There’s nothing like sinking into a hot spring to make all your problems seem to dissolve—and it turns out that they actually might sometimes be capable of doing just that.

Hot springs have long been seen as medicinal, and many ancient cultures used them for healing rituals, ceremonies, and detoxification practices. Today, hot springs are still popular choices for anyone looking for rejuvenation. Modern science, meanwhile, has been increasingly backing up what the ancients have always known: hot springs really do have medicinal properties.

Some studies have found that hot spring hydrotherapy may be an effective treatment for various skin ailments as well as cardiovascular and respiratory issues, and soaking in hot water is also believed to have significant mental health benefits. 

Fortunately, our planet offers no shortage of magnificent hot springs to soak in. If you’ve been looking for a way to let the weight of the world melt off your shoulders while relaxing in a beautiful place, these dreamlike oases might just hit the spot.

1. Pamukkale Thermal Pools, Turkey
2. Grutas Tolantongo, Mexico
3. Cascate del Mulino, Italy
4. Takaragawa Onsen, Japan
5. Reykjadalur, Iceland
6. Travertine Hot Springs, California

Pamukkale Thermal Pools, Turkey

Turkey’s Pamukkale Thermal Pools just may take the cake for the most visually stunning hot springs in the world. Consisting of terraced basins filled with calcite-heavy blue water, this landscape has been a popular destination for thousands of years.

Visitors to the nearby spa town of Hierapolis, which was founded at the end of the 2nd century B.C., would often make their ways here to bathe in the waters. The springs were often used for religious rituals, and it’s not hard to see why—there is indeed something profoundly mystical about the way the calcite in these waters has created a landscape comprised of petrified waterfalls and stunning ivory cliffs.

Unfortunately, climate change and overtourism have resulted in some of the pools being emptied of water. Swimming in most of the terraces is no longer allowed, though it is possible to wade through them and to wander around the area, drinking in the majesty. There are several specific pools set aside for bathing, and the ruins of Hierapolis are also available to explore. Nearby hotels also offer plentiful opportunities for luxurious dips in the region’s thermal waters.

Grutas Tolantongo, Mexico

If you ever dreamed of going to a waterpark where all the water is hot and mineral-loaded and the main objective is relaxation rather than thrills, Grutas Tolantongo might be your dream destination.

Located in a box canyon in the state of Hidalgo, this paradise consists of a combination of natural and manmade pools, waterfalls, and saunas. The whole park is owned by the local community, meaning everyone who works there also lives in the area. It has been a popular destination in Mexico since the 1970s, but has gained international renown in recent years.

Its most famous attraction is its collection of beautiful white stone pools, which spill artfully over a hill and allow visitors to gaze out over the lush foliage while soaking in water heated by surrounding volcanic mountains. A visit here makes it easy to understand why these springs were sacred to the indigenous Otomí people who first found them. The area is sometimes described as the “womb of Mexico,” and is seen as a powerful place to become one with the Earth.

Cascate del Mulino, Italy

Tuscany, Italy is filled with hot springs, but Cascate del Mulina offers a unique blend of archaic quaintness and dazzling natural beauty. This stunning destination consists of layered terraces that host pools of hot sulfur water, all heated by a nearby extinct volcano called Mount Amiata.

The terraces are located next to an old mill named Cascate del Mulina, and the area itself is rich in lore. Legend has it that the baths were formed when Jupiter threw a lightning bolt at Saturn, which landed on Earth and created a luscious thermal experience that humans have been enjoying ever since.

The baths are free to visit aside from parking costs. They are also packed with mineral-rich thermal plankton, which are often believed to have major benefits for the skin as well as for circulation and digestion. 

Takaragawa Onsen, Japan

Hot springs have long been a revered part of Japanese culture, and visiting one here comes with its own set of rules and traditions. In Japan, hot springs and the facilities that surround them are known as “onsens,” and visiting them is widely believed to have a variety of health, wellness, and spiritual benefits. There are many different types of onsens in Japan, from metropolitan bathhouses you can visit for an hour to ryokans, which are traditional inns that often have onsens and sometimes host private bathing areas in the rooms. 

There are countless different onsens to choose from in Japan, but one particularly magnificent one is Takaragawa Onsen. Located in a forest right next to a rushing river in the Gunma Prefecture, this onsen is open 24 hours per day for guests, and day passes are also available.

Bathing in the hot springs here is glorious during any season. Autumn is particularly magnificent thanks to the foliage, while winter offers an opportunity to swim while watching the snow fall, and it’s possible to soak while stargazing during all four seasons. Guests are also encouraged to hike in the surrounding forest before melting away in one of the onsen’s many steaming baths.

Reykjadalur, Iceland

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon may be one of the most famous hot springs in the world, but it’s certainly not the only hot spring in Iceland—and the dense volume of tourists who pass through it every day mean that it may not always be the most peaceful, either. 

Reykjadalur, Iceland offers a slightly more off-the-beaten-path way to experience Iceland’s hot springs and beautiful nature. Located in the south of the country, this valley can only be reached by a roughly hour-long hike, though it’s also possible to get there on horseback. 

Once you arrive, you’ll be greeted by countless steaming mud pools, bright blue springs, and even a heated river. All of it can be reached by boardwalks that thread their way through the grassy valley, and everywhere, rock formations stained bright colors by geothermal activities provide endless feasts for the eyes.

Travertine Hot Springs, California

Located in the Eastern Sierras about twenty minutes from the Nevada border, these famous and free hot springs offer stunning views of the nearby mountains and California wilderness.

They’re easily accessible by car and have become a bit of a tourist attraction in recent years, but the springs still offer a rare sense of peace. Other than the dark blue waters, the area’s crown jewel is the bulbous travertine terraces that border the springs, which were created by calcium carbonate that built up here over hundreds of thousands of years.

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