The differences between the sociable, jolly, communal, family-style public experience at the Szechenyi, and the sedate, coddled, contemplative private one at the Gresham Palace are delightfully instructive. I wouldn't have missed either one.

Completed in 1913, the neo-Baroque Szechenyi, the largest thermal bath in Europe, looks like a palace complex out of St. Petersburg, complete with fountains, flowers, wrought iron balconies, statues, and a sculpture of Venus with young boys riding dolphins. Monumental yellow buildings, with columns, turrets, and triumphal archways surround three outdoor pools: the long rectangular central one, kept at 78 degrees F., is for actually swimming; flanking it are two semi-circular pools, one with underwater jets at about 90 degrees F., and the other a thermal pool with hot, 100 degree F., water.

From benches around the pools and a terraced observation deck, you can watch kids cavorting in the jet streams, couples canoodling, serious swimmers doing laps, and gray haired men neck-deep in water playing chess on floating boards. It's as delightful a snapshot of Hungarian life as you'll get, even in winter when snow covers the benches and steam rises from the hot water.

Indoors, twelve smaller thermal pools occupy an array of architectural spaces, from barrel-vaulted rooms to octagons and rotundas, each heated to a different temperature, from 68 to 100.4 degrees F., to meet the requirements of ailing joints and muscles.

Come with me now to the baths, which can be daunting as few attendants speak English, and often tend to be brusque. If you don't have an English-speaking guide, as I did, follow the lead of the locals. The entry ticket entitles you to the use of all the pools and a locker in the locker room; an additional fee gets you a private cabin, which an attendant on duty locks for you. You may be happier bringing a bathing suit (to avoid renting one), flip flops, your own towel, and a bathing cap if you plan to swim in the big outdoor pool.

I was booked for a standard Refreshing Massage, or Vizes massz roz s (15-minutes, about $15; a half hour, about $20). An attendant led me across the outdoor pool area to the opposite building, through labyrinthine corridors to an enormous white room with big fancy windows that clearly had been a great hall; now one side was lined with white wooden hospital-looking cubicles, each with a massage table and a chair for belongings, and the other side with spare cots for post-massage relaxation. Baroque grandeur meets Communist-era decor.

The pleasant masseuse had been alerted to my lower back problems, and to my surprise (and relief), was careful during the massage. Using only clear odorless "paraffin" oil, she focused on stretching muscles, with long smooth strokes on my back and short deep circular motions on my hips. When I lay on my back, she gave me a vigorous abdomen massage (never had that before), bent my knees to my chest, then side to side in what resembled back exercises more than massage movements, and finished with an excellent foot massage. This was as professional a stretching massage as I've ever had, with no new-age soundtrack, no aromatherapy, and no product pitch.

I tipped the masseuse $5, which must have been extravagant because she insisted on showing me a "short cut" back to my dressing room, past many of the small indoor thermal pools, all filled with bathers undergoing their various therapies.

The complex has been expanded periodically, most recently in 1999 with water filtering and circulation equipment. The swimming pools are open daily 6 am-10 pm, even when snow covers the benches; the indoor thermal baths are open weekdays 6 am-7 pm, several with shorter weekends hours. The spa has a gym, included in the main entrance fee, with a variety of fitness machines, among them cardiovascular equipment, treadmill, exercise bike, stair climber, elliptical cross-trainer, and different types of weight systems.

Entrance fee is $14 with a locker, $16 for a cabin; with $2 refund for leaving within two hours, and $1 within one hour; www.spasbudapest.com/tartalom.php (click on "all-year baths").

The flip side of Budapest's grand scale public baths is The Spa at Four Seasons, at the recently opened Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest.

Before heading to the top floor facility, spend a few minutes in the Gresham Palace's ground floor public rooms; they are masterpieces of responsible restoration. In renovating the 1906 Art Nouveau gem, Four Seasons Hotels turned to talented artisans--wrought-iron specialists, silversmiths, stained-glass makers, ceramists, mosaicists and other craftspeople÷to preserve whatever artwork remained and for reconstruction, following the original design, from the beautiful peacock entrance gates to the glass dome over the lobby.

Inspired by the city's rich bathing heritage, The Spa offers a range of therapies and treatments using Elemis products. Many will be familiar--Swedish massage, deep muscle massage, reflexology, seaweed wraps÷but among the most interesting are its signature treatments, the Tokaji revitalizing package and the Healing stone experience, both of which utilize Hungary's Tokay wine.

The complex Tokaji revitalizing treatment (110 minutes, about $280) starts with a body scrub of brown sugar, an excellent exfoliant and antioxidant, and Tokaji spirit, a skin toner. Then, a refreshing Vichy shower softens the skin, and a gentle Swedish massage with heated oils moisturizes, calms any inflammation, and eliminates muscle tension. Next, during a facial and mask that uses honey for oily skin or milk cream for dry skin, wrap cloths infused in Tokaji spirits are applied to the joints to remineralize and energize the body. As a finale, the spa recommends a wake-up shower and an optional glass of wine, Tokay, of course.

The other signature therapy is a Healing stone experience (60 minutes, $150) that utilizes fresh grape seed oil and gentle massage, along with three gemstones to energize the body: rhinestone that refreshes the body and clears the mind; amethyst that helps strengthen the immune system and increase the metabolism; and tiger's eye that symbolizes personal and spiritual development.

The spa offers a variety of what it calls bathing ceremonies (each 20 minutes, $70), that are restorative soaks in milk and seawater with various essential oils, as well as a menu of facials for men and women (75 minutes, $155 or $185), manicures, and pedicures.

Whichever spa experience you choose, and preferably both, save them to relax after exploring the city's enduring delights. Stroll along the Danube. Walk across the 19th century Chain Bridge, the first to join the two parts of the city, Buda and Pest. Take the funicular up to the cobbled streets of Castle Hill where the royal complex includes the Hungarian National Gallery, Matthias Church, and spectacular city views from the high walls of the Fishermen's Bastion. Amble along Pest's pedestrian promenade, V ci utca, lined with cafes, shops, and a gallery of Baroque, neo Classical, and Art Nouveau architectural beauties. Stop for afternoon tea and dobostorta at the venerable 19th century coffee house, Gerbeaud.

By now you'll be ready to unwind in the grand tradition of Hungarian baths.