Sembawang Hot Spring Park

The Sembawang spring was found in 1909 on a pineapple estate and has been used informally ever since, at one point bottled as mineral water, and for decades it sat inside a military area with an unofficial pipe that people queued at. It was reopened as a park in 2020 with a cascading pool that steps the water down as it cools, a foot bath at the bottom and a collection point at the top where the traditional practice of boiling eggs in the water continues.

Background

Seah Eng Keong, son of the pioneer Seah Liang Seah, found the springs in 1909 on his pineapple estate, and the three sources were later channelled into one. Fraser & Neave bought the site in 1922 and bottled the mineral water at nearby Semangat Ayer under the name Seletaris. In 1960 gamblers came to take "good luck" baths before horse races. Tests found 420 mg of chloride per litre and three times more sulphide than tap water, and the water emerges at a constant 70 °C. A 1994 study put the yield at approximately 150 L per minute. The park covers 1.1 hectares and was reopened by the National Parks Board on 4 January 2020.

Source: Wikipedia, "Sembawang Hot Spring Park"

What you'll find

• The cascading pool - water stepped down through basins as it cools.
• The foot bath - the coolest basin at the bottom, used for soaking feet.
• The egg boiling - the local habit of cooking eggs at the hot collection point.
• The spring source - Singapore's only natural hot spring on the mainland.

When to go

Year round; the park opens early and mornings are when the regulars come. Weekends are crowded. Afternoon storms are frequent.

Practical notes

The water at the top is genuinely scalding and burns happen. Full-body bathing is not permitted, only feet. Weekend crowds fill the small pool area.

Nearby

Woodlands Waterfront is west, and Sembawang Park is north.

Key facts