Therme Vals

The 7132 Therme, widely known as the Therme Vals, is a thermal bath in the village of Vals in the canton of Grisons, designed by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and operated as part of the 7132 hotel complex. The operator states that the building is made from 60,000 slabs of Vals quartzite and that it was granted protected heritage status shortly after completion, and that the highly mineralised water enters the baths from the St. Peter spring at 30 °C. According to the English Wikipedia article on the building, used here as a secondary source, the spa was completed in 1996, having been built between 1993 and 1996; the same source describes the structure as made up of 15 table-like units five metres in height, clad with 60,000 one-metre-long sections of stone.

The bath is open to visitors who are not staying in the hotels, but only with a valid online reservation made in advance. The operator states that the number of tickets is deliberately limited to keep occupancy at a comfortable level, that cancellation is possible online until 24 hours before the visit, and that parking is available directly next to the road. Day-visitor hours are 11:00 to 18:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays and 11:00 to 20:00 from Wednesday to Sunday. Children from the age of six are welcome if accompanied by adults. There is no individual time limit on a visit, but re-entry is not possible and meals may not be taken inside. The operator announces early closure at 14:30 on 26 September and 24 October.

Guests of the 7132 Hotel and the House of Architects have access daily from 07:00 to 20:00, with night bathing between 23:00 and 01:00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; children accompanied by adults are admitted from the age of three during the day and from thirteen at night. Guests of the 7132 Glenner have access daily from 11:00 to 20:00, with night bathing on Wednesdays between 23:00 and 01:00, and their children are admitted from six during the day and thirteen at night; their daily admission is included in the room reservation. On the day of departure a final bathe is free if the guest enters before noon.

The operator emphasises the bath as a place of tranquillity and privacy and therefore bans electronic devices with a camera, including mobile phones and tablets, inside the building. Towels are included in the day-visitor ticket price and bathrobes can be requested at the reception for a surcharge, while privately brought towels and bathrobes are not permitted. Alongside the baths the complex offers a spa with treatments using ESPA products, a hair and beauty department, and a gym open around the clock to guests of the 7132 Hotel and the House of Architects. The operator does not publish a count of the individual pools or their separate water temperatures, and no such figures are given here. Note that 7132.com rejects automated retrieval with HTTP 403; the operator quotes above were obtained through a rendering browser.