Rogner Bad Blumau

What to expect

Rogner Bad Blumau looks like nothing else in the Austrian spa world. The Viennese artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser designed it, and it shows: buildings with grass and trees growing on the roofs, walls that bulge and curve, gold onion domes, about 330 brightly coloured columns and more than 2,400 windows, no two the same. Architect Peter Pelikan turned the designs into plans. It opened on May 10, 1997, and in 2026 it celebrated 29 years. It is still owned by its founder, Robert Rogner, who turned 85 that year.

The site is large, about 42 hectares (104 acres) of hills, gardens and water in the Thermen- und Vulkanland of eastern Styria. It is a hotel and a thermal spa in one. Day visitors can use the bathing, thermal and sauna landscape, which Styria’s tourist board says includes 14 pools, an Olympic-size sports pool, a garden sauna and a bubble pool in the sauna garden.

The mood is quiet and grown-up. People come to look at the architecture as much as to soak, wander between pools in bathrobes and sit by fire baskets in the evening. Twice a week a small artificial volcano called “Strombolino” erupts after dark.

The water

The water is real thermal water, and very hot at source. The story starts with oil. In the 1970s the exploration company RAG drilled near Bad Blumau looking for oil and gas and found hot water at almost 3,000 m instead, then sealed the well. Years later the municipality approached Robert Rogner, who had the spring reopened.

That spring, the Vulkania spring, is drawn from 2,843 m (9,330 ft) at about 230°F110°C, according to Wikipedia; Styria’s tourist board gives roughly 3,000 m and 219°F104°C. Both describe it as highly mineralised with natural brine, and the tourist board calls it the strongest and most mineralised thermal spring in the Thermen- und Vulkanland. It fills the Vulkania Heilsee, a lake-like brine pool. A second thermal spring feeds the other pools.

The Vulkania water also does work before you bathe in it. Since August 2001 a small geothermal power plant has generated about 180 kW of electricity from it. After that the water is still about 185°F85°C, enough to heat the entire resort even at minus 68°F20°C outside.

Water temperatures run from 70°F21°C in the cold plunge in the sauna area to 99°F37°C in the Urmeer, the warmest pool.

Sauna culture

The sauna landscape is included in the entry ticket and opens from 10 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Saunas at Austrian thermal spas are almost always textile-free: you wear a swimsuit in the pools, take it off for the saunas and sit on a large towel. We could not check Blumau’s own sauna rules for this guide, because its website was offline in October 2026, so ask at reception if you are unsure.

The HimmelReich, a separate paid relaxation room with private lodges and balconies looking over the Garden of the Four Elements and the Vulkania Heilsee, is the quiet upgrade for a special day.

Getting there

The resort’s address is Bad Blumau 100, 8283 Bad Blumau.

• From Graz: about 68 km (42 miles), roughly 55 minutes, east on the A2 Süd Autobahn, then follow the signs.
• From Vienna: about 142 km (88 miles), roughly 1 hour 45 minutes, south on the A2.
• From Hartberg: about 22 km (14 miles), 20 minutes.
• From Loipersdorf: about 22 km (14 miles), 25 minutes.

The bus stop “Bad Blumau Rogner-Therme” is next to the resort. Guests staying in the village can use the Thermen-Genuss-Taxi between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. for €2.50 per person per ride with a filled-in guest card.

When to go

The spa is open every day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and until 5 p.m. on December 24 and 31. Weekends, Austrian school holidays and the summer peak are the busiest. Reservations are recommended; reserved day tickets are held until 10 a.m. and evening tickets until 6 p.m., so arrive in time.

In summer, drinks are served at the edge of the outdoor pools and dinner moves out to the water-lily pond terrace. On Advent Sundays the resort runs candlelit evenings in the bathing area.

Prices and booking

The resort sells three kinds of day-guest entry: a day ticket from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., an evening ticket from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and in summer a 3-hour ticket. The sauna is included in all of them.

We could not confirm 2026 prices. When we checked in October 2026 the operator’s website, blumau.com, was offline, and figures on third-party sites were undated. Call the resort on +43 3383 5100 or check its price page before you go.

If you stay in a guesthouse or hotel in Bad Blumau, the local guest card gives reduced entry from a separate quota. Book these entries through your host in advance. ÖAMTC members get 10% off hotel rooms with half board for stays of two nights or more, outside peak seasons.

Where to stay nearby

The resort’s own hotel has rooms in Hundertwasser buildings with names such as Kunsthaus and Friedensreich, so staying overnight means sleeping inside the artwork. The village of Bad Blumau has smaller guesthouses and private rooms, and Hartberg and Fürstenfeld have more choice.

For food, the steak restaurant GenussReich and the ROGNERIE, an orangery-style space with pizza, cocktails and wine, are on the site.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Thermenresort Loipersdorf, about 22 km south, is the opposite experience: large, lively and built for families, also with real thermal water. The Thermen- und Vulkanland region has several more spas within an hour, plus wine taverns and signed cycle routes between them.

Safety notes

• Brine and minerals: the Vulkania water is strongly mineralised. Rinse off afterwards and keep it out of your eyes.
• Heat: the 99°F37°C Urmeer is warm for a long soak. Take breaks and drink water.
• Footing: Hundertwasser disliked straight lines, and paths and floors are not always level. Watch your step when wet.