World's top 5?

Inner Mongolia (or Nei Mongol) is another of the huge automonous regions of China. Inner Mongolia borders Mongolia, to the west of Beijing. H

In the regions capital Hohhot one can stay at the Water Moon Hotspring hotel, tripadvisor states, though I'm not totally certain whether or not that really is the case.

World famous Wiener
Apparently it was once stated on internet that once used to state:

'There are many hot springs in Inner Mongolia, including the world famous five'.

However, whether this info is now considered useless or whether it's just a case of the internet evolving in directions unknown it remains a question. However if true, the hot spring named Wiener Creek is just one of those 5. The Chinatravel website used to add to the above sentence:

'Located in the middle of Xilu Wei Nahan Daxinganling mountains mountains in the Wiener River mineral field, there are seven springs arranged in the context of more than ten square meters, and some very clear and clean spring water, some were white, some brown-yellow, water temperature were 2 ° ~ 6 ° C, the water quality with world-famous French spa Vichy comparable. They generate strong in much of ancient Tertiary volcanic activity, was Mongolia, Oroqen, Ewenki called “Shen Shui.” Have been developed using universal spring, spring stomach, acid springs, the heart of spring (above 4 springs for drinking spring), the first spring, ear, nose spring, seven medicinal springs bathing spring, about 40 tons per day and night flow can be bath treatment for 45 thousand people used to drink. Mineral water contains more than 230 kinds of minerals, on dozens of chronic diseases have a significant effect'.

Natgeo
The UNESCO designated Hexigten National Geopark contains the Reshuitang thermal spring, another of the mentioned 'world famous five' as well as a number of other geological phenomena. 
Reshuitang is located 30 km north of Jingpeng. Jingpeng is the site of a famous railway pass. According to tripadvisor there is a hotel named Yangguan Hot Spring Hotel. 
More on Reshui can be found here including this last sentence:

'At present, there have been 10 hot spring sanatoriums. This hot spring town which is beside the mountain and water has beautiful scenes'.

This website adds:

'The hot spring was developed 1.000 years ago.In the Liao Dynasty Emperor Taizong and his successors had baths in the spring water In 1686, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty visited the hot spring and took a bath. The site where the Qing emperor bathed remains today'.

Visitors though might want to look up the info on tripadvisor. As this recent poster experiences:

'Unfortunately the hot springs in the town square have been closed for many years and the hot springs in a big hotel with a hot swimming pool were also closed.

...

The huge stone at the entrance of the town announced that this town is famous for hot springs, but no hot springs were open, apparently they only open in May. So don't go there before May, at least I could find a hotel with hot baths, so that was my hot springs experience!! '

More fame
On Ning hot spring, another of those famous 5, there is nothing additional mentioned.

On the hot spring of Liangcheng located near Daihai Lake, Liangcheng county

'Located in the mountains of central Inner Mongolia, Han Liangcheng Daihai very hot, because legend of Emperor Kangxi, when the patrol side spring mount thirst in this plane, also known as “spring plow horse,” Temple has been built Yongxiang, aristocrats, celebrities Ascot and the monk Lama bathing resort of convalescence. Underground water is a sodium bicarbonate-based weak mineralization of water, water temperature 37 ° ~ 38 ° C, rich in lithium, zinc, strontium, radium, metasilicate, selenium, iron, magnesium, sulfur and other chemical elements and minerals substances, rheumatism, rheumatoid, skin diseases, low back pain, dry skin and other diseases have a significant effect'. source

Apparently there's now a hotel named Daihai Hot Spring Hotel. What can one expect? 

'Daihai Tourist Area is mainly composed of three parts - Daihai Hot Spring Resort, Daihai Tourist Resort and Daihai Hot Spring Hotel. In recent years, great investment has been made on the Daihai Scenic Area. It has built several hotels, Daihai Tourist Center, Daihai Spa City, Daihai Ski Resort and Daihai Cultural Tourism School and other projects. Now the 130 square km area around Daihai Lake is a suitable place for leisure, conference and sightseeing.
Daihai Hot Spring Resort( or Daihai Spa City) is just 500meters north of Daihai Hot Spring Hotel, about 10km in the west of Liangcheng County. The Daihai Hot Spring Resort is a Japanese style garden building with 4 indoor hot spring pools. The Daihai Spa City is located at the foot of Manhan Mountain with plentiful hot spring resources. The hot spring temperature is mild and comfortable ranging from 40 degrees to 60 degrees. There are 17 kinds of minor elements in the hot spring water. It is good for the treatment of the pain in low back and legs with rheumatism. The Daihai Hot Spring is often regarded as "Holy Hot Spring Beyond the Great Wall".

