Spiritual soak in Sierraville

Seekers, take up your sarongs and travel to Sierra Hot Springs, a nonprofit spiritual retreat near Sierraville, Calif.

Venture on U.S. Forest Service roads (maps available at the Truckee Ranger station, 530-587-3558, wind past Stampede Reservoir through osprey country. Or meander along the Little Truckee River up Highway 89. Either path directs you to a tranquil experience.

"That's the best thing, it's a mood, peaceful, warm, relaxing," said Sierra Hot Springs Manager Kip Richardson.

The natural hot springs were used by the indigenous Washoe and Maidu people, who gathered grass seeds and bulbs in this valley of abundance (Americans Indians soak free). With the appearance of white settlers came development. On July 18, 1874, Jack Campbell created Campbell Hot Springs, for the soaking pleasure of area cattlemen and miners from the Mother Lode.

Present-day Sierra Hot Springs, an offshoot of Harbin Hot Springs, is a new age teaching and healing center.

Guests have a choice of lodging accommodations. The Globe Hotel, in the heart of Sierraville one mile away, has a large communal kitchen, and is recently renovated.

Or stay in the Main Lodge, originally built in the 1870s, with a cozy living room. Get your granola on, this is a trip to communal living.

"It's Rustic and funky with a capital R," said Richardson. "This is not an Anywhere USA spa, it's like visiting someone's home, it has a different feel."

The Main Lodge is located within walking distance to the pools, of which there are a variety of styles and ambiance, all filled with the silky, beneficial mineral water, chock full of magnesium, iron and sulfur. Hot springs are reputed to cure everything from ague, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis to cancer.

Get the lay of the land during daylight. The trails are fine for tennis shoes and Tevas, but difficult to discern your way in the dark, although there are strings of solar-powered lamps for direction. But do venture out in the dark, the Milky Way is a brilliant splash in the heavens against the black silhouettes of cedar, fir and pines.

The year-round Temple Dome Area is renovated and welcoming. A large, warm pool tiled and cemented, with the water treated as lightly as health codes allow.

The Temple Dome is copper shingled, octagonal and appointed with cement sitting benches and a very hot mosaic tiled tub. Silence is requested here.

As a retreat, body acceptance is a key component at Sierra Hot Springs - clothing is optional.

Sierra Hot Springs is the perfect staycation secret. A scenic drive to a spiritual spot, lodging from 1800s renovated to funky dormitory style, health treatments from massage to yoga classes.

Hiking, biking and birding abound in the surrounding 680 acres of Tahoe National Forest. Find yourself sandhill cranes, bats, hummingbirds or an Ibis. And a state of bliss.

For compete details, visit sierrahotsprings.org or call (530) 994-3773 ext. 0.

Seekers, take up your sarongs and travel to Sierra Hot Springs, a nonprofit spiritual retreat nestled in the bucolic, alpine meadow surrounding Sierraville, Calif. Venture on U.S. Forest Service roads (maps available at the Truckee Ranger station, (530-587-3558) wind past Stampede Reservoir through osprey country. Or meander along the Little Truckee River up Highway 89. Either path directs you to an incredibly tranquil experience.

"That's the best thing, it's a mood, peaceful, warm, relaxing," said three-year Sierra Hot Springs Manager Kip Richardson.

The natural hot springs were used by the indigenous Washoe and Maidu people, who gathered grass seeds and bulbs in this valley of abundance Americans Indians soak free). With the appearance of white settlers came development. On July 18, 1874, Jack Campbell created Campbell Hot Springs, for the soaking pleasure of area cattlemen and mines from the Mother Lode. Turn the page to present-day Sierra Hot Springs, an offshoot of Harbin Hot Springs, a new age teaching and healing center, with a philosophy of being successful enough to multiply.

Richardson, a piano composer likened to George Winston, is excited about polishing the jewel that is Sierra Hot Springs.

It is a work in progress and a retreat under the nonprofit New Age Church of Being. There is no particular dogma to follow. However, a continuing series of workshops and events promotes an aura of inner peace and outer health. These are free to guests, including yoga, drumming, Reiki and music.

Guests have a choice of lodging accommodations. The Globe Hotel, in the heart of Sierraville one mile away, (bike or drive to the facilities), has a large communal kitchen, and is recently renovated with beautiful antiques. In it's hey day, the Globe Hotel was a hopping brothel. Now, a large back deck offers sunbathing and free high-speed wireless internet is available.

