The Ruisui Hot Spring is very rare kind. It is the only carbonate spring in Taiwan rich in iron and barium. Iron oxidizes and forms a layer of turbid yellow crystal with slight rust on the water surface, the so-called “Hot Spring Flower.” The spring water is golden in color and is as famous as “Arima Onsen,” near Kobe, Japan. It was once called the “golden spring” by Japanese colonists during the Japanese rule of Taiwan; nowadays, it is a must-visit destination for many Japanese tourists who love taking hot spring baths. The Ruisui Hot Spring is with higher PH level. According to a local legend, couples soaking in the weakly alkaline hot spring, the wife would have more chances of conceiving a boy; that’s why it won the nickname “Shengnan Onsen (meaning the hot spring helps women have a baby boy.”
Hot springs in Hualien are famous far and wide and the must-visit feature of the East Rift Valley. The Ruisui Hot Spring is Taiwan’s unique “hero spa” of “carbonate minerals”.