Baths, by Betsy

Over the course of my lifetime there are very few public baths I have visited; also, being a shower person there are darn few bathtubs I have been in for that matter. 

First the public baths I have visited.

Ojo Caliente is the oldest natural mineral hot springs health resort in the U.S. according to their web-site.  Located near Santa Fe, N.M., Ojo was regarded as a sacred place by the native Americans who first settled in the area and utilized the healing waters hundreds of years ago.  Ancient people believed to be ancestors of today’s Tewa tribes built large pueblos and terraced gardens overlooking the springs.  The site was home to thousands of people at one time in ancient history.

In 1868 Antonio Joseph opened Ojo Caliente as the first natural health spa in the country.  Soon to follow was a sanitarium which became well known throughout the country as a place where afflicted people could come to be cured.

Of the many pools at the resort my favorite was the mud pool where one is instructed to slather mud all over your body and bake in the sun until well done. Toxins are thereby released from the pores of your skin and you come away feeling cleansed and refreshed--that is, after rinsing the mud off your body in the pool.  The whole process takes up the better part of an afternoon.

Another public bath I have visited is in Alaska near Fairbanks.  My son and his family live in Fairbanks.  One summer when I was there visiting them we decided to get in the car and drive the 60 miles to Chena Hot Springs and spend the day there.  The drive to the place was interesting but probably not unusual for Alaska.  We got on the Chena Hot Springs road and drove N.E.the 60 miles through what seemed like wilderness.  The road ended at the resort.  That was it.  No more road.  But then why would there be more road.  There is basically nothing beyond but hundreds of miles of interior Alaska.  The surrounding environment makes for a beautiful setting to relax in the large hot springs rock lake.  Two hundred nights of the year one can watch the northern lights while enjoying the waters.  Chena is the most developed hot springs resort in Alaska and is famous for its healing mineral waters and the beautiful Aurora Borealis displays.

I have been to the Hot Sulphur Springs spa 2 or 3 times.  This 140-year-old resort is located in Grand County Colorado about a 30-minute drive from Winter Park.  The Ute Indians were the first inhabitants to enjoy the hot springs and their healing powers.  They were known to use the “magic waters” to bathe themselves, their dogs, horses, children, and women in them, and in that order. 

Then came Mr. William Byers who recognized the economic potential of the springs.  With the help of the U.S. cavalry and the courts he acquired the land from the Utes somewhat deviously.

The resort was renovated in 1997.  One thousand people attended the opening ceremony including the Ute tribal spiritual leader who was forgiving in his blessing of the waters.  The Utes are welcome to use the springs once again, says the web site.

And finally there are the bathtubs I have known.

To my knowledge I have used only one bath tub in my lifetime on a regular basis.  That was as a young child.  Somewhere along the line I became a shower person and remain so today.  Could that possibly be because my experience with bath tubs mostly included the cleaning of them.  I have no memory of this, but apparently I was expected to scrub the tub after bathing.  Showering is much easier.

© 21 Oct 2012 

About the Author 

Betsy has been active in the GLBT community including PFLAG, the Denver Women’s Chorus, OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change), and the GLBT Community Center. She has been retired from the human services field for 20 years. Since her retirement, her major activities have included tennis, camping, traveling, teaching skiing as a volunteer instructor with the National Sports Center for the Disabled, reading, writing, and learning. Betsy came out as a lesbian after 25 years of marriage. She has a close relationship with her three children and four grandchildren. Betsy says her greatest and most meaningful enjoyment comes from sharing her life with her partner of 30 years, Gillian Edwards.