Buckstaff Bath House

Very neat experience. They prefer that you not take pictures so let me describe my experience. First you’re taken to a small stall, think stalls at amusement parks but with a curtain. There were 3 lockers and you select one to lock up your valuables, and then wear the key around a band around your wrist. You have the option of wearing your swimsuit or your birthday suit. The attendant will wrap you in a sheet as you face away from her and then you go to a small waiting area. You’re called to go to your tub. That’s when you step back in time! I’m not going to say that I was overly excited and couldn’t wait to get into the tub… It was iron with a small stool to step into it. The water was bubbling like crazy and looked inviting but it really looked old! Because well it is! So I went with it. I don’t know how short people will feel in this tub! I’m almost 5’7 and my feet really didn’t touch the end of the tub unless I really sank into it. The attendant put a board and a towel behind me and a towel over the front of my body. I just lie back and tried to relax. Once I went a bit deeper in the water, board and towel pushed a little lower and just went with it, forgetting that the towel on the front of my body was just floating on its own, I really started to enjoy it. The water felt amazing. Oh, for my four-​eyed friends, don’t forget to take your glasses off like I did! After my 20 mins were up it was off to the sitz bath. I was apprehensive. This small, almost in the ground bathtub for my lower extremities was just odd to me. But I wanted the full experience so when the attendant put a towel in the bottom of the mini-​tub, in I went. If you’re not familiar, google it. It was hot and a little odd but felt great on my back. From there I went into the steam cabinet. In my mind I thought sauna like… nice wood… I was wrong. It was like a metal cabinet with a bench. She opened the bottom of the cabinet for me to get in and sit and then enclosed my body and my head stuck out of the top. I’m adding a picture of the one in the visitor center to give you an idea. It was amazing! I loved it. I felt everything, every muscle relax. You sit on towels and I didn’t see them changed out. It was a little freaky knowing many other bums sat on that bench in the heat for germs to fester but for some reason, it didn’t bother me-​and I am one that is usually bothered by things like that. From there I went to the cool off room. This is a room that basically has eight metal tables with blue mats on the top of them. Think of the mats that kids play on in preschool, that’s what it was like. It was very comfortable. My attendant took a hot towel, I was pretty much done with heat by this point, and she put it in my shoulders then took another one and wrapped it around me. You’re still in your sheet while this happens. I lie down for another 15 minutes or so before she brought a cold cloth for my face. It was COLD and wonderful. It ended with the needle shower which is really a shower with maybe six showerheads, I’d love to have a larger one of my home! It was warm water. Overall it was a very unique experience. Once you get past a stranger seeing you butt naked it wasn’t bad! I just kept thinking of my attendant as a nurse! I think the next time I’d try Quapaw as I hear it’s more luxurious but if you want the true experience Buckstaff is where it’s at.

what an interesting experience! you should get the bath and the massage. all that heat gets you nice and relaxed. they allow you to go nude or wear a swimsuit. they put you in the nice warm bath and give you war mineral water to drink. after the bath they wrap you in hot towels. after that they put you in a steamer. that was weird, it’s like a little box with metal sides so that when they close you up only your head is sticking out. after that you get a sitz bath. that was also weird, just your lower back and butt are in the bath and it’s really hot. then you shower off. after that I got my massage. very nice.

