In primary school, I remember being told a story about a slave who ran away from his plantation after been terribly beaten by his master. However, he came back to tell his master about a miracle pond he found that healed his wounds. The master was shocked at how fast the wounds were healed and vowed not to beat the slave if he showed him where the pound was.
I later found out that it was true. Not the story but the healing powers of the pond. In fact, Jamaica has been blessed, to have quite a few of these “miracle ponds” the slave mentioned. One of them is located in the Milk River community in South West Clarendon, Jamaica. Neatly tucked away in almost an off beaten path a few minutes off the main road to Manchester, where the only roadblock you have, is by cows crossing. The “miracle pound” in this area is called the Milk River Mineral Bath.
I briefly did some research to find out what a mineral bath was, and was fascinated with the information found. A mineral bath or hot spring are also called geothermal waters. They are mainly used for therapeutic treatments especially in Jamaica, as well as relaxing the mind and body.
People come in their numbers from all over the island just for a 30-minute session. Not because they want to stay 30 minutes but because that’s what’s recommended. It is not advised to spend more than 30 minutes in the bath.The recommended procedure is to take 3, 30-minute sessions per day as the bath is said to have one of the highest radioactivity levels of any mineral bath in the world.
There are currently 9 baths and a hotel on top of the baths on the property. You can stay at the hotel and have 24-hour free access to the baths as it is included in the room rate. The baths are open to the public 7 am to 9 pm.
When I went to the bath I was very shocked to see how it was structured. The baths are within the building in separate rooms. They are small and limited. If you show up on the weekend, prepare to wait. I went on a weekday and it was still full. To be exact, it was like showing up at the hospital unannounced. I’m not joking. You get a number and you have to wait until it’s called. The day I went, I was unfortunate to have two busloads of people ahead of me. I got the number 42 and had to wait an hour for a 15 mins session.
Nevertheless, it was worth the wait. Fifteen minutes never felt so long. The water was warm and relaxing. I had a room all to myself. Before I knew it my time was up.
The area is very quiet and is quite a drive from the main road so you might have to arrange a driver to get there and back.
Cost, opening hours and Location
Cost: $600JMD for 15mins
Opening Hours: 7 am – 9 pm
Location: Milk River, Clarendon
How to get there. Take a taxi from May Pen to the Milk River. Getting back to May Pen might be a challenge.
The easiest way would be to have the administrator at the place to call a taxi for you. Bear in mind that it is considered a charter. The next option is to wait until a taxi from town arrives with a people to the location which might take some time as people normally travel in their own vehicle.
The last option would be what they call “Bum a Drive” which means to ask for a drive.
The Milk River Bath or any mineral spring for that matter is something to experience.
