the ancient history of the area. The thermal springs of the area were first documented during the Roman Empire. The Romans highly valued these mineral-rich springs for their therapeutic qualities and dedicated the site to the mythical hero Hercules, who according to legend, visited the healing springs of the area. 

Although the springs have been used since antiquity, the Neptune Baths themselves were constructed between 1883 and 1886. After their construction, the spas attracted aristocrats, artists, scientists, and members of the imperial family. “The most beautiful resort on the continent,” is how Emperor Franz Joseph described the site.

The baths were designed as a state-of-the-art medical and wellness facility. The original spa complex included 70 treatment baths, 10 stone baths, two saunas and two inhalation rooms, allowing around one hundred patients to receive treatment simultaneously. The baths used the naturally warm, mineral-rich thermal waters emerging from nearby springs, whose distinctive sulfurous scent can still be noticed throughout the town today. These natural waters were believed to relieve rheumatic diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory illnesses and other ailments.

The baths represent late nineteenth-century Eclecticism, meaning they combine influences from different architectual styles, in this case Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque. The main elongated building has a large central dome, richly decorated facades of exposed brick and plaster ornamentation. Outside statues overlook the river and the valley where the baths are located.

Throughout the twentieth century, the building underwent several renovations and alterations. Modernization projects were carried out during the 1930s, 1960s and 1970s, but after the fall of communism in 1989, the Neptune Baths started to decay due to ownership disputes and unsuccessful privatization. Since then buildings have been abandoned and exposure to water infiltration and structural deterioration have transformed the baths into an interesting site for urban explorers and photographers.   

In recent years a conservation project organized by young architects, historians, engineers, and volunteers, has undertaken emergency stabilization works, public awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts to prevent the collapse of the baths, but during our latest visit in 2026 the situation was extremely bad, and we do not recommend visiting them to avoid further damage to the buildings.