In one of the men’s (!) changing rooms at the Fordyce Bathhouse in Hot Springs, Ark.
I don’t know how well-known Hot Springs is outside of Arkansas, but around here, it’s a big deal. I’ve lived in central Arkansas for two years, so two weeks ago, I thought it was high time to check out Hot Springs for myself.
A brief history (everything hereafter is culled completely from what I remember from the signs at the park and my own personal observations/opinions):
Just some dudes wrapped in sheets, some other dudes sitting in steam chambers and still other dudes just along for the ride (image taken from www.moodyscollectibles.com)
Generations ago, the indigenous tribes surrounding what would become Hot Springs believed the area’s eponymous springs had healing properties, and in the 1800s, somebody (read: Whitey) decided to exploit the springs’ reputed powers for financial gain. Wealthy people — some seeking medical cures, some looking for a little R and R and some simply concerned with participating in the latest fad among elite society — flocked from across the country to patronize the establishments on Bath House Row.
Sitz bath thing (I guess?), steam chamber and private bathing stall at the Fordyce.
In addition to getting the requisite scrub-down in porcelain tubs filled with spring water, bathhouse patrons sat in one-person steam chambers, endured mercury-filled Sitz baths (a popular “treatment” for syphilis) and exercised using the most cutting-edge gymnastics and therapeutic equipment of the time. Bonus for the immobile: The Hubbard Tub!
Apparently, uncontrolled urinating, talking and wall-kicking (?) fits were/are a popular side-effect of taking the waters.
In the mid-1900s, when people started to get wise to the fact that soaking your diseased nether regions in toxic liquid isn’t so much a cure-all as a surefire way to poison yourself, the bath houses’ popularity took a hit. Most of the bath houses are closed today, but at Hot Springs National Park (located on Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs), visitors can stroll down Bath House Row and — if you’re feeling adventurous — “take in the waters” the traditional way at Buckstaff Baths or in a more modern setting at the recently reopened Quapaw Baths.
My trip to Hot Springs had less to do with bathing and more to do with tromping up and down Central Avenue in 100-degree heat, but I still managed to have a good time.
Things I Saw/Did/Ate in Hot Springs
• Had a drink in the lobby of the Arlington Hotel
• Walked into the Wax Museum and immediately walked out when I realized it was $15
• Idled in front of the Mountain Valley Spring Water headquarters for a full minute before deciding I could get hydrated elsewhere for substantially less cash/ceremony
• Bought three postcards that I still haven’t sent
• Went into about 14 crystal/gemstone/rock collectors’ shops; saw an amethyst that weighed more than I do
• Rubbed elbows with Hot Springs’ finest, sweatiest natives (and visitors!)
Tags: arkansas, hot springs national park, travel
