Hot Springs National Park - Pay Bathhouses

Pay Bathhouses

There have been nearly two dozen pay bathhouses open at the same time, with about nine of those within the park's "Bathhouse Row" (these numbers have varied for reasons such as the Quapaw now using the space formerly occupied by two bathhouses). Nine of the bathhouses were associated with hotels, hospitals, or sanatoria. The water is the same for all, but the prices charged for the baths varied in accordance with the equipment and accommodations furnished by each facility. The charges for the services of the attendants are the same and include the necessities except towels, blankets, bathrobes, laundering, rubbing mercury, and handling of invalids.

In 1929, prices for single baths ranged from $1 to $1.40, while a course of 21 baths was $16 to $24. Baths were offered at the Arlington Hotel, Fordyce, Buckstaff, Eastman Hotel, Maurice, La Mar, Majestic Hotel, Quapaw, Hale, Imperial, Moody Hotel, Ozark, St. Joseph's Infirmary, Superior, Ozark Sanatorium, Rockafellow, Alhambra, Pythian (colored), and Woodmen of Union (colored).

At present on Bathhouse Row only the Buckstaff and Quapaw are operating as bathhouses. The Fordyce is open as a visitors center giving tours of the facilities that have been renovated to appear as they originally did and The Ozark is currently housing the Museum of Contemporary Art and can be rented as reception hall. The Arlington Hotel, Austin Hotel and Convention Center, and The Springs Hotel & Spa also offer hot spring baths using the Park water.

• Fordyce Bathhouse

• Maurice Bathhouse

• Hale and Superior Bathhouses

• National Baptist Hotel and Sanitorium (bathhouse for 'colored peoples')