# Where do you take the waters?

Five resorts, five different answers. Below: the verdict by what you want — pools, mud, mofettas or sulfur — the comparator with official tariffs, and measured road access.

## The quick verdict

- A day of pools: Felix (Apollo) — 10 pools, open all year 8:00–20:00, 65 lei per adult. Happy hour after 15:00: 55 lei.

- The mud cure: Sovata (Ensana) — Bear Lake salt water + 11 mud-pack cabins. The lake entry fee is not published officially.

- Heart and mofettas: Covasna — 5-night package with 15 procedures and a consult, 1386 lei/place. With a GP referral.

- Minimum budget: Tușnad — 60 lei/3 hours, 120 the day. Monday from 14:00, Tue–Sun 10:00–21:00. Under-3s free.

- Sulfur baths: Herculane (Afrodita) — Pool 30 lei, individual 44; the consult 65. Treatments Mon–Sun 8:00–16:00, with referral.

- From Cluj: Sovata — 154.2 km / about 2 h 30 (measured). From Târgu Mureș: 45.2 km.

## Access, measured by road

- Oradea → Băile Felix: 15.3 km, 18 min

- Cluj-Napoca → Sovata: 154.2 km, 154 min

- Târgu Mureș → Sovata: 45.2 km, 73 min

- București → Băile Herculane: 390.1 km, 327 min

- Brașov → Covasna: 59.8 km, 66 min

- Brașov → Băile Tușnad: 68.9 km, 69 min

## The resorts, one by one

### Compare all five

- Băile Felix: thermomineral; pools 65 lei/day; Apollo + 5 hotels; Oradea: 15.3 km

- Sovata: salty (Bear Lake); —*; Ensana (40+ cabins); Cluj: 154.2 km

- Băile Herculane: sulfurous; sulfur bath 30–44 lei; Afrodita (Mon–Sun 8–16); Bucharest: 390.1 km

- Covasna: mineral + mofettas; 5-night pack 1386 lei; Turism Covasna; Brașov: 59.8 km

- Băile Tușnad: thermal 34–36 °C; entry 60 lei/3h; Wellness Tușnad; Brașov: 68.9 km

### Băile Felix

- Apollo strand: 10 pools — waves, 4 outdoor thermal, one with 20 hydromassage beds, 2 kids, indoor, 5 slides.

- Open all year, daily 8:00–20:00; tickets online. The aqua park is seasonal (closed since 22 Sep 2025).

- Hotel Internațional 4* is closed for renovation since 28 Sep 2025.

Adults 65 lei/day, kids ≤14: 35; happy hour after 15:00: 55/30. Thermomineral water.

### Sovata

- Bear Lake: salt water + curative mud; the 2800 m² Ensana base over 2 floors.

- 2 therapy pools with lake water (32–36 °C); 11 mud cabins, 11 massage, CO2 baths.

- Silent hours 7:00–9:00 and 20:00–21:00; 111 Trandafirilor Street.

No officially published day rate — neither the lake nor Ensana. Check at reception before you go.

### Băile Herculane

- Herculum Spa (Afrodita/Bacolux): balneologist, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy.

- Treatments Mon–Sun 8:00–16:00; packages require a GP referral + health card.

- Sulfurous thermomineral waters; tariffs include VAT.

Sulfur baths: pool 30 lei, individual 44; kinesiotherapy 60/38; the consult 65 lei.

### Covasna

- «Health and immunity with mofettas and mineral waters» (operator Turism Covasna's site).

- «Health for your heart» pack: 5 nights, half-board, 15 procedures/stay, consult included — with referral.

- Under-4s free; 4–14: 65 lei/day without extra bed.

The 5-night pack: 1386 lei/place in a double (valid to 31.08.2026).

### Băile Tușnad

- Wellness Tușnad (the town's company): thermal 34–36 °C, swim 26–28, kids 30–32 °C; capacity 200.

- Mon 14:00–21:00, Tue–Sun 10:00–21:00; town centre, by Ciucaș lake.

- Pensioners 35 lei (Mon–Fri, outside holidays); kids <150 cm 30; under-3s free.

Entry 60 lei/3 hours (+10 lei per 30 min over); day ticket 120 lei.

## Practical

### Referral
At Afrodita and Covasna, treatment packages require a GP referral + health card. Pools are paid at the gate, no papers.

### Season
Felix (Apollo) and Tușnad are open all year. Aqua Park Felix is seasonal. Bear Lake is a summer thing — in winter the Ensana pools remain.

### Money
Cheapest entry: Tușnad, 60 lei/3 hours. Felix Apollo: 65 lei/day. Sovata publishes no tariffs.

### Bear Lake
A heliothermal salt lake: the fresh upper layers trap the sun and warm the salty water below.

## Questions

### What is the cheapest pool day?
Tușnad: 60 lei/3 hours (120 the day). Next Felix Apollo: 65 lei/day, 55 after 15:00.

### Do I need a doctor's referral?
For Afrodita and Covasna treatment packages: yes, referral + health card. For pools you pay the entry, no papers.

### What is a mofetta?
A natural CO2 emanation, used in the Covasna cure («health and immunity with mofettas and mineral waters»). The doctor sets the program — don't walk in on a hunch.

### When is Felix open?
Apollo strand: all year, daily 8:00–20:00. The aqua park closed 22 September 2025 (seasonal). Hotel Internațional is under renovation since 28 September 2025.

### How far is the drive?
Oradea–Felix 15.3 km; Brașov–Covasna 59.8; Brașov–Tușnad 68.9; Cluj–Sovata 154.2; Bucharest–Herculane 390.1 (measured).

### Where do I go with a heart condition?
Covasna: «Health for your heart» packs, 5 nights + 15 procedures + consult. With a GP referral.

## Sources

- [Felix — Apollo strand (tariffs, hours)](https://www.felixspa.com/en/strand-apollo-felix-2)

- [Felix — closures (aqua park, Internațional)](https://www.felixspa.com/en/international-2/rates-international)

- [Sovata — Ensana spa (pools, cabins)](https://ensanahotels.com/en/hotels/sovata/spa)

- [Sovata — Ensana hotel (lake, mud)](https://ensanahotels.com/en/hotels/sovata)

- [Herculane — Afrodita medical treatments](https://www.afroditaresort.ro/tratamente-medicale/)

- [Herculane — procedure menu (PDF)](https://www.afroditaresort.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Meniu-Proceduri-Medicale-BHA.pdf)

- [Covasna — 5-night heart pack](https://turismcovasna.ro/sanatate-pentru-inima-ta-superior-sezon/)

- [Covasna — mofettas and mineral waters](https://turismcovasna.ro/)

- [Tușnad — hours and prices](https://wellnesstusnad.ro/ro/program-si-preturi)

- [Tușnad — pools and capacity](https://wellnesstusnad.ro/)