Aqua Fantasy

Aqua Dome...it just sounds cool, right? It's the name of a  new 140-room hotel and spa complex in Tirol Therme Längenfeld, the Tyrolean Alps in Austria. Designed by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron--the 2001 recipients of the Pritzker prize, the highest honor in architecture (which has also been awarded to such architects as Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas)--Aqua Dome is one of the six VAMED Vitality World resorts, all located in Austria. And its futuristic, ethereal, outdoor thermal spa, Talfrische, is quite a sight to behold.

At first glance, the three thermal bowl-shaped pools could easily be mistaken for some sort of strange satellite dishes. The pools, which are connected to the indoor pools via two brooks, look as if they were floating above ground, 26 ft. in the air--a design that the spa says is meant to increase the feeling of weightlessness.

The pools are only about 4.5 ft. deep and each offers a different experience. The Brine Pool, which is the largest of the three, enhances the bathing experience with underwater and overwater music and light effects. The Massage Pool is just that--a giant hot tub with warm water jets to massage away aches--and features a geyser at the center. The Whirl Pool offers millions of air bubbles to invigorate and soothe the skin. The pools are situated in the midst of landscaped gardens designed by the artist Peter Paul Tscheikner.

According to TheCoolHunter.net, the dome-ceiling, glass-walled thermal spring hall Ursprung (Origins) is the main indoor area, complete with two pools and a waterfall. From there, two canal pools connect to the outdoor area with the three pools, Talfrische (Freshness Valley). "With its illuminated structures and steaming vessels it resembles the potion-making lab of a gigantic but friendly sorcerer," says TheCoolHunter. Other features of Aqua Dome include a beauty center and spa known as Morgentau (Morning Dew), a resting room called Besinnung (Reflection) and a viewing terrace called Umsicht (View). There are also multiple saunas, a steam cathedral, fitness center, a kids' area, medical center and restaurants.

I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly thinking Austria sounds pretty good right about now...

--Jessie Bove