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Arkansas, 2 public soaking sites

Hot Springs in Arkansas

In Hot Springs National Park you soak only inside the two working bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, while the outdoor springs are for looking and touching.

2
Sites listed for soaking
run by National Park Service
Set by site
Fees
each one quoted from the agency page
6
Thermal springs on NOAA’s list
hottest listed feature 147 F
September 22, 2026
Agency pages read
each quote links the page it came from
Site by site

Public hot springs in Arkansas

2 hot springs in Arkansas are listed for soaking by the agencies that run them. Each card below carries that agency’s own fee, season, access and rules, quoted and linked, as the page read on September 22, 2026. A fee line that says nothing about cost is written as a question for the managing office rather than as free.

Buckstaff Bathhouse

Bathhouse

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park, Bathhouse Row

FeeA paid bathhouse; the park sends visitors to the bathhouse for rates and reservations.
WaterThe springs emerge at about 143 F
  • Traditional bathing for people 10 and older.
The Buckstaff Bathhouse - Orginally opened in 1912, the Buckstaff is the only facility on the Row that has never fully closed since it first started offering baths.
Experience the Water, Hot Springs National Park, National Park Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
The Buckstaff offers a traditional bathing experience for people 10 & older .
National Park Service on Buckstaff Bathhouse. Read it at the source
Legionella bacteria have been identified in some water samples and can present a risk of illness if water is inhaled, particularly to those with compromised immune systems or other medical conditions.
National Park Service on Buckstaff Bathhouse. Read it at the source

Quapaw Bathhouse

Bathhouse

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park, Bathhouse Row

FeeA paid spa; the park sends visitors to the bathhouse for rates and reservations.
  • Thermal pools and services for people 14 and older.
The Quapaw Bathhouse - The Quapaw Bathhouse offers modern day spa services with amenities like roman-style open thermal pools, private baths, massages, facials, and other services for people 14 & older .
Experience the Water, Hot Springs National Park, National Park Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
other services for people 14 & older .
National Park Service on Quapaw Bathhouse. Read it at the source
Legionella bacteria have been identified in some water samples and can present a risk of illness if water is inhaled, particularly to those with compromised immune systems or other medical conditions.
National Park Service on Quapaw Bathhouse. Read it at the source
The white stucco front of the Lamar Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row, with the blue striped awnings of the Buckstaff Bathhouse beyond
The Lamar and Buckstaff bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. The park's thermal water is soaked indoors, in the bathhouses on the row. “Bathhouse Row, Lamar, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas”, SaraDGarland, CC BY-SA 4.0
Listed for looking at

Thermal features in Arkansas that are not for soaking

These are named by an agency as thermal features to see rather than to enter. The agency sentence and the rule that goes with it are quoted on each card.

Display Spring and Hot Water Cascade

For viewing only

National Park Service, Hot Springs National Park

FeeFree to visit; jug fountains of spring water are free too.
Water143 F at the source, cool enough to touch at the pools
  • No outdoor soaking anywhere in the park; you can touch the water at the outdoor springs.
Hot Water Cascade - Located at Arlington Lawn, this is the largest visible spring in the Park.
Experience the Water, Hot Springs National Park, National Park Service, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
There are no outdoor soaking opportunities in the park.
National Park Service on Display Spring and Hot Water Cascade. Read it at the source
How many springs

Thermal springs counted in Arkansas

NOAA’s Thermal Springs List for the United States counts 6 thermal features in Arkansas, the hottest listed at 147 F, out of 1661 across 23 states. The count is a measure of geology: Natural surface hydrothermal features (springs, pools, mud pots, mud volcanoes, geysers, fumaroles and steam vents) at 20 C (68 F) or warmer; temperatures are the maximum reported surface reading. Most sit on remote ground, on land with no public access, or too hot to approach, which is why the soaking list above is the shorter one. The hottest reading can belong to a fumarole or a steam vent rather than a pool.

Thermal Springs List for the United States, compiled by George W. Berry, Paul J. Grim and Joy A. Ikelman, NOAA Key to Geophysical Records Documentation No. 12, 1980; published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly the National Geophysical Data Center). Data file read September 22, 2026: the thermal springs list and its documentation. Every state’s count is on the national table.

The water

What the CDC and the Park Service say about soaking

Two hazards come up in every agency’s own words: what lives in warm water, and how hot the ground and the water can be. Both are quoted below as the agencies write them, and they apply at every site above.

Always keep your head above water in hot springs and other naturally hot (geothermal) water.
CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world.
CDC, Naegleria fowleri Infections, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Hold your nose shut or use a nose clip if you jump or dive into the water.
CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Avoid digging in, or stirring up, sediment in shallow fresh water. Naegleria fowleri amebas are more likely to live in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers.
CDC, Preventing Brain Infection When Swimming, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
All thermal waters contain organisms that may cause illness, including skin rash, gastrointestinal illness (vomiting and diarrhea), or other infections that can be life-threatening.
National Park Service, swimming in Yellowstone, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Burns from thermal features are a common cause of serious injury and death in the park. The ground surrounding these features may look solid, but it can be just a thin crust with super-heated water below.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Even thermal runoff can be extremely hot and cause burns.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring a geyser basin, leave the area immediately.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source
Pets are not allowed in thermal areas or on boardwalks, even if they're on a leash or carried in arms, strollers, or backpacks.
National Park Service, Yellowstone safety, read September 22, 2026. Read it at the source

Arkansas hot springs questions

Hot springs in other states

First snow in ArkansasWhen the first snow usually falls in Arkansas, the start of the season for a warm soak.Hot springs by statePublic soaking sites in every state, Hot Springs National Park and Yellowstone, and NOAA's thermal springs counts.

Compiled September 22, 2026 from National Park Service pages, one per site, each linked beside its quote and read on September 22, 2026. Site types above: bathhouse and for viewing only. Fees, seasons and access change between seasons, a spring can be closed by flood, fire or repair at short notice, and a soak is at the soaker’s own risk, so the managing office is the one to check before a trip. Every state is in the national hot springs guide.