Hot Springs National Park - National Park Service Director Signs Quapaw Bathhouse Lease (U.S. National Park Service)

Superintendent Josie Fernandez, NPS
Director Mary Bomar, and NPS Midwest Region Director Ernie Quintana sign the lease on round table covered with white tablecloth.

NPS Photo

Hot Springs National Park Superintendent Josie Fernandez, National Park Service Director Mary Bomar, and NPS Midwest Region Director Ernie Quintana

| What is RSS

Date: April 23, 2007
Contact: Diane East, 501-623-2824

A lease that will lead to the 2008 re-opening of the historic Quapaw Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park was signed April 20 by National Park Service Director Mary Bomar. The lease is the culmination of over 1 1/2 years of diligent negotiations between the NPS and local developers.

Quapaw Baths LLC will develop a family-style bathhouse featuring large capacity public thermal water pools with fountains and whirlpools, a semi-private tub area, a steam cave sauna with cool plunge pool, a day spa with massage and beauty treatments, and a small retail operation.

“This is the first of several leases we expect to sign in the near future in our effort to establish more public/private partnerships to revitalize Bathhouse Row,” said Josie Fernandez, Hot Springs National Park Superintendent. “We are also negotiating a lease with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Hot Springs, a non-profit organization interested in establishing a museum in the Ozark Bathhouse.”

“The park staff and the new lessee have persevered in negotiating the lease to return this architecturally unique historic building to its original intended use,” said Ernest Quintana, NPS Midwest Regional Director. “The terms of this lease will allow Quapaw Baths LLC to not only restore the structure, but also to operate a viable and successful business in a national park.”

Renovations in the Quapaw Bathhouse will reflect the developers’ commitment to the preservation of the facility for its historic use while providing modern features and accommodations. Quapaw Baths LLC will provide affordable access to the famous Hot Springs National Park thermal waters as the only local spa facility with communal bathing on Bathhouse Row.

The Buckstaff Bathhouse, which has been in continuous operation since 1912, offers visitors therapeutic bathing in individual bathtubs, with attendants assisting them through the traditional bathing experience.

The Quapaw Bathhouse lobby and retail shop are planned to be open by late summer 2007. A grand opening is anticipated in spring 2008.