European sauna culture is taking off in Dallas.
Romanian spa company Therme Group is opening its first U.S. location here, the Dallas Morning News reported. The firm is buying 24 acres near 1500 South Riverfront Boulevard, just outside of downtown, with plans to build an $800 million resort. The seller was Lewisville-based development firm Matthews Southwest.
Therme expects to spend $500 million on construction and $300 million on design fees and interest.
It still has to get planning and zoning approval from the city; it also plans to apply for incentives. The resort could generate $1.8 billion in tax revenues over the next 30 years and would create more than 1,000 permanent jobs, Therme US’s John Alschuler told the outlet.
The Dallas location could open as early as 2030.
It will include a 450,000-square-foot facility with baths, saunas, a waterpark and restaurants. Georgetown Company owns a 25 percent stake in Therme US and plans to build a hotel on the site, too.
Alschuler said day passes at the facility would cost about $60.
Cedars neighborhood association president Kirk Jordan visited Therme’s Bucharest facility and has voiced support for the project, which he said would be “transformative” for the area.
Therme recently announced plans for a similar resort in Washington, D.C. It already operates two facilities, in Romania and Germany.
The land buy comes less than a year after the opening of WorldSprings, a 10-acre outdoor resort with 46 mineral pools. The $32 million facility is located in the Colony.
North Texas has become a hotspot for experiential developments, with the $520 million PGA Omni Frisco leading the charge. Peppa Pig Theme Park recently opened in North Richland Hills. Universal Kids Resort is on deck to open next year in Frisco. Wisconsin-based Kalahari Resorts & Conventions announced plans for an Allen waterpark resort earlier this year.
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