Buckstaff has always been our first stop when arriving in Hot Springs but this time may have been our last. The only reason I gave 3 stars (Average) instead of 2 stars (Poor) is the steam cabinet which I love.
We arrived just after noon to be first in line for the afternoon session (sign in begins at 1:15). Front desk staff were accommodating and I was up the elevator to the ladies spa by 1:20. All was as expected in the dressing room, but upon entering the bathing area, I noticed standing water on the floor. Same standing water was still there as I left an hour later.
Started with the mineral bath. These tubs are «one size fits all», but it doesn’t so I tried to use the wood booster board. First real problem: The water was just luke warm. I asked for hotter water and was told, it’s already 103. No it wasn’t! Attendant finally agreed to a bit more hot water.
Then to the sitz bath. Again, water not very hot, but I adjusted the water temp myself.
On to the highlight of the bath — the enclosed steam cabinet which let me keep my head out while my body was encased in wonderful steam. Only there about 10 minutes then to the hot pack table which is now a hot towel wrap, but because they did not finish the wrap with a sheet cocoon, the towels cooled quickly.
On to the not so needle shower and then the worst of it all, massage. Now, the message board in the massage area told me it would be Swedish massage only, but what I received was just a rubbing of massage oil. Very disappointing, since I paid $ 34 for an additional 20 minutes. Next time, if there is one, I will skip the massage alltogether.
Hope things improve at Buckstaff in the near future!

I just returned from a great BFF getaway spa trip with a longtime close friend — we chose Hot Springs because of the charm and history. Rather than using the spa and bathhouse services in the hotel, we went to the historic Buckstaff Bath House. As with most of the buildings on the main street, it is historic and, if you like vintage fixtures, full of that type of charm. The building has an old-​fashioned caged elevator that still requires an operator — so cool, if you remember those days!
My main observation with the services is that they can be inconsistent, depending on who you get. Over a period of two days, we had the full mineral bath treatment, massages, pedicures and the wax treatment for hands. The mineral baths included several minutes in a tub (with a hilarious whirlpool thing that looked like a giant hand mixer mounted by the tub), a resting session with hot steamy towels and a steam cabinet (the kind where your head sticks out). My friend’s bath attendant rinsed out the hot towels and wrapped them around her legs & made her comfortable. My attendant (Mattie) just laid the very hot, soaking wet towels on the table and left me sitting in a pool of hot water. She then had me lie down and simply placed a soaking wet hot towel over me. No leg wrapping. She did regularly offer me water to keep hydrated and ice chips to cool me down, which I think is a standard requirement at the bathhouse.
The massages were also inconsistent — mine was wonderful (the masseuse’s name is Cooper, if you ever go there), and I would go to her weekly if I lived there. She’s excellent. My BFF wasn’t impressed with hers and said she’s had much better massages elsewhere.
The pedicures were pretty good, and the hand waxing treatment was fine. You need an appointment for the pedicure, but not for the bath or massage services. The facilities are so interesting that it’s worth a trip just to experience the surroundings. If I were to go in the future, I would definitely request a different attendant for the bath portion.
The cost for the services was reasonable — it seemed to be less than at the hotel, but I am not sure. Overall, the fees in the area are not as pricey as the super-​pampering luxury places, but the charm is incomparable.

I came expecting a longer bath. I was just rubbed down from knees down, and my back for about a minute. Then you go to lay down, wrapped in hot towels. Afterwards, you go sit inside a mister from kneel down. Then you sit in a sitz tub for about 8 – 10 minutes. Finally you rinse off. $ 33. You can get a massage if you want for $ 70+. It was a little dirty once you got to the sitz tub. I was expecting a good rub down actually. No soap was involved.

Be prepared to be violated. Bath Attendants are RUDE especially Julie. Needs GMRC training.

— great experience
— great staff
— wonderful pricing
— must try once
— clean change rooms and pools

I give them an A+ for unique experience and F for everything else. Right away my attendant asked where I was from then spent the next 30 minutes telling me everything he knew about my hometown as well as everyone he knows who ever lived there (and how often they’ve been arrested).
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Because I had never done anything like this I never knew what to do next and at one point, when one of the other attendants noticed that I was unsure about where to go, he made it clear that he was annoyed at my stupidity.
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The 20 minute full body «massage» was really just someone rubbing oil on your body.
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When I compared notes with my family later, I realized that they skipped my sitz bath although I paid for it.

