Sierra Hot Springs — Sierraville, United States
A non-profit hot springs retreat at the edge of a forest and alpine valley, Sierraville, California
Sierra Hot Springs sits at the cusp of an enchanted forest and an alpine valley outside Sierraville, California. Its own pages begin with the land: for centuries, Indigenous Peoples have regarded it as a sacred healing place. The spring water, the pages say, is as smooth as silk.
The centre is run as a non-profit retreat facility, and at least one person in every visiting party holds a membership. Sierra Hot Springs and Harbin Hot Springs are described as sister retreats that honor each other's memberships.
The heart of the property is its bathing area: the Temple Dome with its warm and hot pools, the Meditation Pool, the Phoenix Baths, a sauna, a cold plunge and surrounding decks. The pools are clothing-optional, framed as part of the tradition of Native American, Japanese onsen and European hot springs bathing, though nudity is common and never required. Quiet is the governing ethic. Cameras are not permitted in the bathing area, devices are kept out of the pool areas, rooms are phone-free, and alcohol, drugs, candles and open fires are not allowed.
Guests stay in the Main Lodge, first built in the 1870s, which holds five shared-bath private rooms, a wood-paneled lounge with a wood stove, a guest kitchen, a massage room and the Philosophy Café downstairs. The Globe Hotel, a renovated, antique-furnished landmark, stands a mile away in Sierraville. Camping is available in the meadow, without hookups, and the meadow may close to weather and snow melt between November and April.
Massage and Watsu appointments are offered Thursday through Sunday. Reservations are required for every visit, with day-use and evening soak passes alongside overnight stays, and the property is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Groups are invited to ask about workshop space.
Traditions: Hot springs bathing, Watsu, Massage, Meditation, Clothing-optional soaking
Programs: Day Use Passes, Evening Soak Passes, Massage, Watsu, Lodge and Globe Hotel stays, Camping, Philosophy Café dining, Group workshop space