Bathhouses in Hot Springs, AR: Which to Book and Which Hotels Have the Water

Can You Still Use the Bathhouses in Hot Springs, Arkansas?

Yes. Two of the eight buildings on Bathhouse Row take bathers, Buckstaff and Quapaw, and the park's thermal water is piped straight into both. Hotel Hale offers a third way to soak, though its tubs are private and reserved for guests of the hotel. There is no outdoor soaking anywhere in the park. Everything else on the Row is a museum, a brewery, a cultural center or a park store.

What Is a Traditional Bath at Buckstaff Bathhouse?

Buckstaff has been operating since 1912 and is the only bathhouse on the Row that has never fully closed. This is the traditional bathhouse experience, run by attendants, with the whirlpool drawn up to 102°F / 39°C and hot packs on the body while cool packs rest on the face. It is not a candles-and-music spa. The Traditional Bathing Package costs $101 and includes a whirlpool soak, a sitz tub, a steam cabinet, hot towel packs, a loofah mitt and a 20-minute Swedish massage.

Baths and massages are walk-in only, first come, first served, and no reservations are taken. Ages 10 and up only. Swimwear is optional and staff provide a full-size bath sheet. Hours are Monday to Saturday 8:00-11:45 am and 1:15-3:00 pm, Sunday mornings only, and you must arrive by 11:30 am for the morning session or 2:45 pm for the afternoon. Busy periods can mean waits, so arrive early. The family that has run Buckstaff hands it over at the end of November and a new concessionaire takes over on January 1, so check prices and hours before you go.

What Are the Quapaw Baths Like?

Quapaw is the social option, a 1922 building with four large thermal pools between 95°F / 35°C and 104°F / 40°C. Drop-in access to the public pools costs $30 per person with no reservation needed, but no one is admitted after 5:00 pm and the pools close at 6:00 pm. The bathhouse opens Wednesday to Monday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and closes on Tuesday.

Bathers must be 14 or older, and 14 to 18 year olds are accompanied by an adult at all times. Proper swim attire is required, with no cut-offs, tank tops or athletic shorts, and plastic or rubber slip-on shoes are required on the tile. You can buy shoes at the desk for $7 plus tax. Private Thermal Mineral Baths cost $40 single or $55 for a couple for 20 minutes, and those and all spa services need a reservation. The steam cave is closed until further notice.

How Much Are the Bathhouses in Hot Springs, Arkansas?

Bathhouse Row prices run from $30 for the Quapaw pools to $116 for the Buckstaff deluxe package. The table sets every bath and package side by side with how to book and the minimum age.

Which Bathhouse Is Better in Hot Springs, Arkansas?

Buckstaff is the better bathhouse in Hot Springs if you want the 1912 attendant-led ritual, the original experience of the Row, hot packs and all. Quapaw is better if you want to linger in warm pools with other people, and it has the clearest couples options. The Arlington suits you when you want a weekday or a Friday or Saturday afternoon slot, since it takes appointments, and it makes most sense if you are sleeping at the hotel.

All three operators screen out certain bathers. Quapaw refuses the pools, private baths and steam cave to anyone with a pacemaker or defibrillator, and to pregnant women, and it does not recommend thermal services with high or low blood pressure or a heart condition unless you are medicated. Buckstaff asks you to consult a physician if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, diabetes or a thyroid condition.

What Do You Do at the Other Bathhouses?

Fordyce is the grandest building on the Row and now serves as the park visitor center and museum, open every day 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. A self-guided tour covers three floors of refurnished rooms. Superior Bathhouse Brewery brews the only beer made with thermal spring water and is the only brewery located in a national park. It closes on Tuesday. Ozark is now the Ozark Bathhouse Cultural Center and Lamar holds the park store. Maurice is closed while it awaits a lease for reuse.

Which Hotels in Hot Springs Have the Thermal Water?

Two places in town put you in the water without leaving the building. Hotel Hale occupies the 1892 Hale Bathhouse, the oldest building on the Row, and every one of its nine suites has a large soaking tub filled with hot spring mineral water pumped in directly. The baths are for guests only.

The Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa at 239 Central Avenue, directly across from the Row, has its own thermal bathhouse supplied with the same park water, open to guests and non-guests. Every other hotel in town is a walk or a drive to the Row. Compare hotels in Hot Springs, AR on Hot Spring Stays, or look at other towns where the hotel has the water, such as Hot Springs, NC hotels and Thermopolis hot springs hotels.