America has geothermal water in more states than most travelers realize: Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska, California, Utah, Arkansas, West Virginia and New York. These guides show where the springs are, which resorts hold genuine mineral water rather than a heated pool with a good story, and what to expect once you’re in it. Where we’ve scored a resort, the guide links to its SpaRator analysis; no hotel pays for coverage.
3 guides in this category
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Hot Springs & Soaking
Compare hot springs in Southern California: Glen Ivy, Murrieta and Desert Hot Springs day passes from $10 to $129, plus which wild springs are open.
16 min read
Hot Springs & Soaking
What do mineral springs and geothermal waters really do? See which hot springs benefits survive clinical scrutiny and how to pick a spa worth the trip.
13 min read
Hot Springs & Soaking
Compare 12 hot springs in the US with 2026 prices, permit rules, and safety guidance, covering both developed resorts and free wild soaks.
18 min read
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Plan Your Soak
Each row names the spring and town, the kind of place, how you get in and what it costs, and links to the guide's full write-up.
Chena Hot Springs
outside Fairbanks
Resort with lodging
Resort with lodging
Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs
Historic bathhouse
Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Lakes
Hike-in wild springFree entry
Glen Ivy Hot Springs
Corona
Day-use pool complexDay pass from $60
Murrieta Hot Springs Resort
Resort with lodgingDay pass from $59
Desert Hot Springs
north of Palm Springs
Resort with lodgingDay pass from $15
Two Bunch Palms
Desert Hot Springs
Resort with lodgingDay pass
Deep Creek Hot Springs
San Bernardino National Forest
Hike-in wild springClosed for now
Gaviota Hot Springs
Gaviota State Park
Hike-in wild springFree entry
Montecito
Los Padres National Forest
Hike-in wild springFree entry
Glenwood Hot Springs
Glenwood Springs
Day-use pool complexDay pass from $38
The Springs Resort
Pagosa Springs
Resort with lodging
Strawberry Park Hot Springs
Resort with lodgingDay pass
Conundrum Hot Springs
Hike-in wild springPermit required
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
Day-use pool complexDay pass
Ojo Caliente
Ojo Caliente
Resort with lodgingDay pass from $75
Roosevelt Baths
Saratoga Springs
Historic bathhousePrivate bath from $55
Homestead Crater
Day-use pool complexDay pass from $40
Berkeley Springs State Park
Berkeley Springs
Historic bathhouse
SpaRator Standings
Spa circuits that pair heat with a cold plunge, not natural springs, ranked by overall SpaRator score among the 19 scored hotels that have one.
No. 1
Phoenix
No. 2=
Scottsdale
No. 2=
No. 4
No. 5=
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Who We Are
Founder & Editor, Spa Hotel Finder
James Sinclair is the founder and editor of Spa Hotel Finder and creator of the SpaRator methodology; in 2019 he founded Blue Astoria Media Group, which publishes the site. He has spent more than 20 years at leading media and travel publications, including The Telegraph, Condé Nast International and Time Out Group, across strategy, commercial and editorial roles, and visited hundreds of spa hotels across six continents.
Our analyses are synthesized from desk research, not first-hand visits, unless a dated "Visited by James" badge on the page says so.
How We Rate
Six Categories, One Scale
Every hotel is scored on the same six categories, and cities move to the latest method version one at a time.
Dated, Checked and Corrected
Each city's rates carry a capture month, and errors are corrected in the open under our corrections policy.
SpaRator is built from evidence anyone can check, and we say where every piece comes from.
