The bath never takes a day off, but the hours are not the same every day. Monday to Thursday it opens at 07:00 and closes at 20:00, Friday runs two hours later, and weekends start an hour later at 08:00. This page has the full week, the holiday rule, the parts of the bath that keep their own hours, and when we would go.
Opening hours
Every day of the year
| Monday | 07:00-20:00 |
| Tuesday | 07:00-20:00 |
| Wednesday | 07:00-20:00 |
| Thursday | 07:00-20:00 |
| Friday | 07:00-22:00 |
| Saturday | 08:00-20:00 |
| Sunday | 08:00-20:00 |
Last entry is one hour before closing, and the pools must be left 20 minutes before closing. Public holidays and peak periods run on weekend hours.
The Palm House lounge keeps a shorter day than the bath around it. It opens from 09:00 to 18:00 Monday to Thursday and from 09:00 to 19:00 Friday to Sunday, and takes its last cocktail order half an hour before closing.
Best times to visit
Time of day
Early. On weekdays the doors open at 07:00, and at 07:30 you have the courtyard almost to yourself. The crowd builds after 09:00, and sun loungers are the first thing to run out.
The other end of the day only works on a Friday, when the pools stay open until 21:40. On any other evening, a late arrival is a short visit.
Day of the week
Monday to Thursday. Those are the cheapest days, and they have the 07:00 start. If a weekend is all you have, take the 08:00 opening.
Season
The outdoor pools run all year and have done since 1963, so there is no closed season. Winter is when the place looks like its photographs, with steam coming off 38°C water into freezing air. On a hot summer day, 38°C water in full sun is more than most people want, and the cooler lap and leisure pools come into their own.
Christmas to New Year is a peak period, with weekend hours and peak prices throughout.
How long to spend
The ticket is valid all day, so this is a question of stamina, not rules. The bath recommends no more than 20 minutes at a stretch in the medicinal pools, which sets the rhythm of a visit. Get hot, cool off, go again.
Two hours
Enough for the three outdoor pools and a look indoors. About the least that justifies changing.
About three hours
What we would plan for. Time for the outdoor pools, a slow lap of the indoor ones and a sauna or two.
A Palm House day
The lounge is open from 09:00 until 18:00 or 19:00, and the point of it is to come and go between your lounger and the water.
A Friday evening
Arrive by the 21:00 last entry at the very latest. In practice, come by 19:00 and you get more than two hours in the water.
Insider tips
Last entry is not a last swim
Turn up at last entry and you have an hour until closing, but the pools must be empty 20 minutes before that. Take off the time it takes to change and you are paying a day’s ticket for half an hour in the water.
Holiday mornings start at 08:00
A public holiday that falls on a weekday still runs on weekend hours. If you were counting on the 07:00 opening for a quiet hour, check the calendar for a holiday first.