Restored early twentieth-century bathhouse featuring preserved bathing facilities, historic exhibits, interpretive displays, period furnishings, and a visitor center focused on thermal spring history.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day
How to Get There
From Hot Springs (1 mi): Travel along Central Avenue through downtown Hot Springs, continue onto Bathhouse Row, and follow signs to the visitor center located between the Maurice and Quapaw bathhouses.
Overview
The Fordyce Bathhouse stands as the most elaborate surviving bathhouse from the golden age of American spa culture. Opened in 1915 and designed by the architectural firm of Mann and Stern, the sprawling structure was once the most luxurious facility on Bathhouse Row. Today, visitors can explore beautifully restored bath halls, massage rooms, dressing areas, courtyards, and therapeutic treatment spaces that reveal how generations of guests sought the healing properties of thermal waters. Original marble surfaces, stained-glass features, elegant furnishings, and historic equipment provide an immersive look into one of the nation's most distinctive wellness traditions.
Now serving as the visitor center and museum for Hot Springs National Park, the building offers a fascinating journey through the history of health tourism in America. Exhibits explain the development of the thermal springs, the rise of the bathhouse industry, and the transformation of the area into a nationally protected landscape. Visitors can wander through the grand gymnasium, music room, and restored bathing facilities while gaining insight into an era when people traveled from across the country seeking relaxation, recreation, and therapeutic treatments. The result is one of Arkansas's most engaging historic attractions and an essential stop for anyone exploring Hot Springs National Park.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official National Park Service pages for the Fordyce Bathhouse, which are released under the ://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
