"Somogy's Hajdúszoboszló", the Igali spa
Over the past sixty years, Igal has become a well-known health resort in Europe. It is unfailingly popular among the elderly and middle-aged people struggling with their illnesses, but on a rainy summer day, young people vacationing at South Balaton also visit the spa and wellness spa of the town, which is less than half an hour from the Kőröshegy exit of the M7.
At the beginning of the 40s of the last century, an American company was looking for oil in the area of the Igali market square, but the drilling rig that penetrated 651 meters deep produced water at 81 degrees Celsius instead of hydrocarbons.
However, the leaders of the 1,300-inhabitant settlement (now a small town) did not get around to establishing a bathhouse until twenty years later, in the early 1960s, establishing the settlement's reputation.
The first two pools were handed over on August 20, 1962, which were suitable for year-round use. In 1967, the spa was expanded with a swimming pool and three children's pools, and a year later, the settlement's health center was expanded with two more pools.
In 2010, the Igali Medical, Beach and Wellness Spa, which was already located in a cozy and beautiful environment, was enriched with a 60 million HUF service building. In June 2012, HUF 600 million were spent from European Union funds to expand the facility by 2,500 square meters. Two changing rooms, showers, treatment rooms for medical purposes, 2,500 square meters of reception area, cafeteria and business premises, each capable of accommodating 300 people, were built during the development.
The guests of the "Somogyi Hajdúszoboszló" can now choose from 13 spa, thermal and beach pools equipped with experience elements, as well as spacious rest areas inside and outside.
The number of visitors to the facility, which is 100% owned by the municipality and has been registered as a spa for more than twenty years, has been affected by the coronavirus epidemic, but as we learned from the mayor of the small town, Gyula Obbás, 100,000 visitors visited the spa in the three summer months of 2021. In August, there were a record number of 44,000 guests, and a total of 200,000 guests throughout the year, to the pride of the small town, the facility known only as Igalfürdő.
"Igal is proud of its spa, but since the municipality does not have enough resources for its maintenance and development at the moment and is not expected to in the future, the city wants to sell it, or more precisely, to put the spa in the hands of a serious investor," Gyula Obbás told Turizmus.com.
To our question whether the 60-year-old medical tourism destination's cross-border appeal is unbroken, the mayor answered: more than anything else, there are already almost 300 residential properties owned by foreigners, mainly German, Austrian and Dutch citizens, in the vicinity of the spa, and almost remaining family house or buildable area for sale.
"Nevertheless, I believe that the interest of domestic and foreign citizens in Igal is unstoppable, as well as the increase in the number of people moving here," added the settlement leader.
The water of the four-season bath, which has outstanding healing properties, primarily helps to heal rheumatic and locomotor diseases, circulatory disorders following injuries, joint and spinal disorders, but thanks to its salt content, it is also suitable for alleviating chronic inflammatory, gynecological and urological complaints.
forrás:https://turizmus.com/desztinaciok/60-eves-somogy-hajduszoboszloja-az-igali-gyogy-strand-es-wellnessfurdo-1179529
