Overview
About this location
Vața Băi, Hunedoara County: 60 lei Monday to Thursday, 75 lei Friday to Sunday, open from 30 May 2026. Thermal water at 36–38 °C with calcium, sulphur, sodium and magnesium, five pools, three hotels and two rehabilitation and balneology doctors. The resort had been shut for over ten years.
Weather – 3 day forecast
Details
General Information
Water temperature
36–38 °C at source (36–37 in the reopening press coverage, 37–38 in balneal directories). The operator publishes no per-pool temperatures
Water type
Thermal water rich in calcium, sulphur, sodium and magnesium (the operator's description); balneal directories give it as sulphated and chloride, sodium and calcium, with an alkaline pH. Described as carrying no radioactive residues
Entry price
60 lei adult Monday-Thursday, 75 lei Friday-Sunday; children 7-14 pay 35 and 40 lei, free under 7; residents of Vața de Jos commune 40 lei, Monday-Thursday only
Accessibility
The strand is seasonal, open from 30 May 2026; no closing date is published. The hotels and the medical centre operate independently of the strand season
Wellness
Therapeutic indications
The operator's list: chronic rheumatic disease, joint conditions, nervous system disorders, gynaecological conditions, cardiovascular problems and skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema. The medical centre has two doctors of rehabilitation, physical medicine and balneology. No contraindication list is published
About Vața Băi
For more than ten years the gates here were locked. The complex at Vața de Jos, in the Crișul Alb valley in Hunedoara County, sat closed while the water kept coming out of the ground at 36 to 38 °C with nobody in it. It was bought and rebuilt, and it reopened in the summer of 2023 as a resort with three hotels rather than the rural bathhouse it had been.
That change is the reason we have rewritten this page from scratch. Our old description called Vața a rural balneal base with simple facilities and put the entry ticket at 20 to 30 lei. The current price is 60 lei on a weekday and 75 at the weekend, and the facilities include a semi-olympic pool, a medical centre and two doctors of rehabilitation, physical medicine and balneology working on site.
The presence of named specialists is the part worth weighing. Plenty of Romanian resorts advertise treatments; far fewer put a doctor's name next to them. At Vața the medical side is signed by Dr. Bica Ioan and Dr. Benedek Cristian, which is a different level of accountability from a hotel wellness menu.
Sulphate and chloride, and alkaline
- The operator describes the water as rich in calcium, sulphur, sodium and magnesium. Balneal directories add that it is sulphated and chloride, sodium and calcium, with an alkaline pH.
- We used to call it simply a sodium chloride thermal water, which drops the sulphate and the calcium. Those are what give the water its character, so the short version was misleading rather than merely incomplete.
- Source temperature is given as 36 to 37 °C by press reporting on the reopening and 37 to 38 °C elsewhere. We used to publish 38 to 42 °C, which no source supports and which overstated the top end by several degrees.
- The water is described as carrying no radioactive residues. That is worth stating because several thermal waters in the region do, and people ask.
Five pools, and one of them is salt
- The strand has five pools: a semi-olympic one where swimming lessons are given, two relaxation pools with loungers and hydromassage, and pools filled with the thermal water itself, one of which is salt thermal water.
- The operator's own pages count them slightly differently, sometimes as three thermal pools plus a salt pool and a hot tub. A new basin is announced for summer 2026, which probably explains the drift.
- Nobody publishes per-pool temperatures. At a source of 36 to 38 °C the pools cannot be much warmer than that, which puts them in the comfortable rather than the scalding range.
- Three hotels sit on the complex: Phoenix with a thermal spa, Blue, and Ponor, all sold with half board and pool access. There are two restaurants and a terrace bar, with the Phoenix restaurant seating up to 280.
A treatment list with doctors behind it
- The medical services published are hydrokinesiotherapy, galvanic baths, electrotherapy, laser therapy, thermotherapy, magnetotherapy and gym-based physical therapy. The spa side adds massage, revitalising baths, lymphatic drainage, ozone sauna and infrared therapy.
- The conditions the operator names are chronic rheumatic disease, joint conditions, nervous system disorders, gynaecological conditions, cardiovascular problems and skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema.
- We had removed the dermatological indications from this page during an earlier audit, on the rule that skin claims without a treatment base behind them are the most overstated item on Romanian resort pages. Vața is the case where that rule points the other way: there is a medical centre, and there are two named specialists in rehabilitation, physical medicine and balneology. The indication is back, with that attribution attached.
- No contraindication list is published for Vața. Psoriasis and eczema are conditions where a wrong bath makes things worse, so the consultation is the step to book first, not the ticket.
- Whether procedures here are settled through the health insurance house is not stated anywhere the operator publishes. Ask before you assume, especially if the cure is the reason for the trip.
Among the dearer strands in the west
- Adults pay 60 lei Monday to Thursday and 75 lei Friday to Sunday. Children aged 7 to 14 pay 35 and 40 lei. Under 7 is free.
- Residents of Vața de Jos commune pay 40 lei, Monday to Thursday only.
- Guests staying in the resort hotels have historically had a 50% discount on the strand. Confirm it applies to your booking, because the published price table no longer lists it separately.
- At 75 lei on a Saturday this is roughly twice what Tășnad or Figa charge, and more than Dorobanți. The pools, the hotels and the medical centre are the reason, but it is worth knowing before you arrive expecting municipal prices.
From the end of May
- The strand opens on 30 May 2026. Hours are 10:00 to 19:00 Monday to Thursday and 10:00 to 20:00 Friday to Sunday.
- The operator publishes no closing date for the season. Phone 0729 427 335 or 0774 277 618 if you are planning for September or later.
- The hotels and the medical centre are not tied to the strand season. A cure booked outside the summer is a different product from a day at the pools, and it is the one the complex is really built for.
- A ten o'clock opening is later than most strands in the region, which start at eight. Worth noting if you were planning an early swim before the heat.
In the Crișul Alb valley
- Vața de Jos sits in the Crișul Alb valley in northern Hunedoara County, on the road between Brad and Arad. Vața Băi is the resort part of the commune.
- Deva is roughly 70 km away and Arad about 100. Coming from Cluj, the drive is around two and a half hours.
- Geoagiu-Băi, with a completely different bicarbonate water and Roman history, is about 70 km south-east, which makes a two-resort trip realistic.
- Accommodation is in the three resort hotels and in guesthouses in the commune. There is no separate booking needed for pool access if you are staying on site.
Where the figures come from
- The tariffs, the opening date, the schedule, the pools, the hotels, the medical services and the doctors' names come from the operator's own site, vatabai.ro.
- The reopening history, the source temperature and the 2023 price table come from regional press coverage of the resort's reopening.
- The fuller water description and the note about radioactive residues come from balneal resort directories, cross-checked against each other.
- Prices and season dates change. This page describes what the operator publishes, and it is not medical advice.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much is the entrance fee at Vața de Jos?
60 lei adult Monday-Thursday, 75 lei Friday-Sunday; children 7-14 pay 35 and 40 lei, free under 7; residents of Vața de Jos commune 40 lei, Monday-Thursday only. Prices can change, so check the official information before visiting.
What are the opening hours at Vața de Jos?
Monday-Thursday 10:00-19:00, Friday-Sunday 10:00-20:00 (summer season, from 30 May).
What is the water temperature at Vața de Jos?
36–38 °C at source (36–37 in the reopening press coverage, 37–38 in balneal directories). The operator publishes no per-pool temperatures.
Is Vața de Jos open in winter?
The strand is seasonal, open from 30 May 2026; no closing date is published. The hotels and the medical centre operate independently of the strand season.