Orr Hot Springs

Orr Hot Springs is a small clothing-optional resort on 27 acres at the headwaters of the Big River in the Mendocino Coastal Range, on a country road between Ukiah and Mendocino. The operator's address is 13201 Orr Springs Road, Ukiah. Reservations are required for every visit, including day use. Day use runs every day from noon to 9 p.m. at $50 per person, and the operator says it often fills up. The swimming pool is closed on Tuesdays. Anyone booking with children under 18 has to call (707) 462-6277. The operator's brochure says several underground springs are tapped to bring mineral water into the bathhouse, arriving hot from the earth at about 106°F and rich in sulphur, calcium, potassium and boron. Porcelain tubs fill with mineral water at an average of about 104°F, and the communal pools range from 104°F to 107°F. Several smaller springs, unaltered by chemicals, feed a 15-by-59-foot swimming pool built into the rock of the hillside that runs about 60-70°F. The current day-use page lists private tubs, upper deck tubs, a covered tub, an outdoor tub, the swimming pool, a dry sauna, a steam room and a cold plunge. NOAA's thermal springs list records Orrs Springs at 104°F. Pomo people passed through on trading expeditions and annual treks to the coast, and in the late 1800s Orr Hot Sulphur Springs became a resting spot on the Ukiah-Mendocino stagecoach line, according to the brochure. The lodge and some cabins date to the early 1930s and were built from locally milled redwood. Plan ahead. Orr does not serve or sell food and is 12 miles from the nearest grocery store or restaurant, so bring your own; the brochure describes a communal kitchen. There is no cell service and no Wi-Fi, and phones are not allowed at the bathhouse. Pets are not allowed on the property or in parked cars. Because the tubs drain into the creek, bath salts and other additives are not allowed, and silver or platinum jewelry can tarnish in the water.

Sources: orrhotsprings.org (1), orrhotsprings.org (2), orrhotsprings.org (3), orrhotsprings.org (4), doi.pangaea.de

In Ukiah, California, Orr Hot Springs sits under a quarter mile from pavement. Access is listed as Paved Road at this developed resort or spa (on the operator's own site). Pool or spring temperature on file: 106°F (very hot). Entry is charged in the $$$ band, camping on site is confirmed on the operator's own site and amenities on file include lodging on-site, showers and reservations required. Clothing rule on file: clothing optional, on the operator's own site.