Whether you take a quick road trip to hot springs or fly all the way to Reykjavik, find yourself some mineral water
By Adam Scott Williams
Caesar plotted conquests—and wrote his poetry, perhaps—while soaking in baths with his comrades, and in the many centuries since, mineral waters have lured the tense, the ailing and the weary traveler. Now naturally bubbling sources around the world quell thirst, relax muscles and provide a magnetic aura for tourism.
The beginning? Hot Springs, Ark., just marked its bicentennial as a center for healing. Native Americans of different tribes bathed in the medicinal waters free of tribal tensions; the springs were designated an all-peace, all-the-time zone. In 1832, Congress laid the foundation for the American concept of national parks, creating Hot Springs Reservation. In 1921 the reservation became Hot Springs National Park, often referred to as “the American Spa.” Though free bathing in the wilderness is no longer possible, there are a handful of resorts in the town where former President Bill Clinton grew up: the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, the Austin Hotel and Spa, the Downtown Hotel and Spa, the Majestic Hotel Resort Spa and the Buckstaff Bath House.
A Midwestern spa oasis: The French Lick Springs Resort and Casino, in Indiana, recently reopened after receiving a $400 million facelift, but its hot mineral waters have drawn guests for 160 years. (Maybe the waters had something to do with French Lick native Larry Bird’s legendary basketball career?) The spa is now a 27,000-square-foot full-service club where one can be de-stressed, massaged and indulged. Pluto Springs includes a 442-room hotel, 45-hole PGA links, 84,000-square-foot casino and entertainment complex, conference center, restaurants and retail shops. Just a mile down the road is French Lick Springs’ sister, the West Baden Springs Resort; both are national historic sites. West Baden reopens this spring after 75 years of character-building solitude.
New Mexico vision quest: Ojo Caliente, the “hot eye,” got its name from Spaniards on a spring-break road trip two centuries ago. Now the New Mexican springs host overnight visitors in a 1916 adobe hotel with accommodations so historic, all bathing takes place in public bathhouses.
Although Ojo Caliente does welcome children to its pools, its “Quiet Zone” mandate makes the spa ideal as a couples retreat. Various treatment packages, yoga opportunities and mineral pools, including private outdoor pools for clothing-optional rejuvenation, are available.
Ojo Caliente is surrounded by ancient Indian history, with hiking and mountain biking trails for more active renewal. Santa Fe and Taos are each within an hour’s drive.
The blue lagoon of leisure: Adventurous souls seeking geothermal pleasures internationally should consider Iceland, known for its volcanoes and glaciers. Its most famous spa for travelers, the Blue Lagoon, sits amid craggy lava fields, offering mud baths, massage treatments, saunas and a seawater lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon makes an easy day trip from the capital city of Reykjavik or on layover at the airport. The spa just unveiled renovations, including significant enlargement of the main lagoon. In Reykjavik, basic “hot pots,” with pools and tubs of varying temperatures, are frequented by locals.
Soak up more info at: hotsprings.org | frenchlick.com | westbadenresort.com | ojocalientespa.com | bluelagoon.com
