Hot Springs, Arkansas....beautiful town.

The historic town of Hot Springs was very nice. Clean and bustling with activity. There are several places to shop, dine and play along bath house row, but what you come for is "taking the cure" in one of the bath houses. Along bath house row, there are several now defunct bath houses that are no longer in business, but there are two that are open to the public still. One, the Buckstaff, is affiliated with the State Park and offers historic baths like they used to back in the 1800's when the craze began. You are tended to by a personal bather...you soak in a large marble tub filled with the hot spring water. While you are soaking in the mineral waters, you are gently cleaned with a loofah sponge by your personal attendant. You are taken from the bath to what is called a needle shower. After that, you are placed on a table, where towels that have been soaked in the hot waters of the spring are placed upon you. Once your towel therapy is completed, you are moved to the vapor closet where vapors from the springs surround every inch of your body. You can be totally encapsulated from head to toe, or you can choose a vapor closet that leaves your head exposed. Another needle shower and you're off to the cooling room where you relax and cool down. If you like, after all that, you can have a wonderful massage. Just don't expect to have that service on a Sunday. Don't do what we did...we waited until Sunday to go in for our theraputic delight. Nope...while cleanliness is next to Godliness, on Sunday in the South...it's a no no at bath house row. Everything ELSE is open....just not what draws you into the town in the first place. There are many areas all around the city where you can fill water jugs with the pristine waters of the springs. I got to drink my fill of the spring waters...and I touched some, too...it was HOT. 143 degrees to be precise. We toured the musem that teaches you all about the art of the bath...(I've posted photos below) and ate at a bar that was built in 1905 and has been continuously open since then. It has a storied past...gambling, crime and famous people. Al Capone was once a frequentor of the place. They said they had the "Best cheeseburger in all of Arkansas" so we went into the Ohio Club to have one. It was pretty good! Fudge from next door made the meal complete. Sorry that we didn't get a healing bath...I think it would have been VERY beneficial to both Vince and I...alas, we shall never know..or at least, not for now. On to Memphis, to visit the King.