Article: Quapaw Baths & Spa - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

I've not been to the Quapaw, but I have "taken the waters" at the Buckstaff another of the famous spas and used the services of a professional bather. It was truly an eye-opening day. My bather was a 4th generation bather...

"I've been bathin' for seventeen years," said Amelia as she scrubbed Megan's back. "And my mother was a bather, too." Yes, bathing can be a career if you live in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Ernie Lemmons, who bathed Mark, has been in the profession for nearly half a century. Buckstaff Baths on Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park have been operating in grand style since 1912. We opted for "the package," which took three hours and included a mineral bath, a steam treatment, hot packs and Swedish massage. The fixtures and decor at Buckstaff date from the "Golden Age of Bathing," and it is easy to slip back to the twenties as you soak under stained glass skylights and dress in mahogany paneled changing rooms. At $24.95, "the package" was a steal. More from a visit to Hot Springs, Arkansas here.