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Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Sembawang Hot Spring Park - Singapore's best natural foot spa

We have heard so much about the Hot Spring Park at Sembawang even before it was closed for renovation works. When it was reopened to the public in 2020, it was one of our top venue to visit but due to the sudden outbreak of Covid-19, we shelved our plans again till Phase 3.  


How to get there
By Bus
The nearest bus stops to Sembawang Hot Spring Park would be 
1) Blk 114 Yishun Ring Road (Bus Stop ID: 57129) 
Bus Number - 167, 167e, 800, 811 (A), 856, 858 (A), 859, 969, 980

2) Sembawang Road - Opposite Blk 115B Yishun Ring Road (Bus Stop ID: 57121)
Bus Number - 167e, 856, 858, 859, 969, 980

Takes about 8-10 mins walk from the bus stop to the park.

By Car
There is no carpark within the Hot Spring Park. The nearest carpark will be at Blk 114 Yishun Ring Road. Takes about 8 minutes to walk to the park from the carpark.




Carpark at Blk 114 Yishun Ring Road

Take the stairs down to the traffic light junction and cross to walk towards Sembawang Hot Spring

Visiting Tips

To be honest, we were not very prepared on our first visit and only brought eggs along to cook and make hot spring eggs. As we made our way to the park, we spotted many bringing pails, foldable buckets, towels etc. 

Tips:
1) Go early (avoid weekends)
Despite its ulu location, don't be surprise that there are a group of die-hard fans who visit the hot spring park mostly daily without fail - even waiting for its opening at 7am sharp. We prefer to go earlier to get a good spot (if we are lucky - a sheltered one) and also to avoid to sun as it gets hotter in the later morning. Have not tried visiting in the evenings but it will be nice to take hot spring eggs for breakfast :)

2) Wear Light and Keep Hydrated
The hot spring park is not near to MRT stations/shopping malls. Good to wear light and shorts (especially if you wish to soak your feet) and bring along bottled drinks to keep yourself hydrated along the way. 

3) What to bring
As much as I wanted to say travel light, but if you are really keen to have your foot spa and make your hot spring eggs, then you will need to bring along your own buckets/pail especially with social distancing in mind.

- Bucket/pail/foldable foot tub (So that you can store the hot spring water and bring to a spot where you can soak your feet into)
- Scoop 
- Towel (I find it helpful to have a towel for wiping and apply hot compress on areas that need rejuvenation)
- Eggs
- Pepper, Soy Sauce, Disposable bowl/spoon 

We brought along some bread too in case we got too hungry cos it takes a long time while waiting for the hot spring eggs to be ready.




Sembawang Hot Spring Park is located off Gambas Avenue and upon reaching the entrance, we are welcomed by the floral walk leading into the park. Along the pathway are fruit orchards and you may spot some of the familiar fruit trees like Rose Apple and Mango.  


Beautiful flora and fauna


An overview chart of Sembawang Hot Spring history

According to an article in The Straits Time dated back in 1908, the spring was discovered by a Municipal ranger, W. A. B. Goodall. The grounds were owned by Chinese merchant Seah Eng Keong who saw its commercial possibilities and sent samples of the spring water to Europe for testing. After the water was proven safe for drinking, he he established a company to sell water, later renamed Singapore Hot Springs Limited. The hot spring, named Seletar Hot Spring became a tourist attraction.

During the Japanese Occupation, thermal baths were built around the spring and it became recreational grounds for the officers. In 1944, the spring was damaged during a bombing raid and it was only in the 1960s that the water began flowing in greater volumes again. 

FOOT BATH

A cascading pool where hot spring-goers can enjoy a foot bath. Hot spring water emerges from the top through a geothermal vein at ~70°C and gradually flows down via the four shallow, tiered pools - each wider than the one before it. The water at the lowest pool will be at ~40°C which is the optimal and stable temperature for contact with skin. You can see the steam oozing out from the top!


These stones are at about 70°C! I noticed some wrapped the towel over the stone and put it into their bucket/pail - maybe to retain the temperature of their water. Do be careful when handling as it is REALLY HOT! Alternatively, visitors can fill their buckets with water from the deeper troughs in the higher tiers if they prefer to have warmer hot spring water. 

At the lowest tier, there is also a difference in temperature. If you can take the heat, the water near the stone area is hotter than the other end.  


Make sure you clean your feet at the cleaning zone first before going for the foot bath for hygiene purpose.


Guidelines for using the hot spring - including not bringing your laundry here for washing!


It is really SHIOK to go for the foot bath and relax our tired feet. We brought our pail and towels on our second trip to have our own personal foot bath and warm compress.


HOT SPRING WATER COLLECTION + EGG COOKING STATION

The main water collection area is actually at the Egg Cooking station. It caters for all containers and is at various heights and spaced out so that visitors can fill their containers safely and efficiently.


But most of the time, the area is already packed with containers filled with eggs :)



We tried making our hot spring eggs on two occasions and experts there advised us that 

1) Do not use eggs that are taken out fresh from the fridge
2) It takes about 40-50 minutes to have a nice half boiled egg (Don't expect to get a hard boiled egg)
3) Be Patient and prepare your own soya sauce/pepper if you like to add touches to your eggs


Put your eggs into the container and let it run under the hot spring water for 40-50 minutes


Nicely cooked half-boiled eggs

Before leaving, make sure to empty the unwanted hot spring water into the drains and not back into the pool. Clean up your trash after use and don't leave litter behind. 


In case you are still hungry, you can head to Sembawang Eating House which offers local breakfast like nasi lemak, toast and more eggs.


Sembawang Hot Spring Park
Opening Hours: 7am to 7pm



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