Something for what ails you...

 We headed out this morning for Hot Springs National Park. It was not the first National Park but the hot springs were the first federally protected lands in the U.S.  Our first stop was the visitors center.

 The visitors center is located on bathhouse row and is the former location of the Fordyce
Bathhouse.  It ceased operation in 1962 and was reopened as the park visitor center in 1989.  It is a really beautiful old building.

 This is the men's changing room.  It was larger than the women's, with seats for lounging and this great statue in the middle of the room.

 The building also had beautiful stained glass in the ceiling on the top floor.  They have refurbished the whole place so you can get the feel for the bathing experience.  Of course that was not good enough for us. So after our tour and lunch, we went over to the Buckstaff Bathhouse and took the waters for ourselves.  I will use the pictures we took at the Fordyce to explain the experience.

 First you get undressed and they wrap you in a sheet.  Then they take you to the thermal tub.  The temp of the water seems to be at the discretion of your bath attendant.  Catherine's was over 100 degrees while mine was about 98 degrees.  You lay back with a board to support your back and a towel under your head.   After the thermal bath, you move to the sitz bath and the steam cabinet.

Again, some discretion from your bath attendant.  My sitz was much warmer than my bath and Catherine's was cooler.  I stayed in the steam cabinet longer.  Catherine got too hot. 

Then, we moved on to the hot pack tables.  They lay you out on these tables and put hot packs on your neck and shoulders or wherever you request.  You lay on the hot towels for about 10 minutes.

Last, the needle shower, water shoots from all up and down the bars.  So, you get rinsed by water shooting from all sides.  We both gave this the thumbs up.  Then we went for a 20 minute Swedish massage.
Overall, I liked the experience more than Catherine but I was lucky enough to get a very experienced bath attendant and massage therapist.  Like everything else, the people make all the difference.  It was a unique experience and we are glad we took the opportunity to do it while visiting.

 Tomorrow, we are off to Little Rock to visit the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum.   See you down the road....