Milk River Spa

The Milk River Bath/Spa is located about 16 kilometres (10 miles) south of May Pen, Clarendon. The bath is currently operated by the Government of Jamaica. It was declared as a National Monument by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust on the 13th of September 2009.

The story of the discovery of Milk River Bath is unclear. The most popular story, however, is that an unnamed African enslaved man ran away after he was brutally beaten by his enslaver Jonathan Ludford. In fleeing the plantation, he stumbled upon the spring in the hills. After bathing in the warm salty water several times, the enslaved African was healed of all his bruises and wounds and later returned to the plantation days later much to the surprise of others, including fellow enslaved Africans and his enslaver.

He was coaxed into taking Ludford to the spring and his awe filled master fenced the spring and put the enslaved man there to guard it. Upon Johnson’s death in 1791, all of his properties passed into the hands of the Government of Jamaica. The spring was developed and it has been open to the public since 1794.

Milk River Spa is said to have more radioactivity and healing properties than any other bath in the world. As a matter of fact, it is:

• 9 times as active as Bath, England
• 50 times as active as Vichy, France
• 3 times as active as Karlsbad, Austria
• 54 times as active as Baden, Switzerland

The water of the spa does not come from the Milk River but from a saline mineral spring which runs from the rocks issuing from Round Hill.