Soak up the heat at Beijing's best hot springs

We tested the waters to find the best hot springs to wash away winter blues

Feng Shan Hot Spring Paradise

Our verdict Surreal surroundings ideal for those with a sense of the ridiculous

What’s it like?

Feng Shan offers paradise from the perspective of a particularly sleazy toddler, bashing you over the head with a landscape of concrete caves, plastic rocks, frog-shaped fountains and semi-submersed basketball hoops until you have no choice but to grin and embrace the out-and-out chutzpah of it all. It’s huge, it’s tasteless – unless your taste runs parallel to that of Hugh Hefner – and it’s open 24 tacky hours of the day.

Provincial leisure centre on acid it might be, but we enjoy this psychedelic idyll precisely because, at the end of the day, lying on a bubble bed next to a model elephant is always going to be a giggle.  And if you look beyond the glare from the fairylights and illuminated swans, the outside spring area offers spectacular views of the nearby mountains.

Facilities

Feng Shan offers stacks of reasonably private pools both inside and out, with noticeably different water temperatures and mineral levels. There’s also a 25-metre swimming pool complete with disco-tastic decor, some toasty kang beds, saunas and a cinema.

Longxi Hotspring Resort

Our verdict A faux-tropical mega resort for salt baths and herbal soaks

What’s it like?

Longxi Hotspring Resort’s system of small tubs and larger swimming pools offer a great mix of relaxing getaway vibes and waterpark thrills. While the resort’s heyday may have passed – the wood-panelled walls and kitschy decor could use a bit of a revamp – Longxi is still great for a warming winter soak.

Designed to look like a tropical paradise, upon entering the steamy hot springs as you navigate your way through lush paths lined with real plants and rock walls, you’ll find the mineral-rich baths hidden around corners and under wooden pagodas and infused with wine, tea and other delicious smells. Given the number of tubs inside, chances are high bathers will always be able to find one that’s unoccupied.

Facilities

As well as a spa offering various treatments at an additional cost, there’s a children’s play area, medicated baths and – our favourite – a crystal salt bath said to detox the body and soothe aching joints (bring a swim cap).

Shunjing Spa

Our verdict Peaceful spa within the Fourth Ring

What’s it like?

Shunjing Spa’s baths are clean, tastefully decorated and, with more than 90 indoor pools to choose from, finding a quiet spot is simple enough. Like something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the setting is fairly mystical: sunlight streams through the glass roof, soft lanterns create an ethereal glow and smoky wooden bridges link rock pathways to the pools. The fake trees and plastic castle in the kid’s pool shatter the illusion somewhat, but fortunately aren’t too invasive.

Outside, vivid evergreens, springs and wooden pagodas feel authentic for the most part, but with fewer than a dozen baths in the garden – all of which back onto the Fourth Ring Road – for outdoor bathing, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Facilities

Inside, there’s a pool for everyone with waters measuring from 30-50°C – including particularly nourishing 'extra-mineral-rich' pools. There are saunas, hot stone beds and a range of spa treatments, like body massages (298RMB for an hour) and pedicures (98RMB for 45 minutes). A reasonably priced bar and buffet (98RMB), free Wi-Fi and cinema deliver sustenance and entertainment.

Jiuhua Hot Spring

Our verdict Forbidden City meets Atlantis – it’s the emperor’s pool party

What’s it like?

Purportedly situated on a site where emperors past used to revel in toasty volcanic aqua, Jiuhua’s recent renovations have left it with more of a lido-cum-spa feel, so its connection with nature feel 49 30210 49 14986 0 0 2114 0 0:00:14 0:00:07 0:00:07 2599 49 30210 49 14986 0 0 1910 0 0:00:15 0:00:07 0:00:08 3034s somewhat lost. Nevertheless, it still sources hot water from 1,230m below the ground and its wide range of pools and reasonable price point make it a decent choice for a rejuvenating dip. And from higher vantage points, the distant northern mountains are visible, provided the skies are clear.

Facilities

The outdoor space sees a whole host of herbal and heated baths surround a central swimming pool – all with different properties and health benefits – to help soothe the skin, tired muscles, blood pressure and the soul. Indoor facilities include numerous saunas and steam rooms, therapeutic showers and even a fish pedicure pool. The kids can be dropped off at the pool and play area, while complimentary post-soak rubdowns are available in the pleasant changing rooms. A basic range of snacks and drinks are also on sale. 

No. 8 Hot Springs Club

Our verdict A nudist hot spring next to Chaoyang Park

What’s it like?

Located west of Chaoyang Park, this city-based spa feels more like a classy bathhouse than the usual sprawling resorts found in the suburbs. The spring here is natural and has been tapped from 2,500m below ground.

Facilities

Men and women bathe in separate areas and nudity is mandatory. Submerging into the soothing water feels like entering an enormous bath, and each area also includes a spacious sauna and a steam-filled Finnish bath. While a basic buffet is included in the price (the club also provides faux silk peach pyjamas to protect your modesty), massages, manicures and scrubs are available for an additional cost.

WTown Hotsprings

Our verdict The one with the view

What’s it like?

WTown resort is located 130km northeast of downtown Beijing, where the Simatai Great Wall partitions the capital from surrounding Hebei. A stone warren of villas and meandering canals, WTown’s picturesque setting is an interesting backdrop for the sing ‘n’ soak KTV bathtubs that make up one of the resort’s several hot spring offerings. From nightfall, the Great Wall is lit up and offers a spectacular backdrop if you opt for any one of the al fresco pools. If not, it’s your partner’s gaze.

Facilities

There are two distinctly different hot spring experiences on offer at WTown Hotsprings, and while both of them involve KTV, only one offers pole dancing. For the couples, luxurious private rooms include the spring, KTV screen, microphones, unlimited reverb and seasonal fruit platter. For the racier, there’s a wet hall with roughly ten disco-lit personal pools encircling a podium complete with floor-to-ceiling pole, 'hired entertainment' and a Gongti-style bar that delivers drinks to your pool.

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