Years of planning at the Hale Bathhouse have finally come to fruition.
"Bath House Row is a very special place,” Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe said.
McCabe and his wife have helped revitalize the downtown Hot Springs area by taking the once vacant building and creating it into Hotel Hale.
"We looked at the Ozark and came back to the Hale every time,” said McCabe.
Operations ceased back in the '70s. Hale Bathhouse sat empty until the McCabe’s began working on the project in 2013.
We got an inside look at the hotel that used natural water that Hot Springs is famous for.
If you take a few turns in the building, a secret cave is still in tact where people used to go for health benefits.
The hotel has two unique, upscale restaurants that don’t use ice.
"All of our table water that we serve is thermal water,” said McCabe. “We use chill glasses.”
Upstairs is the nine boutique style rooms with either nature or city views, and of course, the special water.
"Each room has a soaking tub with Hot Springs National Park thermal water,” McCabe said.
The McCabe’s maintained the historic fabric of the building, including the original pine floors throughout, but they also added more modern features.
McCabe said he's not looking to compete with others around him, but add to the fun and growth of downtown.
"They are not going to stay on our property the entire time. They are going to go across the street and eat, find other attractions," he said.
Now that Hale Bathouse has a new purpose, there’s just one empty space left on Bath House Row, which is the Maurice.