Aqua Dome

The Aqua Dome opened in 2004 at Längenfeld in the middle Ötztal, on a thermal source found in 1997 by a borehole 1,865 metres deep, which brings sulphurous water to the surface at about thirty-seven degrees. 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.

History

The sulphur spring of Längenfeld was used from the 16th century, first in a simple rural bathhouse, and by 1875 a bath with a small chapel and a wooden bathhouse stood here; in 1893 the Kurbad Längenfeld opened in a historicist building by the Berlin architect Wilhelm Walter. A decision to tap the source deeper came in 1986, boreholes of up to 900 metres failed, and a well of 1,865 metres found water of 68 degrees in 1997, reaching the surface at about 37; it first fed a simple outdoor bath outside the village, and the Aqua Dome opened in October 2004 (Wikipedia, Aqua Dome - Längenfeld).

What's there

• Three raised bowl pools - standing on stems above the outdoor terrace.
• Sulphurous thermal water - drawn from a borehole 1,865 metres deep.
• 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.

Practical notes

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.

Key facts