We had an excellent experience at the Buckstaff Bath House. We stopped in on our way home after driving over 2,000 miles in 7 days. The treatments were excellent and the Traditional Treatment at $ 71 was a real bargain. Most massages alone cost that much or more these days. The staff was professional, friendly and helpful. When we were done we drove home feeling relaxed, well rested and stress free. We will definitely return.

Highly recommend LaToya– first timer and she was informative and had a nice soothing tone. Very relaxing. Only reason it got ⁴⁄₅ is I didn’t see or know of any cleaning or sanitation between people. The bath is long and relaxing. Then you are wrapped in a sheet and taken to a rubber mat (like a chiropractor table) and have hot towels wrapped. I saw no cleaning between people. Then you go into a steam room and sit. Then you sit in a mini tub for a while and then you shower off. I got the basic bath so I didn’t have any of the extras. It was a cool, interesting experience though! They encourage you to tip your bather which they don’t tell you until the end.

I have lived in hot springs my whole life… The bath houses were shut down while remodeling. So this was the cheapest one to go to…$ 33 and they are so attentive to you and make you feel right at home… for that price you get a whirl bath, then you get hot compresses, then you get a steam cabniet, then you get a sitz bath, Then a cool shower… can’t beat the hospitality for the money…

This is a historic experience. Bath, sit, soak, steam, shower in hot mineral water. Top it off with a massage… heaven!
The attendants are sweet and respectful. Something unusual about a bunch of women walking around wrapped in sheets. A fabulous experience available very few places.

If you walk into Buckstaff expecting a spa treatment, turn around, walk out, drop those expectations, and walk right back in. While the sequence of bath and steam treatments you’ll get as part of the standard package do feel good on tense muscles, the atmosphere of the place feels more like what it was in the 1800’s: it feels more like a hospital than a spa.
If you’re shy about exposing your bod, you might consider walking out and not coming back in. The women working here have certainly seen lots of butts, and they aren’t shy about asking you to strip down over and over. But don’t let this deter you. The whole experience actually feels like another century. Between the ages-​old medical equipment (that is, steamers and faucets, etc) and the white, tiled walls, the $ 33 baths-​and-​more experience will give you a taste of old medicine.

It wasn’t until I sat in the whirlpool that I realized what all the hubbub was surrounding these bathhouses. Like, why was there a whole row of them back in the day? Why did doctors prescribe them to patients? Why are all the positive Unilocal reviews just saying things like «VERY relaxing… worth the trip…» So ambiguously! It seemed like just a hot bath… Which I could have at home.
But all that confusion vanished the second that godly hot water jet stream hit my lady parts. Dear goddesses of the hot water from the earth, I all but climaxed. The rest of the stations all I could think about was the old timey ladies getting their O’s down at the hot springs bathhouses. Why is everyone on the internet being so prude about this? I would have loved to know this so I could have made time to go more than once. It’s definitely «worth the trip».
The attendants were nice, cool classic experience blah blah blah yeah that’s all true. But hot damn, I’ll be thinking about that whirlpool for days

If you are looking for a typical modern spa experience, do not come here. This is a traditional bath house doing the same thing for over 100 years. I bought a package that includes a whirlpool bath, the hot towels bed, the steam box, the sitz bath, the needle shower, Swedish massage, and hands paraffin treatment. The experience itself was new to me yet very relaxing. The hot towels bed was extremely hot in the beginning, but the attendant wrapped a cool towel around my face so it felt really good. The steam box was very nice. I like that I can stick my head out and enjoyed the steam around my body. I went into a steam room once and I came out after 2 minutes. This was a lot better. The sitz bath was nice. I got to stretch out my bottom as I dipped my tush in the bath. The massage was really nice. I told the masseuse where the pain was and she really worked it.
The overall experience for me was very enjoyable. Everyone that I met was friendly. I felt like I was transported back to the 1910’s in that building which was a good thing because I am fascinated with that time period.

