spa therapies
reached by boat from the mainland towns of Qaqortoq and Nanortalik. You won’t find yourself wanting for views, either, with breathtaking vistas of icebergs and mountain peaks all around the springs.
natur-al hot tub with other tourists, but the expansive views and epic sunsets are worth the potential crowds—especially if you start the day with a hike in the magnificent nearby mountains. Champagne Pool, Waiotapu, New Zealand
Kurokawa Onsen, Kyushu, Japan Japan is known for its onsens, or natur-a hot springs. One of the prettiest is loc-ted in the quaint town of Kurokawa on Kyushu, the southwestern most of Japan’s main islands, where you can stay overnight or get a day pass to the springs with access to three of the 24 participating baths of your choice. For your dip, you can choose from pools located in caves, surrounded by bamboo, or situated next to snowy riverbanks, among others. (Notable ones nearby include those at Yamamizuki, overlooking the riverside just outside the town center, and Iyashi no Sato Kiyashiki, with its wooden tubs; both are also ryokans, where you can spend the night.) Travertine Hot Springs, Eastern Sierras, California About a 20-minute drive from the Nevada border, California’s Travertine Hot Springs are completely swimmable and relatively easy to access from Highway 395—you’ll find them down - short dirt road—making them one of the most popul-r spots in the Eastern Sierras. The pools are formed by scalding geothermal water that trickles down travertine rock and algae, settling at a comfortable 103 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. You may have to share your
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Champagne Pool is one of the most popular—and most colorful—attractions in Waiotapu, a geothermal area on New Zealand’s North Island. (Waiotapu is Moori for “sacred waters.”) The 213-foot-wide spring contains high amounts of carbon dioxide gas, which makes it bubble—not unlike, well, a flute of Champagne. It can reach temperatures of around 165 degrees Fahrenheit so you can’t swim in it, but you can still enjoy the pool’s technicolor beauty, from its fluorescent, blue-green waters to its neon orange ring, a build-up of metalloid deposits. The pool is about -athreehour drive south of Auckland, making it a perfect weekend tack-on if you find yourself in Kiwi country. Be sure to stop by the other sites at the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, like boiling mud pools and the erupting Lady Knox Geyser. Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado If you want to experience a hot spring while getting in a stay at an upscale hotel, Colorado’s Dunton Hot Springs might be just the place for you. The tony resort, located deep in the San Juan Mountains, makes up its very own log cabin–studded town, with a rustic charm that belies its first-class amenities (think, cross-country ski trails laid out by a former
Les Nouvelles Esthetiques no’81
Olympic Nordic skier and world-class dining served in a saloon)—but it’s the namesake hot springs that have the greatest appeal. There are a few ways to enjoy their steamy waters, which range in temperature from 85 degrees to 106 degrees Fahrenheit, including inside -arestored 19th-century bothhouse, in several different indoor and outdoor pools, or down at the source, itself. Termas Geométricas, Pucon, Chile In the middle of Chile’s lush Villarrica National Park, this hot spring spa consists of 17 pools, a maze of red walkways, and cooling waterfalls. Each of the “baths” are fed directly from the area’s natural hot spring, with pool waters maintaining temper-tures between 95 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit yearround (the waterfalls can plunge to about 43 degrees in the winter). Designed by Chilean architect Germpn del Sol, the spa’s Japanese inspired architecture and tropical environment make it a stunning place to soothe your muscles. There’s also an onsite restaurant, El Quicho, where you can fill up after your treatments with dishes like chicken fajitas and sweet pumpkin soup.