Stay in the Main Lodge, originally built in the 1870s, with a cozy living room, plump with couches and a glass-front wood burning stove. A piano for playing. A whiff of nostalgia emanates from the exposed stone walls, the hot and cold faucets in the shared bathrooms. Ramp up comfortable with free, high-speed internet. And the wide screen TV and massage rooms. The communal kitchen beckons you to pad down from your dormitory-style room to brew some java or make a meal. Get your granola on, this is a trip to communal living.

"It's Rustic and funky with a capital R," said Richardson. "This is not an Anywhere USA spa, it's like visiting someone's home, it has a different feel." There are cats, dogs and kids in residence. The verandah hosts chaise lounges and cushions; a tire swing lazes from one of the many impressive, fluttering cottonwoods.

The Main Lodge is located within walking distance to the pools, of which there are a variety of styles and ambiance, all filled with the silky, beneficial mineral water, chock full of magnesium, iron and sulfur. Historically, hot springs are reputed to cure everything from ague, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis to cancer.

Cure your ills (no medical claims made) in the Phoenix Baths - seasonal pools inside private rooms, inside a funky building and drained after each use. These are heavy on the sulfur side, and might not be your cup of tea. Albiet very nice for parties of two.

Get the lay of the land during daylight. The trails are fine for tennis shoes and Tevas, but difficult to discern your way in the dark, although there are strings of solar-powered lamps for direction. But do venture out in the dark, the Milky Way is a brilliant splash in the heavens against the black silhouettes of cedar, fir and pines. The night owl's call reminds you this is a 24/7 spa. Whatever the hour, the pools are yours to enjoy.

Early birds, mosey to the Meditation Pool, surrounded by rock tile, verdant grass lawn and a splash of lilies, lined in a natural style, three steps down to a clean sandy bottom. The sun-dappled aspens quiver in the dawn. This pool is hot for a mid-day summer soak, and this pool closed for winter.

The year-round Temple Dome Area is renovated and welcoming. A large, warm pool tiled and cemented, with the water treated as lightly as health codes allow, is a place to breath deeply, swim a stroke or two, and reflect quietly in the sun or under the tarp-shaded area. Or sweat it out in the dry sauna.

A large, wooden deck with umbrellas, tables and a sprawling view of the rust colored valley, dotted with bovines await. The Temple Dome is copper shingled, octagonal and appointed with cement sitting benches and a very hot mosaic tiled tub. Silence is requested here. Which might be hard, as you dunk in one of two bathtub-sized cold plunges, painted bright blue with running water straight from Mother Nature. Gasp. A true wake up call.

Children are welcome, but need to maintain a level of behavior conducive to serenity. As a retreat, body acceptance is a key component at Sierra Hot Springs - clothing is optional. Think of your child's comfort before embarking. And don't disappoint the tots, the large warm pool is closed the second and fourth Tuesday of the month for cleaning from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Take care to note the hours of the Philosophy Cafe, the on site restaurant serving organic dinners Friday through Sunday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Menu items include salmon, buffalo and vegetarian dishes. Wake up Saturday and Sunday mornings to a "Thomalette," prepared and served by an incredibly affable, wide smiling Thomas. It's a blend of eggs, cheeses, zucchini squash, onions, sausage, peppers, you name it. Thomas sings, dances and tosses it in. Ten dollars extra for prompt service, says he.

If you are there mid-week, chef up your own in the communal kitchen. Store your stuff in the refridge and cubbies, use their pots pans dishes in a commercial sized kitchen. There are also restaurants in Sierraville, none open on Mondays.

Sierra Hot Springs is the perfect staycation secret. A scenic drive to a spiritual spot, lodging from 1800's renovated to funky dormitory style, health treatments from massage to yoga classes. An under current of creativity, including handcrafted jewelry, "philk" art (fine and folk art combined), photography, and a resident staff which includes Kaisa MacDonald, a member of the Bourgeois Gypsies. Hiking, biking and birding abound in the surrounding 680 acres of Tahoe National Forest. Find yourself sandhill cranes, bats, hummingbirds or an Ibis. And a state of bliss.

For compete details, visit sierrahotsprings.org or call (530) 994-3773 ext. 0.