Gratuitous Nudity News (I): The New Rudas is a Go!

It may have taken almost a year longer than originally projected - a year and a day, actually - but the Rudas bath finally reopened this morning, once again making Budapest one of the world's great centers of therapeutic thermal bathing, and gratuitous nudity. And we were there bright and early to check it out with two of our chums, not counting the one barely concealed behind the little translucent loincloth that, we're happy to report, is still the uniform of choice under the dome of the majestic 16th-century Turkish cupola.

If you didn't recall, the Rudas was closed last year to undergo both a thorough interior renovation, as well as a painstaking round of archeological research, similar to that just ended at the nearby Rácz. We're not going to go into a spiel here about why the Rudas and thermal baths are great, as we just did that a few weeks back. Instead, we'll just offer some quick observations about the new Rudas.

Basically, it rocks. At least among the experts we consulted - one of our bathing mates has been going since 1986 - the consensus is that the very ambitious re-design of the complex is a total success. Sure, we will miss the rundown charm of the old locker area and cancer-ward like resting room. But that loss is more than made up for by the downright swankyness of the new Rudas. We're talking subtle lighting, lovely new stonework, and tasteful glass block. We would have taken more pics, but every time we did, someone would walk by in a state not conducive to proper architectural photography. Best of all, the quaint wackiness of the place hasn't changed a bit.

The main entrance area is virtually unchanged (right, top), except for the pair of shiny new electronic gates you pass through by swiping a hologram-bedecked card, which in turn allows bathers to be charged for the duration of their soak (bottom). There will, however, be one break in tradition, as the men-only Rudas will now be open for co-ed bathing from 22:00 until 4:00 a.m. every Saturday night, and all day Sunday. And while the official program indicates these times as being fürdőruhás (with bathing suits) you can bet an hour in the 42 degree hot pool that this rule isn't going to stop some people from taking it all off, meaning the new Rudas nudity will be truly gratuitous.