A Desert Sauna
“The head man, Tu-to-meet, was tired and sick and lame, so he took his who-ya-no-hut [staff of power], which he struck in the ground. He twisted it around and caused the water of a spring to come out. He named it Sec he, meaning the sound of boiling water, which is up to the earth and on the earth, which is never to dry up, never to go away, but to be there forever and always for the sick.”
Tribal elder Franciso Patencio, The Cahuilla legend about the creation of Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Springs [source]
Beneath the luxurious and manicured appearance of Palm Springs there is something wildly, mythically, deeply elemental. It is water. A deep aquifer extends for millions of acres in the arid valley. It provides for the palm trees and the people who have made this desert a blooming busy place. On a recent visit there we observed that it was a challenge to find a sauna. That is likely due to the fact that it is already home to a beautiful bathing tradition thanks to the area’s deep underground waters and hot springs. We took the opportunity to take the waters at one of the area’s thermal spas which, surprisingly, included what was advertised as, “an authentic Finnish sauna.” We were curious to find out what a desert sauna was like.
While we were in the Palm Springs area, one of the best things we did was go to the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. It provided an orientation to the area’s history and the importance of the hot springs as a treasured, sacred resource. The museum is part of a complex run by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians which includes a landscaped plaza and the Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring spa. The displays in the museum are thoughtfully designed and feature the voices of Cahuilla people sharing their myths and art, their relationship to the land and their struggle for survival and sovereignty. They see their most important role as guardians of the area’s waters.
Indian Canyons is home to native fan palm trees that grow over 60 feet tall. photo © Jack Steinmann
Another way to better understand hot springs is to take a hike. One of the places we love to explore near Palm Springs is Indian Canyons, a nature reserve located on the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation. It is a place where you can walk through boulder strewn canyons surrounded by the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains that rise in sharp relief against the sky. You can walk the soft, sandy paths along creeks that trace San Andreas fault lines. Clear water bubbles up from these earth fissures and nourishes groves of stately palm trees. Hot springs occur in such seismic landscapes when water seeps deep into the earth and comes into contact with its core heat. When it rises back to the surface it is filtered through rock taking on minerals such as sodium, calcium and magnesium. These special waters have been known since ancient times for healing and soothing.
The Cahuilla own and manage the one hot spring spa in Palm Springs: The Spa at Séc-he. There are other thermal baths located throughout the Coachella Valley. In the nearby town of Desert Hot Springs, there are close to two dozen hot spring places. We chose to sample the waters at Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis. Their waters come from a unique aquifer located beneath the town. The mineral-rich waters at the resort are reputedly some of the hottest around at 174 degrees straight out of the ground (cooled to a safe temp before being piped into tubs).
Natural Hot Mineral Water Pool at Desert Hot Springs, c. 1930–1945, Tichnor Brothers, Public Domain
Azure Palm Hot Springs is just down the street from the house of Cabot Yerxa, sometimes called “the father of Desert Hot Springs.” The story goes that he arrived in the area about 1913 to homestead. Advised by local Cahuilla friends, he was digging wells when he discovered that his property sat on top of two springs, one hot and the other cold. He built his idiosyncratic home inspired by Hopi Pueblo architecture on “Miracle Hill” and helped develop the area into a spa resort town. Today the City of Desert Hot Springs owns Yerxa’s house and operates it as the non-profit, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum. It’s a fascinating place to visit.
Balneotherapy! photo © Jack Steinmann
Our day at Azure Palm Hot Springs began by checking in for our day pass, $68 (weekday rate). We were provided with lockers, robes, slippers and towels. Once out of the locker room we went to the outdoor patio where we enjoyed taking laps in the large heated pool. Beyond the pool is the garden-like “oasis” with a path along a pebbled artificial creek. The real attraction for us was the hot mineral water tubs. They are situated at the edge of the garden, fenced off from the city but allowing views to the mountains. Each of the eight tubs is semi private with palm frond roofs that allows one or a few people to relax and enjoy the naturally hot mineral water.
The sauna and cold bucket shower. photo © Jack Steinmann
The Finnish sauna is a proper free standing hut in the garden with a nearby bucket shower. The sauna, unlike an authentic Finnish version, is not meant to offer a place for a proper washing-up. However, it does offer a step in the thermal cycle tradition. We alternated between the pool (85 degrees), the sauna (a mild 140 degrees) with a cold bucket shower and then the hot spring tubs. The water was 104 degrees and felt plenty hot. The weather that day was breezy and temps were in the desert-dry 70’s. All together, we enjoyed the comfortable contrasts of hot, warm and cool.
My final thought concerns the contrast between the simple, eternal presence of the thermal waters and the spa packaging that is used to promote them. Various hot spring venues offer luxurious add-ons such as massages, facials, colonics, pedicures, vitamin injections and more. Even a sauna is not really necessary in the desert. A soak in the hot springs is enough. Nothing beats a simple, meditative moment in the warm embrace of nature.
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