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According to this, bathing of children under 14 years of age in medicinal pools or pools used for therapeutic purposes is not permitted, except with a medical prescription.

Legal reference: According to Annex 5 (Public health regulations for public baths), point 1.9 of Government Decree No. 510/2023 (20 November): Bathing of children under 14 years of age is not permitted in medicinal pools, therapeutic pools, pools with a water temperature above 35 °C, and bathing of children under 6 years of age is not permitted in jet pools, whirlpools and other facilities specified in the house rules. With a medical prescription, medicinal pools or therapeutic pools may also be used by children under 14.

It has been known for decades that the use of medicinal water pools is not recommended for those under the age of 14. The 36–40 °C temperature of these pools puts strain on the cardiovascular system and circulation, and the composition of medicinal waters may affect hormonal development, which – according to medical opinions – may adversely impact children’s bodies. Therefore, since April 2022, our company has not allowed visitors under the age of 14 to enter the Rudas and Dandár baths. For several years now, we have placed warning signs at medicinal pools in our baths, stating that medicinal pools are not recommended for children under 14. The new regulation has tightened previous practice.

All pools at the Széchenyi Bath operate with medicinal water. In the indoor thermal section, all 18 medicinal pools may only be used by guests aged 14 and over. The outdoor pools also use medicinal water as their source; however, as these are so-called filtered-recirculated system pools operating with mixed water and have lower temperatures, our company had attempted to ensure compliance with the strict regulations by allowing children to use only the outdoor pools. Based on recent experience, this was unsuccessful, and it has now become clear that we can only fully comply with the regulation by allowing only guests aged 14 and over to visit the Széchenyi Bath. The same rule applies to the Lukács baths.

Budapest, however, is in a fortunate position, as several of the baths operated by our company have pools specifically suitable for receiving children. At the Palatinus, Paskál, Pesterzsébet, and Csillaghegy baths, we welcome guests under 14 all year round under parental supervision, and in the summer season our Római and Pünkösdfürdő beaches also offer bathing and a wide range of services for them.