Buckstaff Bathhouse - Hot Springs, Arkansas

Sharon L.

An extraordinary rejuvenating experience! Our first visit to a traditional bath 🛁  house, we were impressed by all aspects of Buckstaff.

We were lucky to visit during the off-season when there was zero wait. The cost for the full bath/steam/massage was $100. / each [which from our experience is quite a bargain]. The price included loofah bath mitts.

My attendant was Shadow. Shadow was kind, knowledgeable, and customer oriented. The fact that the entire process is experienced in the nude should not dissuade anyone. The attendants use fresh sheets to shield/cover/wrap you. The attention given to make visitors feel comfortable being naked could not be better managed.

The cleanliness of the bathhouse was remarkable!

I loved all aspects of my experience. The personal sauna bath with warm mineral water to drink, the hot towel relaxation time with cold mineral water to drink, the personal steam cabinet, sitz bath with the final massage. On my way out, I was given a paraffin wax hand treatment. The whole ordeal made for a total body rejuvenation.

My masseuse was Cooper, who was also exceptional!

My treatment took well over 2 hours, which was spectacular. Well worth the time and money!

Note: No photos are allowed in the bath area. Hence, no photos from there included. The nostalgia has been beautifully preserved.

A T.

Chelsea greeted me with kindness and a warm smile with her holiday sweater and Christmas nails, it was a festive and nice warm tone initially walking in! Tim was kind as I walked in the locker room he greeted then instructed me with my locker and key + towel. Darren took care of my bath and assisted me during water treatments, he asked me how the temp felt which was really great. The bath was nice and hot just like I wanted, thank you Darren! The lower back massage bath after the 20 min soak was nice, then they take you to a steam cube to sit in which was far out, having your head sticking out! Such a cool experience. After the steam sit cube, you are laid on a massage table with a hot towel under your back rolled up in a nice sheet like a nice hot burrito and a cold towel placed on your forehead in the cherry on top. Highly recommended this $40 basic treatment I was in heaven! Can’t wait to come back!!

Julia

One of the two bathhouses you can still enjoy the hot spring water! The experience overall was okay - we paid for the deluxe package as there was a special. The downside was waiting for longer than the amount of time it took for my services. I went in the afternoon and waited for about an hour before going to the women’s area. They did have a limit to the amount of people that get massages. I spent roughly 5 hours with waiting and getting the massage, etc. since I went in the afternoon, everything was closed once I got out. I do recommend going for the experience, but I recommend going in the morning to avoid waiting so long!

Amaris C.

Such a cool experience. Did this on my last day at the park and it was great seeing the bath house in action after learning about it at the visitor’s center the day before, it felt like stepping back in time. The attendants and the massage therapists were fabulous, they work so hard flipping rooms/tubs and moving clients around, it was very impressive. I went on a Monday, got there at 7:15 before they opened, there were already two other groups ahead of me. They let us into the lobby early but don’t start checking people in until 8 on the dot. I was maybe the fourth woman in the locker room and didn’t have to wait for any of the services. I did the traditional package. A must do if you come to Hot Springs!

Tara W.

Awesome experience! I did the deluxe because I wanted to experience everything. Yes, bathing suit is optional and I am a very shy person, but I took the challenge to go nude and I was very comfortable. Yes your attendant sees you nude and a lot but they are so professional and do not make you uncomfortable. I felt like I was in 1912, the interiors seem original and felt cool. I would say yes, it could use small change details and an uplift but I had the experience exactly how they advertised. Strongly suggest!

rakesh R.

The October package was nice, it was my first time in a bath house and when you are in hot springs you need to try and see how batch houses worked, so. It was fun. The bath and all was fine, but the hot towel under will make you sleep and the 20 min massage was worth the money. It was a nice experience and the batch house kept very neat.

B M.

Highly recommend. The friendly team coupled with a unique historic spa experience for a great price is worth every penny. To know what to expect, here are a few details. It’s walk-in, no appointments. After you sign up for which services you want at the front desk, you are led to the men’s or women’s bathhouse. I choose the deluxe package (for all services) with an expected time in the bathhouse of 2 hours.

First, women are escorted upstairs via an elevator and led to a private locker, where behind a curtain, you take off your clothes and put all of your belongings in a locker and take the key with you. Once you are naked, the attendant comes over and wraps you in a sheet. I felt like a Greek goddess. You go to the nearby sitting area where the bathhouse attendant will call your name. Then the fun begins!

First, you sit in a private tub and the attendant uses your loofah to scrub your back and feet. Then she turns on the whirlpool, gives you 2 cups of thermal water to drink and you soak for about 20 minutes . Heavenly!

Next, you lay on a massage table on a very hot towel while your shoulders & feet are also wrapped in hot towels. You are then covered with another hot towel. The attendant places a cool towel around your head and gives you ice chips. You lay there for about 10 + minutes. Divine!

You are then led to a steam box, where only your head is out; probably only for a few minutes. Then next to a sitz bath for your bum, lower back and hips. Feels great!

Next, a masseuse comes to get you (you are now wrapped in a dry sheet) and her magic fingers works on both sides of your body (20 minutes). So relaxing

Lastly, after dressing, you head over for your paraffin hand treatment. I’d never had this before. You choose which wax scent you would like (I chose lavender), and after dipping your hands 5x in the liquid wax they are covered in a plastic mitt and covered with another mitt. You wait for 10 min while the wax does its magic. My hands have never felt to soft before. Scrumptious!

And that’s a wrap! As you leave you can drop a tip into little envelopes for any of the team that provides a service. A shout out to Mattie, my attendant , and Danielle, my masseuse. Both exceptional!

You won’t be sorry. It’s so fun to experience what it must have been like over 100 years ago!

Michael A.

Fun but crazy waiting. Front desk told us 40 min wait for a bath but turned out to be 2 hours. Water was only warm not hot.