After living here for over five years, I was finally able to visit one of the Hot Springs baths! My mom and I experienced the luxury of the Buckstaff Bathhouse, which has been in continuous service since 1912. Although most of the other buildings on Bathhouse Row are now open, only the Buckstaff and the Quapaw still operate as traditional bathhouses.
After checking in at the front desk, we were whisked away to the second floor and the early 1900’s by the elevator escort (men bathe on the first floor). We were greeted by our dressing room attendant who showed us to our individual dressing stalls where you can leave all your belongings in a locked locker. She wrapped us each in sheets – Roman style , and then we met our bath attendants.
We started with the individual whirlpool tub baths where we spent about 15-20 minutes in pure relaxation. These are filled with Hot Springs thermal water piped directly into the bathhouse. Next was a 5 minute sitz bath, which looks like a shallow kitchen sink. Each time the attendant moves you from one location to another, you are discreetly covered with a sheet. After the sitz bath, came the vapor cabinet. This literally looks like a metal box with a hole in the top for your head to stick out. After just a couple minutes we were then asked to lie on a table and were wrapped with “hot packs”, or steamed towels wrapped around your body. This was my favorite part of the day! The hot packs were followed by the needle shower, which is just a quick rinse off before being escorted back to our dressing stalls.
The dressing room has a large dressing table with a mirror and hair dryers, so bring your makeup and hair styling products along if you wish. Swedish massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and paraffin treatments are also available for an extra charge. Reservations are not accepted for baths or massages, but some of the other services do require appointments.
On your next visit to Hot Springs National Park, be sure to experience the waters that made Hot Springs famous!