Soaking safely
Hot water deserves respect
Every spring in Hot Spots carries a temperature band. Here is what they mean.
How hot is too hot?
Above about 43°C (110°F) is unsafe for anything more than a brief dip. Every spring is badged with its band, and anything in the scalding range carries a warning.
- Refreshing rather than warming. Bring a layer for afterwards.
- Refreshing rather than warming. Bring a layer for afterwards.
- Comfortable for a long soak.
- Comfortable for a long soak.
- Soak in shorter sessions and hydrate.
- Soak in shorter sessions and hydrate.
- Too hot to enter safely. Test the water before any contact.
- Too hot to enter safely. Test the water before any contact.
The basics
- Test the water with a hand before any part of you goes in. Temperatures vary hour to hour and pool to pool.
- Drink water. Soaking dehydrates you faster than it feels like it should.
- Keep sessions to fifteen or twenty minutes in genuinely hot water, and get out if you feel lightheaded.
- Never soak alone in the backcountry, and never soak after drinking.
- Keep your head out of untreated water. Naegleria fowleri is rare but it is present in some hot springs.
- If a spring is on private land or posted closed, turn around.
Hot Spots is a community resource, not a safety authority. Conditions change, listings go stale, and you are responsible for your own judgement at the water's edge.