Arizona Desert Waters, Historic Virginia Baths, a Colorado Mining Town Spa—the Best U.S. Hot Springs Resorts

As I eased into the 106-degree lithium-, magnesium-, and bicarbonate-rich natural pool during a recent stay at Castle Hot Springs in Arizona, I was struck by how different it felt from a typical spa soak. The sandy bottom and the mineral sediment shifting between my toes were a reminder that this wasn’t a standard hot tub or swimming pool, but rather a living, naturally fed spring.

Given their natural water sources and settings, hot springs foster a stronger connection to their surroundings, and by extension, to ourselves. It’s more than a dip in spring water; it’s a sensory experience that encourages you to disconnect from your devices, adjust to the temperature, and fully take in the landscapes around you.

That immersive quality is why hot springs are seeing a resurgence in interest, says Marcus Coplin, a naturopathic medical doctor and medical director for the Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and Murrieta Hot Springs Resort in Southern California. “They require a bit of an adventure,” he says. “You cannot replicate a hot spring source; you must travel to get there. This could mean a road trip to a part of the country you haven’t visited before or a hike to a remote stretch of wilderness. It evokes the feeling of a quest.”

He adds, “Each source is different. The mineral content, the environment, and the amenities supporting the water vary so much from site to site, which makes hot-spring seeking a fun and unique experience every time.”

Natural mineral water can either be cold or hot, the latter due to thermal energy from beneath the earth’s surface. Numerous studies and research have shown that minerals commonly found in natural springs—including calcium, sulfur, sodium, lithium, magnesium, potassium, and iron—can enhance health and healing. Reported benefits include easing aches and pains, improving circulation and skin conditions, and promoting relaxation and stress relief.

There are more than 250 hot springs across the United States, according to Hot Springs of America, which catalogs the country’s natural springs. They range from rustic settings with no infrastructure to immersive resort experiences like Castle Hot Springs, complete with upscale accommodations, destination dining, world-class spa facilities, and wellness programming.

For travelers ready to take to the waters and experience this age-old remedial practice, Afar’s Hotels We Love list spotlights the best hot springs resorts in the United States, properties where you can both stay and soak.

Castle Hot Springs

Courtesy of Castle Hot Springs

Castle Hot Springs, located one hour north of Phoenix in a remote valley of the Sonoran Desert, dates back to the late 19th century, when it first became a wellness destination for travelers seeking the curative benefits of its healing waters. After a series of fires halted operations, it was reborn in 2019 as a luxury all-inclusive, where the nightly rate includes accommodations—ranging from sleek brand-new Sky View Cabins and Spring Bungalows with outdoor soaking tubs to the 100-year-old Historic Cottage for up to six people—as well as all meals, gratuities, guided hikes and activities, and access to the waters.

There are three hot springs, ranging from 86 degrees to 106 degrees Fahrenheit, and the natural spring water also supplies the resort’s central swimming pool. The on-site spa offers services that include massages, facials, and a Reiki menu, or you can book wellness sessions for a chakra tune-up, breathwork, or an astrology reading. Whether you’re looking for an adrenaline boost with daytime activities like traversing the on-site via ferrata course and taking rigorous e-bike desert rides or for a restorative, restful retreat, Castle Hot Springs is, more than anything else, a place to get off the grid and focus on the mind and body with intention.

Chena Hot Springs

Courtesy of Marquise de Photographie/Unsplash

These thermal springs, located 60 miles outside of central Fairbanks, were discovered in 1905 by gold miners; six years later, a bathhouse and 12 small cabins were installed for visitors seeking a warm bath in waters rich in sulfate, chloride, and sodium bicarbonate. Since then, Chena Hot Springs has expanded to include the 40-room Moose Lodge, 32 standard Fox Rooms that can sleep up to four people, eight Bear Family Suites that can sleep up to six, as well as rustic cabins, camping, and yurt accommodations.

The property uses geothermal energy for heating and electricity and to keep its on-site Aurora Ice Museum cold year-round. This employee-owned establishment also offers massage services, an on-site restaurant, northern lights tours, dogsled rides, and horseback riding, among other activities. The main draw, however, is the chance to see the dancing aurora borealis from the beauty and warmth of the hot springs.

Dunton Hot Springs

Courtesy of Dunton Hot Springs

Located in southwest Colorado’s highly mineralized San Juan Mountains along the Rockies, Dunton Hot Springs recently completed a multi-million-dollar, three-year restoration. From the property’s collection of 14 uniquely decorated log cabins, guests can access the historic 19th-century bathhouse and natural mineral springs. Set against a scenic alpine backdrop, Dunton’s springs are rich in iron, manganese, and calcium bicarbonate and range in temperature from 85 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

Guests can go for a dip in the bathhouse, in the two outdoor pools, in the more natural setting at the source of the springs, or, if they book the Well House cabin, in their own private spring-fed hot bath and cold plunge. Enhance your wellness stay by scheduling spa treatments or by taking advantage of activities like snowshoeing and dog sledding in winter, and horseback riding and fly fishing in summer. All meals are included in the nightly rate and are served in the old saloon at the heart of the property. Regardless of which cabin you choose, you’ll have mountain and meadow views for days.

