Not yet at boiling point
As of now, it costs 248 yuan ($38) a night at Tangfeng. The deal includes two complimentary meals.
Sheng Xibin, the owner of the facility, has been in the business for the past 15 years. The middle-aged man used to be a lawyer but fell in love with hot springs while he was on a business trip to Japan in the 1990s.
"It was magical to dip in the hot spring with snow piled around and the view of Mount Fujiyama in the distance," says Sheng.
The opportunity for him to get into the business came when he got to know of the hot springs in Wuyi when he was dealing with the bankruptcy case of a local government-owned hot spring facility after his Japan trip.
Sheng didn't hesitate. He quit his job as a lawyer and took over the facility.
He then moved all the facilities from indoors to outdoors and opened the business in 2003. He also renovated his facility with elements from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
"You can see portraits of ancient maidservants here," he says.
The whole facility integrates elements of Tang-styled constructions and classic parks south of the Yangtze River.
Meanwhile, despite the obvious profitability of his project, hot springs are more than just a business venture for Sheng.
"I hate it when people think that going to a hot spring means taking a bath," he says.
At the moment, he is trying to get support from the local government to build a museum to show the public the benefits, culture and history of hot springs.
He hopes this will help people get a better understanding of hot springs before experiencing them.
"For example, you should bathe in advance and never scrub yourself in a hot spring," he says.
Taking his venture further, the businessman has launched an online app this year that offers a butler service to users.
"We'll have people take care of you from the time you step out of the high-speed rail station all the way until you get back on the train."
Hot springs have also helped put Wuyi on the tourist map.
Visitors to the county numbered 8.6 million in 2015, up 41.24 percent over the previous year, while income from tourism surged 53 percent to 7.5 billion yuan.
One million of the visitors headed for the hot springs.
During the recent seven-day Spring Festival holiday, the number of visitors was 440,000, up 67.7 percent year-on-year, and tourism income hit 389 million yuan, up 81.8 percent.
The other hot spring in the area, the Qing Hot Springs, covering an area of 130,000 square meters, the biggest in Wuyi, drew 50,000 people during the festival and raked in 1 million yuan daily.
The facility has now evolved into a complex that integrates a spa, karaoke, a gym, basketball and tennis facilities.
Also, many guests were enjoying themselves at an ocean-wave simulation pool.
Huang Lujun, CEO of the facility says: "We want to turn our facility into a scenic spot, not just a place for hot springs,"
The facility is targeting guests from Shanghai and Wenzhou since the high-speed rail to Wuyi opened early this year. The high-speed rail has cut travel time from Wuyi to the two big cities to two hours.
The local government has focused on using local hot spring resources to develop tourism since 1994.
