Long revered for their healing and restorative powers, natural hot springs are marvelous places to soothe sore muscles after a day of sightseeing or adventuring outdoors. For centuries in the United States, Native Americans heralded mineral-rich waters as sacred places, bathing and soaking in hot springs for their therapeutic benefits, which include easing muscle pain, calming skin ailments and improving circulation. Fans of “taking to the waters” know that once you get past the pungent smell that often comes with natural hot springs’ high sulfur content, soaking in geothermal pools can be incredibly relaxing and can set the mood for a great night’s sleep. California is home to several places where you can rest and relax in hot springs, with locations ranging from chic luxury hotels to backcountry locales that are only accessible via a rugged hike. Here are the best natural hot springs in California for you to consider for your next trip to the Golden State.
Avila Hot Springs
About 9 miles south of San Luis Obispo, family-friendly Avila Hot Springs offers visitors plenty of opportunities to chill out, play and even overnight at this popular attraction on California’s central coast. The day-use entry fee includes access to two different pools. The mineral-rich hot springs soaking pool is 2 feet deep, heated to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit and open to ages 8 and older. All ages are welcome in the heated, freshwater chlorine-treated swimming pool with a shallow and deep end, plus two twisty water slides. On-site is Avila Massage Spa, where you can relax with a Swedish, sports, prenatal or hot stone massage treatment; all services include complimentary entry to the pools for the day. And if you want to make a vacation out of your visit to Avila Hot Springs, there are dry-camping tent sites and RV parking spots for vehicles measuring less than 25 feet long. Rustic cabins, each with a queen bed and set of bunk beds, accommodate up to four people. Bike rentals are available, and the trailhead to the paved Bob Jones Trail is less than a half-mile away.
Esalen Hot Springs
An incredibly scenic spot for soaking, the Esalen Hot Springs are perched on the side of a cliff above the Pacific Ocean on the rugged Big Sur coast in central California. Imagine immersing your whole body in healing hot mineral water while gazing at the setting sun and listening to powerful waves crashing on the shore below. Sounds dreamy, right? Alas, to access these California private hot springs, you’ll need to be a guest of Esalen, a nonprofit holistic center, attending a workshop or “self-guided exploration” and staying in one of its rooms or suites that don’t have TVs, alarm clocks, phones, cellphone reception or internet access. (A sleeping bag on the floor of a communal room is another option for inexpensive accommodations.) Guests who visit Esalen to work on their own personal and spiritual transformation get to spend their spare time in an on-site swimming pool, the Meditation Hut, the Art Barn and the multiple hot springs pools that include a larger group soaking area as well as individual tubs. All are clothing optional.
Deep Creek Hot Springs
These Southern California natural hot springs are located on public U.S. Forest Service land, specifically in San Bernardino National Forest. The multiple soaking pools of varying temperatures are a welcome respite for thru-hikers tackling the Pacific Crest Trail, as the PCT passes right by this rustic spot. But Deep Creek Hot Springs is also popular among day-use visitors, as you can hike in from a trailhead near Bowen Ranch, which is about a 50-mile drive from San Bernardino (the closest town to the trailhead is Hesperia). While the trail is only about 2.5 miles long, it’s downhill to the springs, and the elevation change is 950 feet. That means it’s a rugged trek back up after you’ve already relaxed and soothed sore muscles in the hot pools. Some additional notes of caution: To reach the Deep Creek Hot Springs, you’ll need to cross a river, which can be quite cold and also run high, depending on the time of year. Also, clothing is optional, and bathers regularly strip down to their birthday suits.
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
If you’re looking for a place to splurge on experiencing hot springs in Northern California, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is the place to do it. This upscale luxury resort in California’s wine country, about an hour north of San Francisco, boasts roomy accommodations, sublime dining options, stunning landscaped grounds and a spa that sits atop an ancient thermal mineral spring. The three outdoor geothermal pools at the Willow Stream Spa range in temperature from 92 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors can also “take to the waters” at the spa’s Roman-style bathhouse to indulge in a signature bathing ritual that includes an exfoliating shower, two mineral water soaking pools, aromatherapy steam room, dry sauna and cooling showers. Guests of the spa must be 18 or older.