Glenwood Springs Resort

Courtesy of Glenwood Hot Springs Resort

Situated between Aspen and Vail in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is home to an iconic collection of natural spring baths—including the Grand Pool, the world’s largest hot spring pool—with a history dating back to 1888. In 2025, a boutique hotel, the 107-room Lodge at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, reopened on the property after an extensive update, followed by the 16 guest rooms and suites that now make up Hotel 1888. These accommodations, with their wood flooring and leather headboards, are the perfect complement to the healing waters that flow into the Grand Pool, Therapy Pool, Yampah Mineral Baths, and, for the little ones, the Shoshone chutes (winding outdoor inner-tube slides), and splash pads.

Indian Springs

Courtesy of Indian Springs

A little less than two hours north of San Francisco, Calistoga is the perfect wine country retreat for visitors seeking an added dose of relaxation, thanks to the region’s natural thermal baths. And nowhere are those baths more central to the property than at Indian Springs, which has four geysers that feed mineral water into both the Olympic-sized main pool (dating to 1913) and the smaller, quieter adults-only pool.

The original spa, mud baths, and pool were first established in 1861. The property has changed hands several times since, but the current owners, the Merchant family, purchased it a little more than three decades ago and expanded the 17-acre resort in 2014 by adding 75 guest rooms and the first on-site restaurant, Sam’s Social Club. Today, Indian Springs offers guests five styles of accommodations, ranging from adult-only 250-square-foot lodge rooms to sprawling houses and two-bedroom bungalows that sleep up to six. Indulge in an only-in-Calistoga ritual by opting for a mud bath at the spa—a dip into volcanic-ash-rich mud followed by a mineral water soak.

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

Courtesy of Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

After being closed to the public for 30 years, Murrieta Hot Springs Resort reopened in early 2024 following an extensive restoration. The historic property was founded in 1902, and the renovation was focused on preserving much of the original architecture across the 46 acres. Guests have access to 50 mineral-rich alkaline geothermal pools (said to enhance circulation, reduce inflammation, and boost mood) as well as a historic bathhouse, sauna, steam rooms, and spa facilities that offer massage services, facials, hydrothermal therapies, and hormone-balancing treatments.

Overnight guests and day visitors can sign up for classes that include yoga, meditation, and sound baths. An on-site restaurant, Talia Kitchen, showcases contemporary California cuisine, and there is also a poolside café, coffee shop, and lounge bar. The resort has 174 rooms, ranging from two-story suites to double queen rooms, complete with ambient sound machines to promote better sleep.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs and Spa Resort

Courtesy of Ojo Caliente

Whether you’re in New Mexico for skiing or for a dose of Southwestern architecture, cuisine, and culture, the pools fed by natural spring water at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs and Spa Resort offer a tonic retreat. Here, at 6,000 feet, the geothermal waters range in temperature from 97 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, and there are eight pools to choose among. They include an iron pool, believed to aid the body’s immune system, a mud pool for purifying the skin, and cliffside pools for a dramatic setting.

Guests can check into a Pueblo-style suite complete with a private soaking tub, one of the Ojo cottages or homes, a room in the Historic Hotel, or the newly renovated Inn at Ojo, or they can stay in a vintage trailer. All guests have access to the pools, the spa with massage and sound-healing services, complimentary yoga sessions, and the restaurant, with farm-to-table cuisine from the on-site Ojo Farm. Ojo Caliente resort’s roots go back 155 years, when the bathhouse first opened.

The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa

Photo by Gordon Gregory Photography/Courtesy of Omni Homestead Resort & Spa

The historic Omni Homestead Resort & Spa has welcomed 23 presidents over the years, and it’s renowned for its nearby Warm Springs Pools, the oldest spring baths in the country. After a 14-month, $4.6 million rehabilitation, the centuries-old bathhouses reopened in December 2022, and a massive $150 million overhaul of the entire property was completed in 2023. The result is a beautifully restored hotel that now has 483 guest rooms and an impressive on-site spa with an extensive selection of massages and facials, plus an adults-only Serenity Garden with a geothermal pool fed by two hot springs rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium content that remain at a temperature of 96 to 97 degrees.

The property spans more than 2,300 acres in the Allegheny Mountains of southwestern Virginia, where it’s easy to get lost amid the tree-lined walking trails. Guests also can sign up for a historic tour to learn more about the property’s long and storied past. The original Warm Springs Pools, which are owned and have been restored by the Omni Homestead Resort & Spa, are about five miles away. They include two structures: The original Gentlemen’s Bathhouse, a stone basin that was built in 1761 and then converted into an indoor bathhouse in the mid-1820s; a second structure, the Ladies’ Bathhouse, was built in the mid-1870s. Reservations are required.

Two Bunch Palms

Courtesy of Visit Greater Palm Springs

True to its name, Desert Hot Springs is a natural mineral water-fueled oasis. And within that oasis sits the intimate Two Bunch Palms, a secluded hot springs resort just outside Palm Springs, that benefits from a 600-year-old aquifer, which supplies the property’s pool with water that is naturally 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Wellness is a way of life here, and that includes at the on-site spa where the services include massages, wraps, scrubs, and facials.

For those who never want to leave the retreat’s warm embrace, dining options include the Middle Eastern–inspired main restaurant (with options like labneh on toast, a mezze platter, and an oyster shawarma), the Twine Café for light bites and unusual drinks like an antioxidant-rich “skin-glow” matcha latte, and a turmeric Ashwagandha latte, or “nature’s chill pill.” Or opt to get in-room dining and have house-made granola, jicama tacos, or a classic burger brought directly to one of the minimalism-meets-vintage-desert-vibes rooms and suites. Complimentary programming includes a variety of yoga classes, card readings, and nature walks, with additional workshops like guided meditations, sound baths, and astrology lessons, available for an added fee.