All’s well at Sembawang Hot Spring Park, but some still unaware of proper etiquette despite signs

SINGAPORE — The newly renovated Sembawang Hot Spring Park has been in the spotlight following reports of inconsiderate behaviour by visitors there.

A visit by TODAY to the park on Sunday (Jan 26) found that while people mostly behaved appropriately, many visitors remained in the dark about the dos and don’ts. Some said the signs in the park were inconspicuous.

Earlier this month, a Facebook user posted a picture of a man submerging his entire body into the communal cascading pool at the park which is meant for people to soak their feet in.

It led to online users here sharing their accounts of “ugly” behaviour by some people at the park, which was reopened on Jan 4 after undergoing a S$4.3 million renovation.

In response to feedback, the National Parks Board (NParks) said last Monday that it has put up more signs with guidelines on using the amenities there, as well as deployed more staff members on the ground to advise people on proper etiquette.

When TODAY was there, a crowd of about 200 people were at the park, either soaking their feet in the cascading pools or in pails.

One NParks personnel was seen making his rounds at the park.

There were also two signs, placed side-by-side on a wall behind the pool, listing how people should behave at the park. These include not soaking one’s body in the pool and emptying unwanted hot water into drains.

But some visitors claimed that they had not seen the signs.

One visitor, who wanted to be known only as Mr Raj, was visiting the park with his family of seven for the first time as they wanted “a new experience” in Singapore.

“I heard through the news that it is not allowed to immerse your whole body into the pool but I have not seen any signs saying that,” said the 44-year-old software engineer.

When told that there was one behind the pool, Mr Raj said that the sign should be bigger and located at the entrance of the park to raise awareness among visitors.

Ms Lim Soh Sim, a 62-year-old housewife who was soaking her feet in a pail, said that she was not aware that she had to pour used water in the drains.

“There are no signs that say I cannot throw the water in the plants or on the floor,” said Ms Sim who lives in Malaysia and is visiting family in Singapore for Chinese New Year.

Among other complaints of inconsiderate behaviour raised previously include visitors not washing their feet before soaking them in the pool, or using the pool to cook their eggs instead of doing so at a separate area set up for that purpose.

Some people had also complained of visitors emptying their hot spring water back into the pool or onto the plants, instead of into the drains.

On Sunday, this reporter observed that people were generally well-behaved. Some, like Ms Janet Chua, came prepared after hearing about the man who bathed in the cascading pool.

“Partly because of that we brought our own pails to soak our feet so that we don’t have to share the pool,” said the 47-year-old project manager who was at the park to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family.

“It’s good that the park has benches for people to sit so that they don’t have to cluster around the pool.”