Indian Springs Calistoga
Napa Valley’s historic Indian Springs Calistoga dates back to 1861, when the property’s original spa, mud baths and pool were built to harness the healing benefits of the thermal geysers and volcanic ash underground. An Olympic-size mineral pool was added in 1913, and guests still swim in the pool today. The Indian Springs Mud Bath Ritual remains a beloved spa treatment as well, and newer amenities include a Himalayan Salt Room, infrared saunas and a Buddha Pond, where guests can lounge before or after treatments. Accommodations here range from contemporary rooms in Mission Revival-style buildings to charming cottages originally built in the 1940s (since updated) to multibedroom homes with full kitchens for gatherings with family and friends.
Glen Ivy Hot Springs
Glen Ivy Hot Springs is a Southern California hot springs resort that’s open solely for day use. What’s neat about Glen Ivy Hot Springs is that you can tailor your daylong visit just to your liking with a variety of amenities amid lush and green surroundings. Spend the day dipping in and out of multiple different soaking areas that include mineral and saline baths, hot and cold plunge pools and even a lap swimming pool. Daily admission also includes access to Club Mud, where you can slather wet skin with red clay; indoor saunas, steam rooms and Roman baths; and daily exercise classes and wellness activities. Costing extra is access to The Grotto, where you cover your skin with a moisturizing mask and then make your way through humid caves. Other add-ons include massages, facials and nail treatments. On-site eateries feature farm-to-table menus with lots of healthy options — plus, wine, beer and cocktails. Guests must be 18 or older.
Harbin Hot Springs
Ninety miles north of San Francisco, Harbin Hot Springs is a nonprofit retreat center that offers short day visits (under six hours) and longer day visits (over six hours). Or you can overnight in on-site camping trailers dubbed “caravans,” freestanding cottages or unique geodesic domes. The center encourages visitors to rest and reflect in a calming sanctuary, and the use of electronic devices is discouraged — and in some communal areas, prohibited. Instead, guests soak in a variety of different pools of varying temperatures, lounge on the sun deck, attend yoga classes, hike on local trails, get massages and make new friends at the outdoor cafe and picnic pavilion. The pool area is clothing optional.
Benton Hot Springs
For a rural, Old West getaway consider the Inn at Benton Hot Springs, which is about a 40-mile drive northeast of Mammoth Lakes and close to the Nevada border. Located on a 1,225-acre ranch that’s been owned by the same family for nearly a century, the historic inn dating back to the 1940s has seven themed rooms that are individually decorated, and overnight guests share three outdoor hot springs soaking tubs. Other accommodations include a cabin, cottage, bunkhouse and multibedroom houses. Campers aren’t left out: There are 12 campsites that allow visitors to set up a tent or park their RV right next to their individual hot tub, picnic table, fire pit and grill. Tent campers can use nearby restrooms. Clothing is optional in these tubs, where foliage and fencing create some privacy.
Wild Willy’s Hot Springs
Wild Willy’s Hot Springs is a free, easily accessible and scenic spot to soak about a 14-mile drive east of Mammoth Lakes. On public land, these thermal waters consist of two soaking pools — one larger than the other — seemingly in the middle of nowhere and located at the end of a long wooden boardwalk. Reach the parking lot for Wild Willy’s Hot Springs, also known as Crowley Hot Springs, by turning onto Benton Crossing Road off of I-395; the last bit of driving is on a dirt road that may be difficult to maneuver in the winter after a big snow, so use caution. If you visit at night, you’ll be treated to some fabulous stargazing in the remote wilderness; during the day, admire vistas of the Eastern Sierra mountains and Glass Mountain Ridge. Wild Willy’s is one of a handful of Mammoth-area hot springs; nearby are Hilltop Hot Springs, Crab Cooker Hot Springs, Rock Tub Hot Springs and Whitmore Hot Springs. Nudity is optional at these backcountry soaking locations.
Vichy Springs Resort
Full of charm and history, Vichy Springs Resort is set on a 700-acre private reserve 120 miles (or about a two-hour drive) north of San Francisco. This hot springs resort in Northern California first welcomed guests back in 1854, and three original cottages still stand and house overnight visitors today. Other modern creekside or mountain-view accommodations are in buildings still standing from the late 19th century. A big draw here is the naturally carbonated Vichy Baths — dubbed “champagne springs” — that are heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit; water flows from an incredible 30,000 feet beneath the earth’s surface into private soaking tubs. The resort also features an in-ground hot pool, the unheated Vichy Plunge that’s open in the summer months and a natural pool set at the base of a waterfall that can be reached after a 30-minute hike.
