There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.
– Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume that Sylvia was talking about a visit to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Because she’s right. What’s better than the healing properties of a good, hot bath? No sooner had I left the Dominican Republic that I was hopping another plane bound for Little Rock with a transfer to Hot Springs. After the long travel day, I certainly needed a hot bath myself.
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The national park system was celebrating 100 years, but Hot Springs National Park predates even that. After starting my next day at the Mountain Tower, I learned from a park ranger that this area is littered with hot springs that have been used for over 200 years.
Locals would find one and then build over it, charging others to come and soak in them. Later, they were privatized and taken over by the parks service. In the 1920s, the town was a favorite of gangsters like Al Capone who came to gamble, frequent prostitutes and use the baths to treat their various ailments. Later on, baseball teams came here for the first spring training.
But after prostitution and gambling were banned, tourism became the biggest draw for Hot Springs. Today, the parks service owns half of the town, including many of the historic bathhouses. Some are still open, or have reopened, for modern treatments and traditional baths like you might have experienced in the town’s heyday.
Most are still on Bathhouse Row, like Quapaw Baths, where I spent many hours one afternoon. My day included two hours in the hot baths and the steam cave. I could feel the thermal water sucking out the toxins and damage I’d already done to my poor body.
You’ll also find some of the best mountain biking courses in the world. I went to see for myself and ended up black and blue with bruises. Let me tell you firsthand that riding a bike is not like mountain biking. Other active pursuits include the much safer hiking trails, which I wish I had opted for.
And, of course, there are the more traditional tourist attractions. Learn about the town’s mob past at The Gangster Museum of America or see where Capone and also former president Bill Clinton slept in their respective suites at the Arlington Hotel.
Speaking of Clinton, you can also drive by his boyhood home and a few of his hangouts. Stop by Garvan Woodland Gardens to see what’s in bloom or head out to the lake for fishing and boating. If you’re not feeling so active, wander the shops downtown. I recommend stopping by Bathhouse Soapery to bring home some products to make your own baths more relaxing.
The Perfect Day in Hot Springs
8:00 am– Hike up the hill to Hot Springs National Park via the Peak Trail.
9:30 am– Reward yourself with a hearty breakfast at The Pancake Shop.
11:00 am– Strap on a helmet and go mountain biking or hiking on the nearby trails.
1:00 pm– Have a late lunch at Superior Bathhouse Brewery, a former bathhouse turned microbrewery and restaurant.
2:00 pm– Hop into the baths at Quapaw Baths & Spa and heal your body with a steam or treatment.
7:00 pm– Choose your own dinner, either barbecue at McClard’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant or authentic New York-style pizza at Deluca’s Pizzeria.
9:00 pm– Grab a nightcap at Maxine’s, a former brothel, or Ohio Club, a speakeasy frequented by Capone and Mae West. Both offer live music.
I visited Hot Springs as a guest of Visit Hot Springs and Geiger Public Relations.
The hot baths sound very enticing after a walk in the woods. I like the historical aspect, soaking up in a tub with that old-world feel.