Arkansas’ hottest spots
Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, Ark., is a “significant landmark in the culture of leisure,” said Nancy Trejos in The Washington Post. During the “Golden Age of Bathing,” thousands of patients flocked to this small Arkansas town, hoping to be cured by its natural springs. Today only a few bathhouses remain open. I had my first soak at Quapaw Baths & Spa, where guests can choose between a private bath or one of four public pools, each set at different temperatures. (I found that 101 degrees was plenty hot for me.) At Buckstaff Bath House, which first opened in 1912, I had an even more authentic experience. A female attendant wrapped me in a blanket, “toga-style,” scrubbed me with a loofah, and had me soak in a bath whose whirlpool-like waves were much stronger than any Jacuzzi. As a final step, she put me into a steel “steam cabinet” that “truly looked like a torture device.” To my surprise, it felt great.
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