Visitor ‘shocked and disgusted’ by woman washing hair at Sembawang Hot Spring Park

SINGAPORE - A visitor to Sembawang Hot Spring Park was “shocked and disgusted” by the sight of a woman washing her hair at the park.

According to a report by citizen journalism website Stomp on Friday, a contributor who goes by K saw the woman when he visited the park for the first time on Thursday morning.

K said the woman was washing her hair at the egg-cooking station and another was lying down on a step at the station, seemingly enjoying the vapour emitted from the hot water.

“In fact, a few aunties were standing around watching them in amazement and disgust,” K added.

According to the guidelines on the National Parks Board (NParks) website, bathing and washing is not allowed in the hot spring. The hot spring pools in the park are meant for visitors to soak their feet only.

The washing of clothes and other items, as well as the use of soap and detergent, is also not allowed for hygiene and environmental reasons.

In January 2020, news site AsiaOne reported that a man was caught on camera soaking the lower half of his body in the hot spring.

In the same month, a reporter from Shin Min Daily News witnessed a number of visitors rinsing their feet with the hot spring water and then pouring it back into the cascading pools.

NParks guidelines state that unwanted hot spring water should be emptied into drains, not back into the pools.

In 2021, a Taiwanese YouTuber received online flak after posting a video showing her cooking chicken wings at the egg-cooking station in the park.