The traditional winter hot spring soak is a classic form of leisure in North China, so, naturally, Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, is putting on a Hot Spring Health and Leisure Festival this winter, with Xibaipo Hot Spring City as the center, and leisure activities at Bailu Hot Spring, Xiyuan Hot Spring, and various tourist hotels.

"Beauty Bay" of Bailu Hot Spring (Photoed by Liu Xiang)

Xibaipo Hot Spring City is located in the town of Wentang, near Shijiazhuang and is part of the town’s program to build itself into a famous ecological tourism resort for travelers, vacation, health and conferences.

Bailu Hot Spring, also in Wentang, covers a more than 40-hectare area and is rated a AAAA scenic area. The work cost 500 million yuan. This is the first new type of comprehensive scenic resort in North China, one that integrates the hot spring with a water park, healthcare center, ecological tourism facilities, and good support facilities for accommodation, catering, entertainment, shopping, and meetings.

The hot spring uses natural underground spring water at a constant temperature of 70°C. The water contains more than 30 types of minerals and trace elements and is beneficial to the health and skin and has a good curative effect for various types of ailments such as arthritis and rheumatism.

The 47 hot springs here, in different sizes and styles, all send out soothing heat in winter, while the area around the pools is blanketed in white snow. Bathing in the hot springs can be so relaxing that you may feel you’re in paradise.

The Bailu Hot Spring has a lounge area with magazines, newspapers, beverages, fruits, dessert items and various forms of entertainment, such as table tennis, billiards, shuffleboard, a cybercafé, and a gym. The activity area has many big water delights such as a wave pool, slides, and swimming pools. It also provides healthcare services, such as massages, health clinic, TCM physiotherapy, and a Nanyang SPA package. The rustic wooden bath-houses and hot springs with the special added ingredients create a great new hot spring area.

Hilltop suite in Bailu Hot Spring (Photoed by Liu Xiang)

The Bailu Hot Spring environment is both elegant and cozy and has more than 200 deluxe guest rooms, 10 stylish villas and 64 hilltop suites spreading across the hilltops to give it a look lof idyllic beauty. The Chinese restaurant can accommodate 500 people and tourists can enjoy various dishes and local snacks as well.

Bailu Hot Sring sits next to the Xibaipo ski resort, for a classic “skiing - hot spring” package for tourists.

By Liu Xiang