Feeling frazzled?These soothing hot springs let you unwind.
BY JENNIFER BARGER for National Geographic
Find healing waters around the U.S., from natural pools in the West to a historic Arkansas spa town. “You’re not going to a hot tub party in the woods,” says Janet Abbott, the board president of the Balneology Association of North America (BANA), a thermal water education and research group. “Soakers need to be as low-impact as they can and pack in and pack out.”
You can spot the puffs of steam about a hundred yards up the trail from Idaho’s Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, the kind of ethereal gray mist that might engulf a fantasy movie dragon or wizard. Hikers and day-trippers head to this section of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest for a sort of natural magic: a soak in bubbling hot springs rock pools surrounded by clumps of cedar trees, craggy mountains, and, in summertime, blankets of wildflowers.
Humans have been wading into such naturally heated waters for millennia. Ancient Romans created a spa town around the thermal springs of what’s now known as Bath, England; North American Indigenous people dipped into springs for health and ceremonial purposes.
“There are many legends and stories about how soaking in hot springs can cure your ills or change your life,” says Montana-based geothermal energy specialist Jeff Birkby. “But really, just sitting under the stars in hot water comes with its own benefits.”
In the United States, you’ll find thermal springs in the wilderness at so-called “primitive” or “rustic” soaking holes, at no-frills bathhouses, and in spas which divert or harness the waters into fancy one-person bathtubs or jumbo swimming pools. The latter are often centered in historic towns that have sprung up around the traditional of therapeutic bathing. Here’s a dive into why and where America’s hot springs bubble up, plus how to try them for yourself. Continue Reading Article …