I have been attending a conference all week at Vichy Springs Resort here in Ukiah. Vichy Springs is a carbonated warm spring up in the mountains just outside Ukiah. The baths have been used by Native Americans for thousands of years and were stolen from them around 1850. They have now been privatized and made into an exclusive peaceful abode for the upper classes to forget about all the capital they control.
They claim to be the only carbonated warm spring in North America. They also claim to be of historical significance; from their website:
It was during the Redemeyer and Doolan eras that the rich and famous in California history visited Vichy Springs. The Ghiradelli family, Abe Roeff, Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and William Harrison, Teddy Roosevelt and daughter Alice, Mark Twain, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jim and John L. Sullivan. The list goes on.
Wild turkeys and deer roam the acreage. The grounds are exceptionally beautiful right now because all the leaves are changing color and falling.
During the lunch hour I snuck off to soak in the pools. The source is a little cool so I opted to sit in the developed hot tub of which the water had been heated electronically. Also, I couldn’t figure out how to stop up the baths and didn’t feel like waiting for a tub to fill.
I was happy to get a chance to see these springs, because it is a place I don’t believe I ever would have gone at my own accord. I believe there should be a law against privatizing hot springs.
October 27, 2007 at 3:21 am |
Robert Louis Stevenson? What was he doing there! Perhaps this inspired him for treasure island then… rather than scottish coastline as has been suggested
Sounds like your living a life of luxury wolf… it’ll all change soon!
October 29, 2007 at 8:13 pm |
The Vichy Hot Springs are known to be much colder in the winter months, and warmer in the summer months. My parents call it “Vichy Tepid Springs.”
July 2, 2009 at 7:09 pm |
I’ve visited in both winter and summer and yes, the baths are too cold in the winter ( use the hot tub instead ). In the summer , they are perfect though!
You take the stopper out of the end and place it at the other end ( think …giant wine cork ) . The giant cork ( the metal stopper plugs the tub and allows the water to come up. Or did you figure it out already ?
July 2, 2009 at 7:09 pm |
As a side note …… this place would normally be out of my price range. I did some trade work and that’s how I got access . I really enjoy the time I’ve been able to spend there though!