Onsen in the US?

by **Charles** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:23 am

It's -9F today here in the midwest, and I am longing for a nice hot soak in an onsen. But I've looked around and there just isn't anything comparable, anywhere in the US. The closest thing I can find is Hot Springs Arkansas, and a few geothermic hot springs in Utah.
Well I'll settle for any large pool of hot water, preferably in the midwest (Chicago would be nice). Does anyone know of a decent place to go here in the US for a nice long, warm bath?

by **Charles** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:02 am

bikkle wrote:Not exactly an onsen, but...Sycamore Springs

Nice, looks like a beautiful retreat. There are lots of hot springs in the SW and California, but it's a little too far away and a little pricey. At this point, I'd settle for a public sento. I remember when I lived in San Francisco, someone told me there was a sento in Japantown, but by the time I found it, they remodeled it into a women's spa. Oh well.
Hot Springs AK is starting to look better. The Midwest US isn't known for it's abundant geothermal hot springs, I'd settle for almost any place I can just soak in hot water.

by **American Oyaji** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:27 am

I sm in 200% agreement

by **AssKissinger** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:45 am

http://www.oregon.com/hiking/bagby_hot_springs.cfm

I don't know what's up with this but in Warm Springs GA famous for being popular with FDR

Unfortunately the springs are not available for public use as a bath/spa resort, but they are used by the Roosevelt Institute for therapeutic purposes.

http://www.warmspringsga.com/warmsprings.htm#springs

by **GuyJean** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:58 am

AssKissinger wrote:http://www.oregon.com/hiking/bagby_hot_springs.cfm

Yeah, I was going to mention Oregon, but it might be too far from the midwest..

Oregon and Northern California are full of hot springs. Hot, steamy, naked-hippie-laden springs of nature..
http://oregonhotsprings.immunenet.com/

GJ

by **Greji** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:41 am

Charles wrote:Does anyone know of a decent place to go here in the US for a nice long, warm bath?

Saratoga! Saratoga Springs, NY is not only one of the birthplaces of thoroughbred racing, it is famous as a playground for the rich during racing season and for its many spa's and therapeutic onsens.
This is one small example for you Charles, since you are from the Crystal Children generation!

by **AssKissinger** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:42 am

The problem with those west coast hippy places is that they're totally infested with criminals. Theft, fights and rape. Who can relax? America has the right water but the wrong culture. Too bad Japan didn't win the war.

by **Taro Toporific** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:50 am

Charles wrote: Does anyone know of a decent place to go here in the US for a nice long, warm bath?

Hot Springs AK is most likely the closest for you (and can be dirt cheap place to stay at).

Colorado is full of hot springs and has many free rotenburo used by young snowboarders of both sexes. :luv3:

Montana and Wyomingalso have plenty.

Out of date and crappy US hot springs map by USGS.
http://www.acme.com/jef/hotsprings/

by **Greji** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:56 am

Taro Toporific wrote:Colorado is full of hot springs and has many free rotenburo used by young snowboarders of both sexes.

Does that mean if you go there, you have to choose one of the other?
:confused:

by **DrP** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:16 pm

I couldn't disagree more AK. As a PNW native, I've been to hundreds of hotsprings that rival (and basically shadow) anything I've seen in Japan or been to in Japan. Besides not being full of drunk, rascist oyajis, they are much more secluded, harder to get to - and thus naturally weed out the 'looky loos' and other riff raff on the more common 'Green Tortise' route(s). Japan is nice, but it aint all that.

I personally helped restore a hotsprings in the Cascades that was built in the early 1900's by a railroad survey crew. It's located about a 6hr hike off the hiway and requires a brisk 2000' vertical. We purposely created false trails to it so that most people would end up lost and discouraged to find it. Our restoration project was solely by helicopter drops, so that we'd not fully disclose the location (or trample any of the vegetation)

As far as the Midwest goes, there are lots of private baths in Chicago, St. Louis, Philly and probably other cities. I've been to those cities in particular, so I know they are there. Very much turkish spa-like and a welcome respite. A casual tourist or visitor is not likely to find these, nor get invited. However, there are plenty of 'rent-a-tube' places one can find a soak.

BTW - If anyone has been to the oceanside springs around Muleje, these are well known (some lesser known) but nevertheless the types of onsen I really prefer and cannot compare to Japan.

by **Taro Toporific** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:27 pm

Greji wrote:
Colorado is full of hot springs and has many free rotenburo used by young snowboarders of both sexes.
Does that mean if you go there, you have to choose one of the other?

You can pay to swim in olympic-size pool full of stinky sulfur water and 300 pound grandmas in places like Glenwood Springs.

Or, you can skinny dip for free in a huge variety of hotsprings au natural with the local snowboarders and maybe Mrs Taro as you see below.

by **ttjereth** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:37 pm

DrP wrote:As far as the Midwest goes, there are lots of private baths in Chicago, St. Louis, Philly and probably other cities.

