Buckstaff Bathhouse

The Buckstaff opened on February 1, 1912, and the National Park Service says it has operated continuously since. Frank W. Gibb and Company designed it in the Edwardian classical style, with Doric columns, urns and taupe brick under white stucco. It cost $125,000 and holds 27,000 square feet on three main floors, with Colorado marble throughout, hexagonal tile floors and the original elevator. The name comes from George and Milo Buckstaff, the controlling shareholders, and the building replaced the Rammelsberg Bathhouse.

Inside, the Park Service calls it the only bathhouse on the row that offers a traditional bathing experience, and it was first known for a large hydrotherapy department. It could serve 1,000 bathers a day. In 1946, the Encyclopedia of Arkansas says, more than a million baths were taken on Bathhouse Row, a number that fell steadily afterward. Baths and massages here are walk-in only, and the bathhouse closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Easter Sunday.

The operator is changing. On September 22, 2026, the Park Service announced that Historic Baths, LLC won a 10-year contract expected to start on January 1, 2027, and said it did not expect any interruption in service. The Buckstaff Bath House Company has announced the end of its concession after 114 years. Confirm hours before you go.