Bathhouses at Hot Springs National Park

Water. That’s what attracts people to Hot Springs. Old documents show that American Indians knew about and bathed in the hot springs during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Their ancestors may have also known about the hot springs. Some believe that the traces of minerals and an average temperature of 143 degrees F/62 degrees C give the waters whatever therapeutic properties they may have. People also drink the waters from the cold springs, which have different chemical components and properties. Besides determining the chemical composition and origins of the waters, scientists have determined that the waters emerging from these hot springs are more than 4,000 years old. The park collects 700,000 gallons a day for use in the public drinking fountains and on bathhouse row.

French trappers, hunters, and traders became familiar with this region during the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Many probably knew the hot springs first-hand. In 1803 the United States acquired the area when it purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. The next year President Thomas Jefferson dispatched an expedition led by William Dunbar and George Hunter to explore the newly acquired springs. Their report to the President was widely publicized and stirred up interest in the Hot Springs of the Washita.

In the years that followed, more and more people came here to soak in the waters. Soon the idea of "reserving" the springs for the nation took root, and territorial representative Ambrose H. Sevier submitted a proposal to Congress. Then in 1832 the federal government took the unprecedented step of setting aside four sections of land here. It was the first U.S. reservation created simply to protect a natural resource. Boundaries were not marked, and by the mid-1800s individuals had filed claims and counterclaims on the springs and the land surrounding them.

The Early Years of Bathhouse Row

The first bathhouse was a crude structures of canvas and lumber, little more than tents perched over individual springs or reservoirs carved out of the rock. Later, businessmen built wooden structures, but they frequently burned, collapsed because of shoddy construction, or rotted due to continued exposure to water and steam. Hot Springs Creek, which ran right through the middle of all this activity, drained its own watershed and collected the runoff of the springs. Generally it was an eyesore – dangerous at times of high water and a mere collection of stagnant pools in dry times. In 1884 the federal government put the creek into a channel, roofed it over, and laid a road above it. Much of it runs beneath Central Avenue today.

Seeking Health and Luxury at Bathhouse Row

The government took active control of the springs and reservation for the first time after all the private claims on reservation land were settled in 1877. It approved blueprints for private bathhouses ranging from simple to luxurious. The government even operated a free bathhouse and public health facility for those unable to pay for baths recommended by their physician. Gradually Hot Springs came to be called "The American Spa." Such slogans as "Uncle Sam Bathes the World" and "The Nation’s Health Sanitorium" were used to promote the city. Because minorities did not have equal access to the bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, African Americans opened their own facilities nearby beginning in 1905.

By 1921 the Hot Springs Reservation had become a popular destination for vacationers and health remedy seekers. The new National Park Service’s first director, Stephen Mather, convinced Congress to declare the reservation the 18^th national park. Monumental bathhouses built along Bathhouse row about that time catered to crowds of health-seekers. These new establishments, full of the latest equipment, pampered the bather in artful surroundings. The most expensive decorated their walls, floors, and partitions in marble and tile. Some rooms sported polished brass, murals, fountains, statues, and even stained glass. Gymnasiums and beauty shops helped cure-seekers in their efforts to feel and look better.

The Army/Navy Hospital, now the Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center, is located just above the south end of Bathhouse Row. Its use of the hot spring water for treatments contributed to a boost in the bathing business during and immediately after World War II. By the 1950s changes in medicine led to a rapid decline in the use of water therapies. People also began taking driving vacations rather than traveling by train to a single destination. One by one, as business declined, the bathhouses began to close. The Buckstaff has been the only traditional bathhouse operating on Bathhouse Row since 1985.

The Spa Today

Despite the decline, bathing continues to be a popular pastime. Options available today still include tub bath, shower, steam cabinet, hot and cold packs, whirlpool, and massage. Private businesses called concessioners operate the bathhouses. They provide services regulated and inspected by the National Park Service. You can get information about rates and services at the bathhouses or the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center.

Do not pass up the opportunity to experience bathing in the hot spring waters. In a couple of hours you may find more relaxation and pleasure than you had ever imagined. You will join a long line of people who have bathed in the Hot Springs of Arkansas – a line that goes back centuries.

To Learn About the How the Springs Get Hot Click Here