Update 1/30/2019
Sometimes places change, and for a variety of reasons, we NO LONGER recommend Delight’s Hot Springs as a Las Vegas Top Pick.
Delight’s Hot Springs; Tecopa, California; 80 miles Northwest of Las Vegas:
This is a unique, healthy getaway for locals, and a potential excursion for those who enjoy hot springs and frequent Las Vegas.
Extended Slideshow, Click Here
I love hot springs. Between growing up in Montana, trips to Idaho, living in Japan two years, then living in South Korea for three, I’ve probably visited over two hundred springs. Some I hiked four hours to reach—deep within the Rocky Mountains—and our group saw not another soul for days. Others were luxurious Japanese resorts, where you could choose from several marble-walled pools with varying temperatures, sipping chilled sake alongside. The quality and content of hot spring water varies, too; some pungent, some odorless, some salty like the dead sea, others oily; different mineral levels depending on the source of springs; all report myriad health benefits to body.
I’ve traveled to Delight’s Hot Springs four times, including today. It’s an established springs with four pools to choose from. Each pool is private and can fit up to 6 people comfortably. There is a shower in each pool area, and the door locks. Users are asked to soak no more than 30 minutes, then let others enjoy. The place is rarely busy, so it’s not hard to get more time or take a break then switch to another pool. Pool temperatures range from 103-108. This is not a Cosmopolitan or Bellagio spa; rather a funky desert outpost with mix-match Asian furnishings. But it’s simple, has clean flowing water, and provides a relaxing, meditative experience. The hot spring quality is high and without odor. The staff are personable and casual. Your fee is $10 for 10am-5pm or $15 for 10am-10pm.
There is rough and tumble lodging available for overnight stays. Warning—there is no cell reception in the entire town. So the phone booth in the extended slideshow is for real. How refreshing, though, to go without cell service for a period of time.
I also suggest trying one of their handmade soaps; my favorite is the Clay Bar, which uses mineral-laden ingredients from the surrounding Mojave Desert. At first it feels too rough and scratchy, but its natural power for exfoliation is remarkable; for weekly or monthly use, not every day.
The tiny town of Tecopa, population approx 170, along with the Mojave Desert perched on the edge of Death Valley, provide a strange, desolate-yet-beautiful experience while driving here. Halfway en route, motoring down an empty winding road with jagged dusty mountains as backdrop, I heard in my mind the famous song lines:
On a dark desert highway
cool wind in my hair
warm smell of colitas
rising up through the air…
