Polichnitos Hot Springs (Hippocrates Thermal Baths)

Closed for now

The thermal baths at Polichnitos are temporarily closed. On September 8, 2026, the operator of the Hippocrates thermal baths (Ιαματικές Πηγές Πολιχνίτου «Ιπποκράτης») announced that it was suspending operations, apologised to customers and asked anyone who had prepaid treatments to get in touch for a refund.

The trigger was a letter sent in early September by an academic in energy and environmental science to the Mayor of West Lesbos and to regional, planning and decentralised administration services. He said he had visited on August 16, 2026 and listed safety problems: unfenced tanks where hot spring water is cooled and its radon allowed to escape, an unfenced pumping point where the water reaches about 176°F80°C, poorly protected hot-water pipes, and a spring covered by a geodesic dome that he said was not ventilated well enough to stop radon and hydrogen sulphide from building up. The North Aegean tourism directorate then asked the operator to fix the problems and show its permits. The operator says the claims are unfair to its work at the springs. As of late October 2026 we found no reopening date.

Treat everything below as what to expect if and when the baths reopen.

What to expect

The springs rise in a shallow valley about 60 m above sea level near the Almyropotamos stream, roughly 1.5-2 km (about 1 mile) southeast of the town of Polichnitos in southern Lesbos. They are among the hottest in Europe: figures range from about 140-203°F60°C to 95°C at source, depending on the spring. Water this hot has to be cooled before anyone can bathe in it, and the hot runoff that escapes outside the building trickles through bright green algae in small, steaming streams.

The heart of the site is the bathhouse, shaded by eucalyptus trees, which has run two pools since 1959, one for men and one for women. One visitor guide gives the pool water at about 108°F42°C. Guides also mention massage and a café serving local food and drinks. Island guides count five mineral springs in the area, three of them in use.

In 2022 the Municipality of West Lesbos leased the springs long-term to TKC, part of the Kouskos group, which upgraded the site under the Hippocrates name and inaugurated its thermal centre in August 2023. A 2025 Ministry of Tourism grant approved further investment in indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pools, with the plan to open eight months a year, April to November. The municipality’s July 2026 studies on the island’s springs describe Polichnitos as a place to develop gently, around restored existing buildings rather than large new construction.

Getting there

Polichnitos is on the south side of Lesbos, near the south shore of the Gulf of Kalloni. From Mytilene, the island’s capital, port and airport, drive west and then south toward Polichnitos and Vatera. The springs are just outside town on the road toward Vatera; OpenStreetMap shows the bathhouse beside the Polichnitos-Vatera road, with a free customer car park next to the site. Vatera beach, the island’s longest, is about 8 km (5 miles) south of the village.

When to go

Only once the baths reopen. When they ran, they opened through much of the year; island guides gave hours until about 8 p.m., and the operator’s investment plan targeted April to November. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable time for very hot water, and the nearby beaches at Vatera are quieter then.

Prices and booking

There is no current price, because the baths are closed. The operator’s 2025 investment plan assumed a flat ticket of €12 per service, but that was a projection, not a published tariff. If you prepaid a treatment before the closure, contact the operator for a refund, as its September 2026 announcement asked.

If the baths reopen, ask at the desk about current prices, session lengths and any age limits before you pay.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging at the springs. Polichnitos is the nearest town for food and supplies, and Vatera, about 8 km (5 miles) south, has beach hotels and rooms. Skala Polichnitou, on the Gulf of Kalloni, is another small option. In the north of the island, the Eftalou hot springs near Molyvos have a small domed bathhouse and a beach where hot water seeps into the sea; check whether that bathhouse is open too.

Safety notes

• Scalding water: The source water is close to boiling in places, and the runoff outside the building can burn badly. Keep children and dogs away from the streams and any open tanks or pipes.
• Radon and gas: These springs carry radon. The complaint that led to the closure was about how the gas is vented around tanks and the domed spring. Do not enter enclosed spaces over springs.
• Hot pools: At around 108°F42°C, keep sessions short, drink water, and skip the pools if you have heart or blood pressure problems or are pregnant.
• Do not trespass: While the baths are closed, stay out of the fenced and private parts of the site.

Nearby stops worth adding

Vatera beach is the obvious pairing. In Polichnitos itself, white storks nest on old factory chimneys. The Lisvori springs, a little to the north on a stream running into the Gulf of Kalloni, are closed; the municipality’s 2026 plan proposes a new 20-year lease to restore them.