I know I haven't been home for two years, but when did Philly move to the midwest?

by **Greji** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:40 pm

ttjereth wrote:I know I haven't been home for two years, but when did Philly move to the midwest?

Since the current global warming wave started!

by **Charles** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:58 pm

Taro Toporific wrote:Hot Springs AK is most likely the closest for you (and can be dirt cheap place to stay at).

Colorado is full of hot springs and has many free rotenburo used by young snowboarders of both sexes.
Montana and Wyomingalso have plenty.

Out of date and crappy US hot springs map by USGS.
http://www.acme.com/jef/hotsprings/

That last link is the winner, it reveals one spot closer than Hot Springs, AK, and that is, Warm Springs, AK. Having lived in Golden, CO for a couple of years, my urge in winter is to head south, not up into the Rockies. Now if I still lived in Golden...

But I'm flexible, I don't require natural hot springs, at this point, I'd settle for some hot tub place or turkish baths or whatever. Hell, at this point, if they made a cup of coffee big enough, I'd dive in. I checked around and the local recreation center has a hot tub, but here in the US (especially at cheaply operated public facilities) they tend to be full of bromine which stinks to high heaven and stays on your skin. But I'd settle for it, as long as it was hot.

by **AssKissinger** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:00 pm

I personally helped restore a hotsprings in the Cascades that was built in the early 1900's by a railroad survey crew. It's located about a 6hr hike off the hiway and requires a brisk 2000' vertical. We purposely created false trails to it so that most people would end up lost and discouraged to find it. Our restoration project was solely by helicopter drops, so that we'd not fully disclose the location (or trample any of the vegetation)

OK

So the hot springs that nobody can find don't have the problems I mentioned. In Japan, you wouldn't have to keep it top secret because the people wouldn't ruin the place just because they could.

by **Charles** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:01 am

DrP wrote:..I personally helped restore a hotsprings in the Cascades that was built in the early 1900's by a railroad survey crew. It's located about a 6hr hike off the hiway and requires a brisk 2000' vertical. We purposely created false trails to it so that most people would end up lost and discouraged to find it. Our restoration project was solely by helicopter drops, so that we'd not fully disclose the location (or trample any of the vegetation)

That was a good strategy.. before the widespread adoption of GPS.

by **Adhesive** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:28 am

AssKissinger wrote:OK

So the hot springs that nobody can find don't have the problems I mentioned. In Japan, you wouldn't have to keep it top secret because the people wouldn't ruin the place just because they could.

Which hotsprings are you talking about exactly? I grew up ion Northern California and have been to a few hotsprings in the area, the last one near Volcano Lake, IIRC, and I've never encountered anything but the occassional family of tourists.

by **AssKissinger** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:14 am

I guess I'm just talking out my ass. Just the one place in Oregon. A few people said it wasn't safe and when I was there some guy's car got broken into while he was hiking and another person complained about wild parties and skinheads infesting the place. America is way crazier though. I do stand by that.

by **Visitor K** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:08 am

hey! im from oregon, and i can vouch that there is a no more relaxing place to drink cheap jugs of wine, get in fights and/or molest random people in the woods than bagby hot springs in oregon.
ive been to some really nice hot springs in oregon, many are on private land and you pretty much have to know where they are and sneak onto somebody's land..
bagby, which is open to the public and used to be pretty nice, is now known to be pretty shady.. i used to go up there to get drunk in high school. lots of stories around there.
here's what reed college's activities website has to say about the bagby hot springs:

BAGBY HOT SPRINGS
Description coming soon: in the meantime, beware of the worst crime in the Oregon Cascades.

by **Adhesive** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:22 am

Visitor K wrote:hey! im from oregon, and i can vouch that there is a no more relaxing place to drink cheap jugs of wine, get in fights and/or molest random people in the woods than bagby hot springs in oregon.
ive been to some really nice hot springs in oregon, many are on private land and you pretty much have to know where they are and sneak onto somebody's land..
bagby, which is open to the public and used to be pretty nice, is now known to be pretty shady.. i used to go up there to get drunk in high school. lots of stories around there.
here's what reed college's activities website has to say about the bagby hot springs:

Ah, well maybe this explains the discreprancy; Meth-head Oregonians are ruinging the reputation of West-coast hotsprings!

by **IkemenTommy** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:57 am

bikkle wrote:Not exactly an onsen, but...Sycamore Springs

Damn, Ultra.. I am "originally" from that area.. or at least my parents still live there.
Here is another from that area, though I wouldn't remotely call this an onsen by all Japanese standards http://www.riveroakshotsprings.com/

by **Visitor K** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:08 am

[quote="Adhesive"]Ah, well maybe this explains the discreprancy]

christ, i wish it was only the hot springs. next time your in portland go to the outer southeast (or as we call it, felony flats).. keep the windows up!

by **AssKissinger** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:42 am

Visitor K wrote:christ, i wish it was only the hot springs. next time your in portland go to the outer southeast (or as we call it, felony flats).. keep the windows up!

White trash crime wave! I remember.

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Onsen in the US?

Onsen in the US?

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