Aqua Dome

The Aqua Dome opened in 2004 at Längenfeld in the middle Ötztal, on a thermal source drilled in the 1990s that delivers sulphurous water at around forty degrees from about eighteen hundred metres down. The architecture is what distinguishes it from other Austrian spas: three round pools shaped like shallow bowls stand on stems above the outdoor terrace, so bathers are raised off the ground with the valley walls around them and nothing in the sightline, and the effect in winter with snow on the mountains and steam off the water is the image the place is sold on. Indoors are further pools, a large sauna area and treatment rooms. It gets very busy at weekends and in school holidays, and the sulphur smell is noticeable.

What you actually see

• Three raised bowl pools - standing on stems above the outdoor terrace.
• Sulphurous thermal water - drilled from about eighteen hundred metres down.
• Winter steam and snow - the outdoor bathing the spa is known for.
• A large sauna area - indoors, with the usual Austrian textile-free rules.

When to go

All year; winter for the contrast of hot water and cold air. A day.

Honest expectations

Weekends and school holidays are crowded and the pools fill. The sauna area is textile-free by Austrian convention, which surprises some visitors. Entry is charged by time and adds up.

Nearby

Sölden and the glacier road are up the valley; Piburger See is down it.