We all love soaking in hot springs. There’s nothing like lowering yourself into 105° mineral rich water after a long day working. Or maybe you spent the day hiking through the mountains or skiing the local slopes. Either way, the water feels amazing as it warms stiff joints and your muscles start to relax.

“Ahhhhh, this is just what I needed. What a great way to end the day,” you say to yourself.

As you take in the beautiful mountain scenery, an eagle drifts by overhead and in the distance you hear an elk bugle briefly, calling to locate his herd. You melt further into the soothing waters, lowering yourself chin-deep, as you watch the sun set behind the hills, it’s last rays bathing the sky in pink and golden hues.

Mineral Hot Springs Destinations

There are many natural hot springs around the world where you can enjoy an experience like this. Many people take their hot springs adventures seriously, and there are even groups and hot springs meetups for people that like to travel to different places and check out the natural springs in a new area.

A Few Famous Hot Springs

While Yellowstone Hot Springs is our personal favorite (not that we are biased or anything), we thought it might be fun to start a series listing hot springs locations around the world for all you adventurous hot springs aficionados to add to your bucket lists.

These are in no particular order, and we aren’t saying one is better than the other. The numbering system is just so we can keep track of our list. Don’t see your favorite on here? Send us a message and let us know why it is your favorite and why it should be added.

#1. – Pamukkale, Turkey

The name of this natural hot spring basically translates to “cotton castle.” It is located in southwestern Turkey, in the city of Denizli. The pools are made up of 17 terraces down the side of a mountain, that trap the mineral water there, forming pools. The primary crops grown in the area are cotton, and legends say these pools were formed from hardened cotton left by giants.

#2. – Takaragawa Onsen

Located among the mountains in Japan, this “onsen” (water or pool) has natural minerals that are said to have healing properties. The picturesque location straddling a river that meanders through the idyllic scenery is an additional attraction, as visitors are able to experience both the waters, and Japan.

Part 2 coming soon in our next post…