Bath Mineral Spring And Botanical Garden

Bath Mineral Spring And Botanical Garden: Bath Mineral Spring and Botanical Garden are in Saint Thomas, Jamaica. The mineral spring is said to have healing properties, and people worldwide have been going there for over three hundred years, seeking a cure for their ailments. Tests by scientists support such claims; chemical analysis of the water shows a concentration of the elements in the table below.

Elements in the water	Hot	Cold
Calcium	2.60	5.02
Magnesium	0.15	0.98
Sodium	14.00	10.45
Sulphate	11.10	3.41
Bi-Carbonate	1.68	10.98
Silicate	3.70	4.90
Chloride	18.00	19.00

 

Water Chemical Analysis At Bath Mineral Spring

Bath Mineral Spring has healed people suffering from gout, rheumatism, fever, and skin diseases. However, scientists recommend that you soak for about 20 minutes and ingest some water to receive maximum benefit.  The Botanical Garden came about after wealthy settlers moved into the community about a half-mile from the spring. The garden started as a place for them to relax after a trip to the mineral bath.

It is the second oldest botanical garden in the western hemisphere and was a nursery for most plants introduced to Jamaica.  According to folktales, a runaway slave named Jacob discovered Bath Mineral Spring. He suffered from bed ulcers on his legs. While hiding, he saw water gushing from a rock, forming a pool below. He liked it and returned for frequent soaks. His soars healed after some time; he was astonished.

Excited about his discovery, Jacob braved the wrath of his master, Colonel Stanton, returned, and reported the magical healing properties of the water. Bath Mineral Spring gets hot because of geothermal heat—heat from the earth’s interior. In volcanic areas, water may come into contact with scorching rock heated by magma. Hot springs in active volcanic zones may produce superheated water so hot that immersion can result in injury or death.

In non-volcanic areas like Saint Thomas, Jamaica, the temperature of rocks within the earth also increases with depth. This temperature increase is known as the Geothermal Gradient.

Botanical Garden and Its Rich History

Water percolates deeply into the crust, comes into contact with hot rocks, and circulates to the surface to form hot springs. The most popular thing to do at Bath Mineral Spring is to soak or get a massage in the hot spring. However, some might feel uncomfortable having strangers touch their bodies. If you are one of those people, you can get a bath under one of the bamboo showers or go for a splash.

Explore the river and look for swimming holes. The water is crystal clear and inviting; finding suitable swimming spots might be challenging. Also, there is a contrast between the temperature of the spring and the river. While the mineral spring is almost scoring, the river is cold like ice.  When we last visited, groups of people were cooking and hanging out by the river. A guide told me that they party at the river even at night during moonshine.

Bath Mineral Spring and Botanical Garden are free and open to the public. However, massage in the spring is not free. Cost depends on your negotiation skills. Local rates range from upwards of $3,000 JM and can cost foreigners up to $150 US.

Advice

Negotiate the cost for service before accepting. Locals will insist on you getting a massage while avoiding discussing the price. As a result, you might be surprised with a hefty bill at the end.  The Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa is the most convenient place to enjoy the healing waters of Bath Mineral Spring. This sixteen-room property is close to the spring. Huge pipes running from the spring deliver water to the baths at the hotel, which you can access once you book a room—price ranges from upwards of $5,500JM.

This property has thirteen mineral baths consisting of eight Roman and five Jacuzzis, a gymnasium, a massage beauty parlor, and a restaurant. Getting to Bath in Saint Thomas will take about two hours from Kingston if you use private transport. Not because it is far, but because of the road condition. It is only about 65km from Kingston. Getting there by public transport will take a lot longer. Once you get to Marant Bay, Saint Thomas’s capital, you can go anywhere in the parish. However, getting to the mineral spring from Bath Village by public transport might be difficult even though it is about 2 kilometers away.

Bath Mineral Spring is easy to find. Google Maps will point you in the right direction, although it might show you the longer route, which might take you an extra five minutes to reach. You might also lose your cellphone signal on the way to the mineral spring from Bath Village. However, nothing to worry about; staying on a straight path will get you to Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa.

Geothermal Wonders: Why Bath Mineral Spring Gets Hot

Bath Mineral Spring and Botanical Garden have been on my bucket list for years, but I never got the chance to visit them. Until recently, I had no plans; it was just the spur of the moment. Cooped up in the house for months because of the pandemic, I decided to explore Kingston as soon as the restrictions eased. Over the years, I have visited many attractions in Kingston, but not many since I started blogging. Then they were just places I went to with friends or family never saw them as tourist attractions or locations people would find interesting.

Hope Gardens, Emancipation Park, and Devon House are my favorite chill spots in Kingston; I have fond memories of these places. I have recently started to appreciate Port Royal, just outside Kingston, and the Waterfront Down Kingston. I want to check out Rockfort Mineral Bath because I haven’t been there in ages. Dip in the pool, and take a few photos to check out the property to include in my blog on tourist attractions in Kingston. But it was closed.

Not wanting to waste an opportunity to explore, I started thinking of options. So Bath Mineral Spring was a great choice. I have been to Saint Thomas several times and am familiar with the roller coaster-like road. The narrow streets, deep corners, potholes, and colossal sand trucks. Getting there felt like going to another country where the government neglected its responsibility. It was night and day compared to the north coast, south coast, Saint Catherine, and Kingston.

Activities at Bath Mineral Spring: Soaking, Massages, and More

The five-minute walk from the road on the dirt track which runs along the riverbank can be difficult if you are unfit. I was surprised to see that the place was so underdeveloped. No official guide or sign was directing you—only one makeshift changing room, which only females use. No doors or privacy anyone above on the hillside could watch you change.  Many locals offered massages, using persuasive tactics to get you to accept and, simultaneously, refusing to discuss the cost of their service.

I knew what they were trying to do, and it was a big turn-off. But, having trained in massage therapy, I realized some people did not know what they were doing.  The hot water from the spring was almost scorching; I enjoyed standing under the makeshift shower, which gives a good water massage. However, there was a contrast in the water temperature; while the hot spring was almost unbearable, sections of the river felt very cold.

Chickens from homes nearby homes roamed freely. No one knows the name of the large trees with unusual fruits because they have no labels.

The pavilion on the property is an excellent place to chill, drink, and chat with friends. The enormous trees shade the entire property, almost blocking out the sun. Some trees seem to be a few hundred years old. Some I have never seen anywhere else on the island. I was surprised that the property was so small. I expected a vast site similar to Hope or Castleton Garden.

Navigating to Bath: Tips for Travelers

The ruins of an old stone building used to be a courthouse that fire destroyed. Although Bath Botanical Garden is excellent, you don’t get the same serenity as other gardens because of its size, proximity to the main road the homes close nearby. Talking with a few residents, I learned that Bath is a peaceful community, and crime is very low. However, there have been incidents at the mineral bath where valuables have gone missing. So visitors needed to be mindful.

Locals like the informal setting of the attraction; all attempts made the formalize things failed because they did not participate. There have even been offers of free training in therapeutic massage, but only a few persons turned up for instruction. So only a few persons are formally trained in massage therapy. To get to prospective customers before the competition, they trail visitors from the town. Unfortunately, this practice scared many people away from the attraction. Some have even made reports at the Bath police station.

If you plan to visit Bath Mineral Spring and get a massage in the hot spring, negotiate your price before starting.  At the turn of Bath Mineral Spring, you will encounter a person at the intersection asking for a ride to the spring. Depending on the time of day, there might be a large group. Don’t be too alarmed if they seem overly aggressive. They are just locals trying to make a few bucks by offering their massage service. Do not stop to give anybody a ride; continue on your way.

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