Crack of dawn, Canadian Thanksgiving,
westbound Trans-Canada Highway #1, from Calgary to Banff, Alberta.

Drawn to the light in the sky, to the Rockies,
to the sulphates & bicarbonates, calcium & magnesium
that fill the hot springs on Banff’s Sulphur Mountain.

Felt like bathing in a mythical world, a place that I dream of often…

Water: 37-40° C / 100-104° F

Only downside: no bubble station …

Mountainside, yes. There’s a blue lake, too, on the other side of the windows and loungers and mineral-rich thermal spring pool.

There’s no question about it: I’m a ‘spa culture’ aficionado. I love massages and mud packs and anything else that might fall under the banner of ‘leisurely wellness’. A critical part of the equation for me is spending time soaking in thermal baths–commonly referred to as ‘healing waters’. Many stunning examples are found in Budapest–the (un)official ‘spa capital of the world’. The city’s thermal baths are featured in a video I posted recently here.

Having spent a full month in the hot springs of Hungary, I found myself missing my daily soaks. To remedy my mourning I took a look around to see what kinds of thermal waters flow through cracks in the earth’s crust closer to home. The photo above is one example of a B.C. public mineral pool. It’s located in the village of Harrison Hot Springs–just a 90-minute drive from the heart of Vancouver. I hopped in the car, made the trek the other day, claimed a lounge chair by the window, then soaked and relaxed the hours away.

Water temperature at source: a scorching 62.8°C / 145°F.
Water temperature in pool, cooled: a soothing 38ºC / 100°F.

While soaking, I met some Vancouver regulars who make the pilgrimage every week. A woman I spoke with told me her weekly visits have been part of her schedule for the past three years; a man I talked to said these waters have been a weekly habit for the past fifteen.

And a question:

In your part of the world, are there hot springs where you like to soak?