Many stories from Brixen are shaped by water – and at the Boutique Hotel Badhaus, this “blue gold” caresses body and soul, even when snow is falling.
Whoever dives into the history of Brixen will often come across the blue gold, as it is called here. The rivers Eisack and Rienz, along with the many fountains, shape not only the landscape but also the people, who as early as the 14th century drew drinking water, bathed, washed their clothes, or used it for their crafts. Water has always been a meeting place, a lifeline, and a source of connection — and it remains so to this day.
Of the 22 drinking fountains in the old town that tirelessly ensure no one ever goes thirsty, a particularly elegant one stands in the courtyard of the Boutique Hotel Badhaus. The modern quartzite basin with its large copper tap is the city’s newest fountain. The spring that feeds it, however, has been around much longer. The small stream that once flowed here, along with the work of the medieval bathers, gave the present-day Badhaus its name. Records of steam and tub baths, barber services, and minor medical treatments date back to the late 14th century.
150 years later, the story continues to flow gently at the Boutique Hotel Badhaus. Above the narrow alleyway by the entrance stretches a crossbeam from which hangs the artwork “Bathrobe” — a bathrobe cast in tin. In the passageway, we glide past a liquid sky of hand-crafted blue ceramic tiles that guide the way in soft waves. Thus, the two artworks by Michael Fliri draw us into the world of water even as we pass by — where tradition and the present flow together in perfect harmony.
The interior design, too, reflects the city’s motifs: copper echoes the material of the historic water pipes, while water-green tones recall the element itself. And when thick white snowflakes outside blanket the streets, houses, and mountains, a soothing warmth unfolds within. Those wishing to dive even deeper can reach for the Badhaus bathing bag and stroll 200 meters to the Aquarena, where water can be experienced in all its forms — sparkling and refreshing in the indoor pool, gently enveloping in the sauna, and as waves of relaxation in the bubbling whirlpool.
Boutiquehotel Badhaus is a Member of Lifestylehotels
photos: Gustav Willeit; Freiundzeit