The accompanying photo's though reveal a rather dour inside soaking area with yes a fake Japanese touch. This blogger has visited here and leaves this strange comment:

'Otherwise I loved Liangcheng (well one of the small villages surrounding area): we stayed in a Japanese style hotel with its hot springs, almost every family has its own dairy cow, and it’s incredibly easy!'

And a top ski
Arxan (Aershan) is the most mentioned hot spring in Inner Mongolia. Better known for it's ski area (see Ten Best Places for Skiing in China), Arxan is apparently also home to a hot spring museum. I'm not totally sure if this is what a museum means:

'The museum will feature different sites including the Arxan hot springs, volcanoes, as well as bizarre lakes and stones.

The museum locates outside Arxan city, a Chinese frontier town southwest to Daxinganling Region, the city boasts the largest and best-kept volcano basalt physiognomy and the world's largest hot springs used for drinking and bathing.

One of the area's most spectacular sites is a concentration of 48 hot springs that are classified into three different types and four different temperature levels'.(source)

Another aspect that makes Arxan hot springs famous are that it is the largest group of radon hot springs in China (source, link not functional). It is also noted that the local stream is ice-free during winter (source).

Despite all the factual claims to fame there seems precious little photographic evidence of any soaking available. A couple of indoor sites fake Japanese style. One going by the name Haishen Hotspring Hotel (located on Hotspring street). Though this seems attractive enough:

Arxan seems a great place to do nothing:

'AereShan is a famous Mongolian hot Springs area. There is a hot spring for every body organ. The area is all beautiful mountains. We went for a drive into the mountains and wow. Wild flowers. Rivers. Mountains. There is not much to see in the town, so this is an area to relax, use the hot springs, and learn the history'.

That description seems quite compelling. Whether or not this will remain is possible not the case. A recent news article suggested that Aershan will be the focus of Sino-Icelandic geothermal investment.

Blind faith in back to nature?

Chongqing 

As well as being provincial capital Chongqing was formerly a part of Sichuan province.

It is said that Chongqing is famous for it's hot springs:

'There are dozens of them located throughout the city. The water temperatures at them are kept at 35-37 degrees Celsius (95-98 degrees Fahrenheit). People have been coming to Chongqing for centuries to visit the local hot springs due to the high mineral content of the waters. It is said that the alkali minerals found in the waters have beneficial medicinal properties, which are said to be effective in curing arthritis, and skin diseases'.

This website mentions that in 2012 Chongqing was awarded the accolade 

‘Global Capital of Hot Springs’,

whatever that means. The award was given by the 65^th General Assembly and World Scientific Congress of FEMTEC which I have never heard of. Apparently it might stand of Federation for Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy

With dozens of them located within the confines of the city we can't expect very natural conditions and that's not the reason I've decided to include these hot springs in this blog. After reading you'll know ...

As well as there being so many located close to the city, the locals also have problems in giving them names and as such we end up with the hot springs of the four wind directions.

Tradition

Info on the North hot spring:

'There are ten springs altogether in the park and the temperature of the water is a constant 35-37 degrees C. The water contains alkali minerals that are considered as having beneficial medicinal properties. The warm water offers an excellent way to relax from the stresses of day to day existence and it also benefits those who suffer from skin problems, arthritis and many other common ailments. Apart from a standard swimming pool there are 75 indoor bathrooms, a newly built triangular indoor swimming pool and a play pool for children'.

Elsewhere we understand that the hot springs here have a tradition of more than 1600 years.

The North hot springs form part of Beibei district. 
Since mid-2013 Banyan Tree have a hot spring resort here:

'Located within the Banyan Tree Spa Chongqing Beibei, there are separate indoor hot spring baths for male and female guests, while the outdoor hot spring pool offers a unique bathing experience'.

There is also another contender in the upmarket area of the northern spring, Brilliant Resort & Spa. Flowery images of the springs are to be found on the website of photographer Micheal Freeman:

 
Elsewhere there is the Haiyu hot spring hotel, tripadvisor giving it four stars.

South & Central

Info on Chongqing's South hot spring.

