Immerse yourself in hot springs in Taiwan

Most people will associate natural hot springs (温泉) with Japan. But you can find many hot springs in Taiwan too, mainly clustered in the northern part of Taiwan around Taipei.

My most pleasurable experience was soaking in the natural hot spring at WenShan (文山温泉) in Taroko National Park, while the heavens shed buckets, and a stream flowed by just below the cave. In fact, there is a confluence zone just below the cave, where the hot spring water and the cold stream water mixed together to provide a moderately warm pool of water for you to soak in.

Around Taipei, public baths can be found around YangMingShan (陽明山國家公園) and XinBeiTou (新北投). Mostly elderly gentlemen congregate at the free hot spring public bath at YangMingShan. At XinBeiTou, you are spoilt for hot spring bath options.

One of the hidden gems is LongNaiTang(瀧乃湯) at BeiTou Hot Spring Park (北投溫泉公園), which is within walking distance from XinBeiTou MRT station. In fact, this place is highly recommended by the locals. Unlike the public bath at YangMingShan, LongNaiTang is patronised by people of all ages, from young children, teenagers, young adults to senior citizens.

LongNaiTang(瀧乃湯)

The Taiwanese term for soaking yourself in hot spring is paotang (泡汤).  There are separate baths for males and females. The fee now is NT 90 for adults, and NT 50 for children.

Entrance to LongNaiTang

There are rules regarding usage of the hot spring baths.

So what are these rules:

1. People with infectious diseases are prohibited from bathing;
2. People who appear drunk from excessive drinking are prohibited from bathing;
3. People with pets are prohibited from bathing;
4. People suffering from hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases should not be bathing;
5. People with malignant tumors or suffering from sclerosis should not be bathing;
6. People with hemophilia, skin sensitivity and sensory impairments are not suited to bathe;
7. People suffering from ailments listed in no. 4 to 6 shall heed the guidance of healthcare professionals before entering the bath;
8. You are not encouraged to enter the bath after a full meal or with an empty stomach;
9. Please shower thoroughly and remove make-up before entering the bath;
10. Soak yourself in the bath between 3 to 5 minutes each time;
11. Elderly and young children should be accompanied by adults when entering the bath;
12. If you feel unwell during the bath, please inform the service personnel immediately.

Do heed these rules for your own safety and others. With regard to item 10, young males are discouraged from testing their human limits by immersing themselves in the hot spring bath for more than 5 minutes each time, as this may impair their reproductive organs.

Wishing you a pleasurable experience during your next visit to a hot spring!