Wilbur Hot Springs
At this rustic and historic Northern California hot springs resort, the natural mineral springs are channeled into three soaking areas of different temperatures: 100, 105 and a quite hot 109 degrees Fahrenheit. While this sheltered space evokes Japanese-style onsen baths, the resort also features a spring-fed swimming pool that’s chlorinated in the summer, a small cold plunge pool, an outdoor hot mineral flume and a dry sauna. Guests can stay and soak for the day or book a cabin, hotel room or lodge room for overnight visits. Camping sites are available seasonally from April to October. Wilbur Hot Springs is solar-powered and off the grid: You won’t find Wi-Fi access or cell service here. You’ll also need to bring your own food to store and prepare in a communal kitchen. Massages are available, you can hike on trails in the property’s 1,800-acre nature reserve and the bathing area is clothing optional.
Travertine Hot Springs
For free hot springs in Northern California, you can’t go wrong with the easily accessible Travertine Hot Springs. The springs’ parking lot is near the junction of I-395 and Jack Sawyer Road, east of the small town of Bridgeport. Then it’s just a short walk to the popular spot for soaking in multiple thermal pools of varying temperatures and taking in views of the Eastern Sierra mountains. As always with natural hot springs on public lands, be sure to pack out any trash you’ve brought in. Typical for any California hot springs on public lands, this soaking area is clothing optional.
Beverly Hot Springs
Looking for natural hot springs in urban Los Angeles? At Beverly Hot Springs Spa & Skin Care Clinic in Oakwood (between East Hollywood and Central LA), you can book a facial, massage, body scrub, eyebrow wax or spray tan and get complimentary access to a hot pool, a cold plunge pool, a steam room and a dry sauna. You can also pay to relax in the water areas with a day pass only. According to the spa’s website, an artesian well was dug at the turn of the century and it was used to supply water to early Los Angeles residents. The well and its natural hot spring were “rediscovered” in 1984 when the Beverly Hot Springs Spa was built to harness the thermal waters’ healing properties.
Sespe Hot Springs
You’ll earn your soak in the Sespe Hot Springs, located in the Los Padres National Forest’s Sepse Wilderness, since reaching these healing mineral waters involves a 7.5-mile, moderately difficult hike. There are even longer trails in, and you can make a trip to these Southern California hot springs part of a multiday backpacking adventure. But if you want to go the shortest route, the Ojai Ranger District suggests starting your hike at the Dough Flat Trailhead, north of the town of Fillmore. The trailhead is about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 40 miles northeast of Ojai. With its remote location, Sespe Hot Springs can be gloriously uncrowded. Be sure to pack plenty of fresh drinking water; summer temperatures here can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Autumn and spring bring more temperate weather, though spring rainstorms may make water crossings difficult.
Desert Hot Springs
Nicknamed “California’s Spa City,” Desert Hot Springs, California, is located just north of Palm Springs. An underground aquifer here produces hot water for soaking and bathing as well as cold water for drinking. Unlike many natural hot springs, this water is sulfur-free, so you won’t get a whiff of rotten egg smell while soaking here. This area in the Coachella Valley is home to a handful of different boutique inns and hot springs hotels in Southern California. Consider adults-only wellness resort Two Bunch Palms, where mineral waters in custom-designed teak tubs naturally refresh every 24 hours. Another option is the historic El Morocco Inn & Spa with just 13 rooms and a Casablanca vibe. An alternative lodging choice is Caliente Springs Resort, a 55-and-older community with RV sites, vacation rentals and home sales with plenty of on-site activities, including pickleball, tennis and golf.
Tecopa Hot Springs Resort
A modest resort near the southeast corner of Death Valley National Park, Tecopa Hot Springs Resort is composed of a 12-room motel, four cabins, a campground and five private hot tub rooms. The indoor soaking spaces hold two to three people and are first-come, first-serve among overnight guests (day passes aren’t currently offered). The tubs’ water temperature hovers around a toasty 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and the natural, mineral-rich water flows through the tubs constantly, refreshing itself every hour or so. Basic motel rooms have minifridges but no televisions or microwaves, and there’s no Wi-Fi access or cell service on the property. Some cabins have a kitchenette with cooking utensils, while others have only a minifridge. The campground has RV sites with full hook-ups and can accommodate vehicles up to 40 feet long. Tecopa Hot Springs Resort, about 85 miles west of Las Vegas, is open between mid-October and the beginning of June.
You might also be interested in:
— Top Things to Do in California
— Best National Parks in the USA
— Fun Day Trips from Los Angeles
— Can’t Miss Hiking Trails in the USA
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16 Relaxing Natural Hot Springs in California originally appeared on usnews.com
