Boiling Bones

Coamo Hot Springs       Hours: 6am-9pm (7 days a week) Cost: $5/person (as of 7/25) As far as I know, Coamo Hot Springs, located on the southern side of the island, is the only public hot springs in Puerto Rico. We went there in January 2020, just before the Covid pandemic hit. It is a dreamy, low-key spot in the mountains, with paths through lush greenery, patio seating areas, and multiple pools at different elevations. I appreciated that this facility was very wheelchair accessible, including ramps leading down into the pools themselves and lots of handrails. There were nice bathrooms, outside cool showers, and a relaxed atmosphere. Cold drinks and other supplies were available in a little shop. There seemed to be a lot of older people who looked to be regulars, chatting away in the pools - a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I would love to go back for another soak at Coamo!  

Lava Hot Springs, ID    Hours: 8am-11pm (7 days a week) Cost: $8/person (as of 7/25) We went to Lava Hot Springs in 2021, and went to the waterslide park as well as the multi-pool hot springs - they both seemed to be city-run but I'm not sure about that. I'm not sure how many different places there are to soak in the hot springs at Lava, but we did accidentally wander into a private pool area of a hotel that we thought was the main pool area in town. The town is small and really charming, with a river running through it that people used for tubing (we didn't have time to try that).  The hot springs had a cool lava rock garden above it where you could get a nice view of the pools. The water itself had a weird smell that wasn't my favorite, but the pools had different temperatures and lots of places to sit, with sun shades and gravel bottoms that felt good on the feet. The dressing rooms were nice, and there was also a little snack shop with drinks and ice cream. I apprec...

Yellowstone Hot Springs    Hours: 9am-9pm (closed on Mondays) Cost: $18/person (as of 7/25) Yellowstone Hot Springs, located in Paradise Valley just north of the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park (between Gardiner and Emigrant), takes full advantage of the jaw-dropping beauty of the surrounding hills. It contains three pools: one hot, one cold, and one very large warm pool, as well as a therapeutic Kneipp Walk (one side hot, one side cold) that is absolute heaven. They are in the process of building up a campground around the pool, so each year it keeps growing and getting nicer. The springs themselves are nicely landscaped and very well-kept, but beware, there is not much shade and not a ton of seating either. We have seen wild mountain goats on the hills while soaking here! You pay per person to swim, and one pass lets you stay as long as you like; however, you can't leave, they don't have food and you aren't allowed to bring outside food in, so you really can...

Chico Hot Springs, Pray, Montana    Hours: 9am-11pm Cost: $12/person or free when you stay there It's hard for me to be objective about Chico Hot Springs. Our family has been vacationing there all of my life, and we are now well into four generations of family that have visited Chico. As the story goes, my grandfather, Robert Moorhead, was a young man when he went to Chico to treat his rheumatism. That was in the 1920's or 1930's. He loved it so much that after he married my grandmother he took her there, and they continued to make that long drive while all of their kids were growing up, my mother included. Then my parents took us there all of my childhood, and my siblings and I still go back with all of our kids - in fact, we hare having a family reunion with cousins and extended family this summer in 2023! Chico has grown into quite a complex, with many cabins, rental homes, and even covered wagons available to rent scattered in the hills surrounding the original building...