As mentioned in other reviews, this is not a typical spa. The experience here is akin to being sent back in time and a spa experience from the 1920’s. Unfortunately none of the literature clearly explains what is involved in the spa treatment.
We purchased the bath package, again which didn’t have an awful lot of detail other than mineral bath and a massage. The place seems to be very clean and the equipment is very old however I believe that is what this place is going for, a throw back/​retro type experience.
If you purchase a treatment here be prepared to be naked, a lot. There are also some awkward moments where the attendant will scrub your legs and back with a very sandpaper like loofah. You will also experienced a sitz bath, and a old steam room type set up, and a massage (very light).
If you want a seemingly authentic bath house type experience this is your place. If you are looking for a contemporary Spa with contemporary spa services, do not come here as you will be disappointed and potentially shocked.
If you understand what this place is I recommend giving it a try. It wasn’t a bad experience, it was just unexpected. We probably will never go back however but we did find the experience unique, interesting, and are glad we did it.

This place is all about expectation management. To start, a spa this is NOT! It’s a bathhouse, and I found it to be more of a clinical, detox than a luxurious experience. It’s really old, it feels really old, you’re naked a lot, other people are walking around in sheets. It is very hot! This place is not for the modest. It is indeed an old school medicinal bath treatment from a time when only the very wealthy had such an experience. The staff are in t-​shirts and shorts/​jeans. Again, no one should expect a luxury spa here.
My favorite part was being wrapped like a mummy in hot towels and then hitting the steam room. My massage was great, but this is not the place you go for the best massage of your life. It was, however, a great treat after sweating for an hour. I feel like I released my holiday food and drink toxins!
I probably wouldn’t go back, but only because I’ve done this once and would now pay more for a luxury spa experience. Regarding cleanliness, it’s clean but it’s not pristine. You can definitely can see the age of the bath equipment. I went barefoot, but I would bring flip flops next time.

My general experience was… skeeved out. Very little is offered for what amounts to a lot of hot water.
I enjoyed the bath, but it was not 100% calming as there was a huge motor attached to it to blow bubbles.
The facility isn’t very clean. It just isn’t the experience I was hoping for, but I’m glad I tried them as it is Hot Springs!

This is the only «original» bathhouse still in operation that offers the same experience that visitors would have had in the early 1900s. That alone made us want to try it out, plus a spa day is always nice. To get an idea of what it’s like, visit the Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor Center and walk through the restored bathhouse rooms. That’s pretty much what it’s like at Buckstaff.
I must admit that what I experienced was not at all what I was expecting, but I had a relaxing morning nevertheless. The first rule about Buckstaff Bathhouse is that you leave your modesty at the door. That means: prepare to be naked a whole lot in front of strangers. Just remember that the employees who work there, though, are used to seeing people day in and day out, so you’re just another naked body. I got the works, which included a soak in a bubbly old-​fashioned bathtub, a quick arm/​leg/​back scrub by my gentleman attendant, a Sitz bath (which is pretty much just a sink on the floor in which you «sits»), a private steam room, a wrap in hot towels, and, lastly, an overall gentle body massage with lots of lotion. From station to station, you’re given a sheet or a small towel to cover yourself and then you de-​robe again. Yes, it was awkward. Especially when I kept having to de-​robe in front of my attendant at each station. But, honestly, you get used to it. If you can get past all of that, then it’s a very relaxing experience.
I loved the old feel of the entire building and experiences. It was fascinating to learn and experience what bathers did in the early 1900s. When I left, I sat outside on the front porch in an Adirondack chair and people-​watched down Central Ave. That’s when I felt like my body had truly been through a relaxing experience.
Try it – you’ll probably never experience anything like it anywhere else! It was probably my favorite thing I did in Hot Springs because of its uniqueness.
Note: They don’t have long hours and don’t accept appointments. We went first thing in the morning when they opened, so we wouldn’t be/​feel rushed.

I’m not a fan of baths or steam. If you are in a town famous for baths or steam, you should take a baths or steam.
I did. What a process. Interesting, fun but too much