Indiana’s Geothermal Gems
While Indiana might not be the first state that comes to mind for natural hot springs, hidden beneath its rolling plains and verdant forests lie geothermal treasures.
French Lick Springs
From the time the French Lick Springs Hotel was originally built in the mid-1800s, it has prioritized health and wellness in the guest experience. This legacy is deeply rooted in the famous “miracle waters” of the area’s naturally occurring mineral springs that were said to cure any ailment. The tradition of providing rest, relaxation and rejuvenation continues today at our world-class spas.
French Lick Resort is a historic spa destination renowned for its mineral springs.While the Pluto Spring water is no longer available for bathing (due to its high lithium content), the resort offers a variety of indoor and outdoor soaking pools with treated mineral water.
Experience complete relaxation at The Spa at West Baden, featuring a two-level natatorium housing our full-service spa with 12 treatment rooms, and health club with an indoor lap pool.
Guests must be 18 years or older to receive body treatments, massages and facials, and to use spa amenities. Guests ages 12-17 can receive nail treatments when accompanied by a parent or guardian who is 18 or older.
Mudlavia Resort
In the early 1900s, the proprietors of the Mudlavia Mud Cure and Lithia Water Baths in Kramer, Indiana, promoted a treatment for painful “rheumatism” (a catch-all term for what today might include osteoarthritis) that involved packing one’s body in hot mud and then bathing in hot water once a day for several days—often up to three weeks’ time.
A 1905 promotional brochure, “Mud More Valuable than Gold,” promised “that all conditions for the health, rest or pleasure seeker are everything that can be desired . . . as full of comfort as sunshine, cheery decoration, antique oak and luxurious rugs can make them.”
The Mudlavia site operated as a hotel for a while, then became housing for the elderly and infirm, was later made over into a restaurant, burned in another fire in 1974, and was finally abandoned.
Its springs, however, still flow; the water is tapped across the road from the former hotel and sold in bottles bearing the Cameron Springs label.
