FAIRMONT, BRITISH COLUMBIA—

People have been soaking up the natural warmth at Fairmont Hot Springs for as long as anyone can remember. The Kootenay, Blackfoot and Shuswap Indians have all called the area home, and later it was a popular stagecoach stop.

Now, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort attracts visitors from all over the world to its 140-room lodge, dining room and lounge, two 18-hole golf courses, beautiful RV park, and private ski mountain. At the center of everything, however, is the plentiful and continuous supply of odorless hot mineral water. Fairmont uses this wonderful resource to fill several large pools, which are emptied, cleaned, and refilled every night. Because fresh water is constantly flowing through the pools, no chemicals have to be added, and visitors soak in completely natural 100-degree (Fahrenheit) water.

In addition to enjoying the therapeutic benefits of hot mineral water, guests can further pamper themselves by signing up for spa services including Swedish massage and herbal body wrap treatments.  The "Parafango Glacier Mud Treatment," one of the more exotic, involves deep heat, massage, glacier mud and paraffin.  It's guaranteed to iron out those sore muscles!

While the "civilized" pools are wonderful, Fairmont offers a wilder side for those with adventurous spirits. In the picture above, Megan is enjoying one of the "Indian baths," pools carved into the bedrock on the hillside above the resort.  Good anytime, the Indian baths are especially enchanting under a full moon. Mark's favorite spot is the fifty-foot hot waterfall, pictured above right.

It's easy to imagine those early stagecoach travelers soaking their weary bones after a dusty day on the trail. The Phoenix may have better suspension, but our bones get weary just the same. Fairmont is a traveler's paradise.

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort