As it gets colder, hot spring resorts enter into their high season. With so many of them on the market, how can you tell the good ones from the bad? Do not worry. We will advise you on what you need to know about hot springs.

What are real hot springs like?

"Hot springs, according to national standards, should have a temperature higher than 34℃ (93.2 ℉), and contain chemical constituents beneficial to the human body, such as fluorine, metasilicate, lithium, strontium and radon. Their PH (potential for hydrogen) value and mineralization are also important criteria.”

— Liang Chisheng, head of the prospecting department of the Guangdong Geological Bureau

What does it feel like to bathe in real hot spring pools?

1. Bathing in real hot spring pools won’t wrinkle your skin and your fingers, but smooth them, especially when you bathe in hot spring water rich in minerals.
2. Real hot spring water smells a little like rotten eggs.
3. You easily can feel the buoyancy.
4. Normally, if the temperature of the spring water would reach 50-60℃ (122-140 ℉), a yellow layer of calcium fluoride can be seen built up at corners or edges of the pool.