Giving starts in the Gorge

The Gorge Community Foundation helps donors create charitable endowment funds to support the causes you care about and projects that inspire you.

Since 2003, the Foundation has made over $2 million in grants. You can start an endowment fund now with a tax-deductible contribution or include the Gorge Community Foundation in your estate plans.

541-308-0770

413 Oak St, Hood River,

Learn more at gorgecf.org or call 509-250-3525

“We hope that our guests use Tenzen as an escape from the daily hard work and worries. After a couple of days of stay, we wish that they are fully recharged,” says Yoshida. “Instead of watching TV, we recommend listening to nice music and look into yourselves.” e 160-degree water is brought via pump from an underground aquifer 3,000 feet below the Wind River. But according to Yoshida, the water is too hot straight out of the springs. “It goes to the mixing station then goes to the cabins,” she said. e water being mixed in isn’t typical city or county water. “It’d be easier for us to use city water, but we didn’t want to,” she added. e tubs are drained after each guest’s stay as part of the cleaning process for the cabins. But that water doesn’t go to waste. It’s ltered, along with the water that over ows from the in nity tub, and is sent back to the same aquifer through the injection well. With a continuous ow of water, Tenzen is providing the healing power of the geothermal hot springs to others in a sustainable way, with little to no water consumption.

O the main room of the cabin is a bathroom boasting a sleek design, with intentional amenities including a steam sauna in the shower, along with a heated toilet seat and dimmable lights. e door from the bathroom leads outside to a private, semi-enclosed room, complete with a soaking tub, outdoor shower and double doors opening to the deck.

A large wooden tub is lled to the brim with water. e tub receives a constant trickle of hot spring water, consistently owing thanks to its in nity design.

Water from the springs is brought up to a holding tank, where it’s allowed to cool down. From there, it’s mixed with additional hot water from the springs, balancing the water out to the ideal temperature. Pipes lead from the mixing tank to the cabins, allowing guests to receive pure geothermal spring water at around 120 degrees. “We have cold water for the tub, which is also cooled-down hot spring water, so customers can easily adjust the temperature and enjoy 100 percent natural hot springs water without using city water with chlorine,” adds Yoshida.

“I remember that Tak used to say that he appreciated how American people had welcomed him and had been nice to him since he had immigrated from Japan in the 1970s,” Yoshida says. “Sharing the experience of hot spring water was to thank them all.”

To learn more, go to tenzensprings.com