'The Southern Hot Springs Park has about 110 bathrooms and three swimming pools - outdoor and indoor swimming pools with one for children. The hot springs contain abundant minerals and taking a hot spring bath can rejuvenate body metabolism and cure some diseases, such as those of the skin, arthritis and rheumatism'.

Info on Chongqing Central hot spring is a lot sparser, in fact there's just one mention.

Tongliang is the name given to the western hot spring(s?). The hot springs are

'... located at Xiquan Town, twenty kilometers south of Tongliang county . ... As early as the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), the poet Meng Huai wrote a few lines in admiration of the spring'.

Nice pic, but what's the subscript mention?

'@chongqing's XX spring
wiz rachel
by:zong
infact,the water was cold and dirty that day'.

By Ruby's illusion

Back to nature?
Ba'nan is the name given to the hot spring otherwise known as the East hot spring.  

Ba'nan district seems hold a different tradition to most hot springs, certainly in China. Since 2008, Ba'nan organizes hot spring festivals, though it's unsure what this actually entails. They must be pretty desperate because that years issue was reported as follows:

'The 2nd edition of the « Ba'nan Hot Springs Tourism Cultural Festival » near Chongqing has opened on monday. The organizers invited eight pretty models to celebrate the back-to-nature theme by bathing naked...'.

It's unclear whether this was a poor attempt to gain coverage or reflects the reality of soaking here.

However, in the 'Getting Naked: Nudism in China' article, published in 2010, Ba'nan hot spring merits this paragraph:

'... in Sichuan Province, nudism seems to be all the rage. Chongqing Girls Nude Bathing Area sounds more like the title of a dodgy DVD, but it’s actually an area set aside for women in the Ba’nan District’s tranquil East Spring Village. The pool has been in use since the Ming Dynasty, and its water is said to cure blindness. If you fancy a dip, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s open to tourists. Female ones'.

Why only females beats me. Despite this often referred to article, there seems little or none other proof that this practice really exists.

That was until I found this Chinese language website which refers to the Eastern / Ba'nan hot spring and provides photographic proof both of the men and the women's baths:

Stemming from the same period (Nov. 2011), this Chinese language website notes that due to a variety of reasons the hot springs were closed, but locals still took the waters by climbing over the fence. It also suggests more idyllic bathing:

 

Many more references to al-fresco bathing in Chongqing, f.i. this from the soakingspirit tumblr, which gives an insight into the history of the site, apparently it became famous after curing blindness.

Big plans are underway for this set of springs, though the development report is chaotic.

Elsewhere in Ba'nan district there is the New Orient Hot Spring Hotel which tripadvisor gives a meagre 3 and a half star. And the Sunshine Hot Spring Resort (tripadvisor unrated), while those who favour dong as in Dong Hot Spring Scenic resort may wish to stay there, tripadvisor: 4 stars

Ordinary people
Then there are hot springs in Tongjing, Yubei district not one of the four wind direction hot springs.

'Tongjing Hot Spring is world famous, hailed as the best hot springs in China'.

Whether this accolade fits the reality or not, plans are under way to re-open these already sprawling facilities in 2014:

'It is expected to become the most beautiful scenic area featuring a hot spring in west China and also the first 5A hot spring tourist attraction in Chongqing.

Unlike some scenic areas, the price is affirmed to be affordable for ordinary people after transformation and will not rise significantly'.

Other hot springs are

The Beidiyiyuan, Jiulongpo District (mention) is often shortened to Beity. Tripadvisor rates this resort as 4,5 stars, though it seems more focus is on the hotel part. Not all is well though?

'hotel is truly 5* nice nice room with special hot spring bath tub included downside to many light switches approx. 14 of them in the room to manage them insane'.

Also located in Jiulongpo district is the  Sun Kingdom Hot Spring Golf Club (source), which is very much a golfing hotel with little or no reference to a hot spring.

Then there is the Tianci Hot Spring resort, more info can be obtained from this website. Tripadvisor give it 4 and a half stars.

Haitangxiaoyue sometimes referred to as Ronghui are said to be Chongqings best urban hot springs. Having 32 pools source Tripadvisor notes 5 stars for this resort complex. Though search for Ronghui and the rating drops!

A western experience:

'This place blows away any spa we’ve been to in the U.S.! It was huge with tons of different types of pools, including wine, green tea, milk, and more. You could easily spend a whole day here, and for two of us it was about $55 U.S.! If we had more time I definitely would have taken advantage of a massage, which was something like 168 rmb ($27 U.S.). Everything was co-ed, so swimsuits were required'.