Taipei - Beitou Hot Spring Town (2) - Hot Spring Museum

If you want to know what an old Spa looks like, you should visit Beitou Hot Spring Museum.

After an exotic walk in the tropical plants in Beitou Hot Spring Park, you shouldn't miss the English style house with red bricks on your right hand side as you continue on Chungshan Rd.

History
The free of entry museum, built in 1913 by Taiwan's Japanese Colonial Governor, was originally known as the Beitou Public Bath as it is the largest public bath place during the time. The public bath was so famous that Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, known as the father of modern China, and crown prince of Japan had both visited the place.

Tour
To preserve the floor of the building, visitors are required to take the shoes off and intead wear the slippers provided by the museum personnals. The brochure provides information and detail map of the museum. An one to two hour self guided tour will take you to 6 exhibition areas and 12 display rooms that includes the precious Beitou Stone (the hotspring stone), the gathering place with Tatami-type floor and Roman style bath place. While you are at the main bath place, pay attention to the green painted window(1) and the holes on the wall(2).

Information
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am till 5 pm. It's located at No. 2 Chungshan Rd. in Beitou district of Taipei. It's easily accessble from the Xinbeitou MRT station with a short walk along Chungshan Rd.
You may call for more information (02)2893-9981.

Mystery #1 - Green Painted Window
The sealed window was used to collect entrace tickets to the bath. It was also used to distribute towels for the people in the bath.

Mystery #2 - Holes on the Wall
The holes were not drilled by visitors so don't drill any hole on the wall. The holes were made to inject special chemicals to preserve the building materials. Most holes are sealed already while few are still left to let the visitor know how the building is preserved.

Taipei - Beitou Hotspring Town (1) - Beitou Hot Spring Park

Beitou, known as the Hotspring Town, is a popular weekend getaway at northend of Taipei city.

Just 20 minutes away from Taipei' Train Station by MRT or Metro Rapid Transit, Beitou provides a perfect relaxing spot for the stressful white-collars working in the political and commercial capital of Taiwan.

The enchanting journey to the easy accessible Hotspring Town begins at the Xinbeitou (New Beitou) MRT station. Across the street to the station is the entrance to a park known as Beitou Hotspring Park.

Beitou Hotspring Park serves as the green refugee for the local residence. However even visitors like you and me may also find some surprises there such as tropical plants, green maze, and a creek running from the hotspring. Of course along the way you will be enjoying sulfur air, not fresh air as you get closer and loser to the source of the hotspring.

Along the way don't forget to stop by the Native Art Museum along Chungshan Road which contains art exhibits of Taiwan's 9 largest native tribes. The exhibits contains information of the tribes as well as folks art.
Where: Beitou Discrict, Taipei, Taiwan