Fordyce Bathhouse (Park Visitor Center)

The largest bathhouse on Bathhouse Row at approximately 28,000 square feet, the Fordyce opened in 1915. Now used as the Hot Springs National Park visitor center, the building has three main floors, two courtyards, and a basement. The Fordyce was the first bathhouse on the Row to go out of business when it closed in 1962, but it was extensively restored by 1989 and is now not only the visitor center, but also an historically furnished museum. The first floor features marble and stained-glass transoms, as well as a ceramic fountain. The dressing rooms and men's massage rooms originally occupied the second floor; today, visitors can watch the 9-minute movie "Taking the Baths," which explains a traditional bathing routine. The third floor features the music room, with a patterned tile floor, stained glass ceiling, and gymnasium. In its day, the bathhouse also offered private staterooms and a bowling alley in the basement. It also offered more services than any of the other bathhouses, including the standard hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, massage, mercury treatments, a beauty parlor, and a shoe shine stand. Visitors today can take a self-guided tour of the bathhouse, as well as watch the 15-minute park movie, "Valley of Vapors." Guided tours of the Fordyce are also offered.