Steaming hot spring
2 min readNot far from the center of Yingkou is the area of Gaizhou, the home to one of the more developed hot spring valleys and one of the 50 designated hot spring towns the Liaoning government has put their support behind.
Rainbow Valley
Not far from the center of Yingkou is the area of Gaizhou, the home to one of the more developed hot spring valleys and one of the 50 designated hot spring towns the Liaoning government has put their support behind. It was here at the Rainbow Valley Hot Spring Hotel where I got to explore one of the largest hot spring areas and facilities in my journey through the province.
Coming into the town at dusk I was only able to get a cursory view of the burgeoning hot spring industry, but it was rather eye opening. Running through the valley was a newly seeded golf course peaked with a very fine ski slope. Both of these facilities were top notch.
However, it was the dozens of resorts that peppered the hillsides that were the most impressive. Each resort was in a different style including Japanese, Swiss, German, Austrian and others to cater to different tastes and desires. The winding hillsides are set up for driving but many of the resorts in the valley are going to be linked together by a tourist train that was built to resemble an old European steam locomotive. All very picturesque indeed.
When I finally pulled up to the Rainbow Valley Hot Spring Hotel after my mountainside tour the sun had fully set and I along with several of my companions were set to venture out into the cold night once again.After getting my requisite electronic key and changing into my swimsuit I ventured down a series of escalators to the large indoor swimming area.Here inside the large pyramid shaped hall was a large swimming pool filled with hot spring water flanked by several stories of hotel rooms，meeting rooms and dining areas.Several wading pools and sitting pools of different medicinal uses encircled the pool as well as a very large steam room.
I really enjoy steam rooms.There is a bit of lore to a steam room that makes it appealing to me.The only time I ever saw a steam room in use was in movies when a bunch of rich bankers or captains of industry held a private meeting inside to discuss their next corporate takeover.There is something very old world about them as well as the idea that it is a place for the rich and powerful to meet.Inside the steam room here at Rainbow Valley I sat with about a half dozen guests who seemed to have been sitting there all night enjoying what the resort had to offer.It was here that I got a bit of insight into what makes hot springs so popular to the local people.
