From remote wilderness pools to modern geothermal resorts, hot springs are having a moment
- 23 hours ago
- 5 min read
Christopher “Bear” Nash explores why Americans are rediscovering these natural escapes and how his passion for soaking led to the creation of SoakerSeeker.com.
HOT SPRINGS
By Christopher Nash
I live in Durango, Colorado, where getting outside isn’t something you schedule for vacation. It’s part of everyday life.
The San Juan Mountains rise just outside town. Rivers, trails, ski areas, old mining roads and
public lands surround us. And not far from downtown, naturally heated geothermal water has
been coming out of the ground for generations at what is now Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa.
Living here helped spark my fascination with hot springs, and eventually led me to create
SoakerSeeker.com. But the more I started researching hot springs, the more I realized this wasn’t just a Colorado story. America is full of them.
There are geothermal springs tucked into Idaho forests, along rivers in New Mexico, beneath
California’s Sierra Nevada, in the deserts of Arizona and Nevada, and in places you would never expect to find them. Some have become beautiful destination resorts. Others remain little more than hot water, rocks and a trail through the wilderness. And everyone seems to have a story.
We’ve Been Seeking Out This Water for Thousands of Years
Long before the modern wellness industry existed, Indigenous peoples across North America
knew these waters and landscapes intimately. Many geothermal springs were and
remain places of cultural, spiritual and practical significance.
Later came settlers, miners, travelers, bathhouses, sanitariums and grand resorts. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “taking the waters” had become part of American travel culture.
Some of those historic bathhouses still operate today. Others disappeared, leaving behind
foundations, old photographs and stories.
What fascinates me is that, after generations of changing travel trends, we’re finding our way
back to the water.
Hot springs suddenly fit remarkably well into the way people want to travel today: outdoors,
experiential, adventurous and increasingly disconnected from screens.
You can spend the morning mountain biking, skiing or hiking and finish the day neck-deep in
naturally heated water watching the sun disappear behind a mountain. That’s difficult to reproduce in a hotel swimming pool.
No Two Hot Springs Are the Same
That’s probably what hooked me. I’ve always said that hot springs are a lot like ski resorts: they have personalities. No two are exactly alike, and each one seems to reflect the landscape, local culture and people surrounding it.
I’ve noticed something else, too. The conversations you have soaking in a hot spring remind me a lot of the conversations you have riding a chairlift. You’re sitting next to someone you may have never met, sharing an experience and a place you both chose to seek out. Before long, you’re talking about where you’re from, where you’ve traveled, the mountain you skied
yesterday, the trail you hiked that morning or, inevitably, another hot spring you absolutely
have to visit.
There’s a sense of community that develops naturally in both places. And just like ski areas, there really isn’t a standard hot spring experience. One day you might be soaking beneath snow-covered peaks in Colorado. Another trip could put you beside a river in New Mexico, deep in an Idaho forest or watching the sun disappear across the Arizona desert.
Some springs are completely undeveloped and require miles of hiking to reach. Others have been welcoming travelers for generations through historic bathhouses and old mineral pools. And increasingly, some have evolved into sophisticated geothermal resorts with multiple soaking pools, cold plunges, private tubs, spas, restaurants and lodging.
The water itself can be just as different as the setting. Temperatures vary dramatically, as do
mineral profiles, accessibility, rules and the culture surrounding each spring. Some are family destinations. Some are quiet wellness retreats. Some are clothing optional.
Some require reservations well in advance. Others require little more than sturdy shoes, respect
for the land and a willingness to explore. But wherever you find them, the best hot springs seem to carry a little bit of the place around
them. Every spring has its own personality.
And increasingly, I think that individuality, the chance to experience a place rather than simply
visit it, is exactly what travelers are looking for.
There’s Also Something Bigger Happening Around Wellness
Humans have associated mineral springs with health and restoration for centuries. Today, researchers continue to study warm-water immersion, hydrotherapy and balneotherapy, the practice of bathing in mineral or thermal waters, and their potential roles in relaxation, circulation, physical recovery and general well-being.
But you don’t need to make a medical claim about hot springs to understand why people leave
them feeling different. Spend an hour sitting in warm water outside and something happens.
Your phone usually disappears. Conversation slows down. Your shoulders drop. You start noticing the temperature of the air, the smell of the trees, the sound of the river and the
steam moving across the water.
For me, that’s one of the most compelling health benefits of soaking: hot springs give us
permission to stop. In a world increasingly designed to capture every second of our attention, that has real value.
Durango Helped Me See the Opportunity
My interest became much more serious because of where I live. Durango sits in an extraordinary corner of the American West, surrounded by the San Juan Mountains and within reach of geothermal destinations across Colorado and New Mexico.
Durango Hot Springs became an example, right in my backyard, of how the hot-springs
experience is evolving. It’s not simply about sitting in hot water anymore. Modern geothermal destinations can combine the natural resource with thoughtful pool design, wellness, cold-water experiences, massage, food, music and the larger outdoor culture of the place surrounding them.
At the same time, I became equally fascinated by the opposite end of the spectrum—the
primitive springs that might require a dirt road, a hike and a little local knowledge.
I wanted to know where all of these places were. Then I discovered how difficult that seemingly simple question was to answer.
Finding a Hot Spring Shouldn’t Be the Hard Part
The problem isn’t that America lacks hot springs. The problem is finding reliable information about them.
As I researched trips, I found myself bouncing among old websites, travel blogs, social media
posts, Google reviews, government pages and local Facebook groups just to answer basic
questions.
That’s where the idea for SoakerSeeker.com came from. I wanted to build something specifically for people who love hot springs. Today, SoakerSeeker is building a searchable community around more than 300 hot-spring destinations across the United States, rom primitive wilderness pools to historic bathhouses and full-scale geothermal resorts.
The idea is straightforward: help people discover these places, understand what they’re getting
into and choose the experience that’s right for them. But there’s another side to it that matters just as much. I want SoakerSeeker to help the people who take care of these places.
For undeveloped springs, good information can serve another purpose: helping visitors
understand access restrictions, permits, private property, tribal lands, seasonal conditions and
Leave No Trace expectations before they arrive. Discovery needs to come with responsibility.
Some of America’s most remarkable springs exist precisely because generations of people have cared for them. Growing interest shouldn’t destroy the experience we’re trying to celebrate.
And that’s exactly why I built SoakerSeeker. The water has been waiting for thousands of years. It’s time to go find it.
Christopher “Bear” Nash is the founder of SoakerSeeker.com, a Durango, Colorado-based
platform dedicated to discovering, documenting and celebrating hot springs across the United
States.
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