Soak your winter blues away at these Beijing hot springs
We tested the waters to find some of the best hot springs to wash away winter blues
A hotbed of geothermal activity, Beijing is blessed with the gift of hot springs. Full of all manner of minerals, these steamin' pools are a great way to escape (if only temporarily) the onslaught of winter.
The tumbling mercury can mean only one thing: it's time to take a dip at one (or all) of these hot springs. We've checked them out with a view to a day trip in mind, but if you're after a multi-day bathing bender, nearly all offer overnight stays in a variety of rooms.
Chun Hui Yuan Hot Spring Resort
Photo: Chun Hui Yuan/WeChat
What’s it like?
Chun Hui Yuan (春晖园温泉度假村) bucks the trend in the world of Beijing hot springs, forgoing kitsch adornments and faux tropical scenes for something more stylish, with classic wooden trellises and sleek stone furnishings dominating the decor. The baths are divided into three areas – one indoors, two outdoors – and vary in size with plenty of options for both couples looking for a bit of privacy and large groups. The Garden Baths garner the most attention: ten steaming open-air pools offer different types of aromatic-infused waters to help relaxation; stay here into the evening for a soak under the stars. The next-door Lakeside Baths shouldn’t be missed either, offering views of Chun Hui Yuan Hotel’s grounds beyond.
Facilities
Alongside the 30-odd baths, Chun Hui Yuan has a heated indoor swimming pool, hot stone resting beds, steam rooms and saunas – the ‘hot’ sauna even has a plunge pool and television for optimum chill time. There’s an onsite spa offering a range of treatments, including a foot massage and a whole-body oil massage.
Feng Shan Hot Spring Paradise
Photo: Feng Shan Hot Spring Paradise/WeChat
What’s it like?
Feng Shan (金隅凤山温泉度假村) offers paradise from the perspective of a particularly sleazy toddler, with a landscape of concrete caves, plastic rocks, frog-shaped fountains and semi-submersed basketball hoops. Grin and embrace it, because it’s huge, it’s tasteless, 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 fairy lights 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
Photo: Longxi Hotspring Resort/WeChat
What’s it like?
Here at Longxi Hotspring Resort (龙熙温泉度假酒店), a 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).
Jiuhua Hot Spring
What’s it like?
Though purportedly situated on a site where emperors past used to revel in toasty volcanic aqua, the recent renovations at Jiuhua (九华山庄) have left it with more of a lido-cum-spa feel, so a connection with nature feels 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
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 supposedly 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.
For more things to do in Beijing this winter, hit 'Read more'.
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