Aaah: Sink neck-deep in hot mineral water in Budapest's baths

The buzz about Budapest has been steadily building since Hungary joined the European Union in 2004. Tourists and multinational companies alike have gravitated to the city's humming core. But the former imperial capital owes at least some of its prosperity to centuries of experience with slowing down, taking a breath and sinking neck-deep into blissful relaxation.

For the harried business traveler - or anyone else who could use a respite - an escape to one of the city's seven public thermal baths provides a soothing glimpse into that history while being just a quick subway ride away from the city center.

The Romans were the first to harness the area's hot springs, setting up a regional capital here partly because of the steamy mineral water burbling below ground. The ruins of those grand temples are still visible in the northern part of the city. More than 1,000 years later, the Ottomans established the city as a trading post during their 150-year rule and built two baths that still operate.