The Rebirth of the Warm Springs Pools
For nearly 9,000 years, the naturally heated mineral springs of Bath County have drawn seekers of restoration to their crystal-clear, 98-degree waters. Those who have immersed themselves in the pools include Native American healers who considered the site sacred, Thomas Jefferson, who journeyed west in search of relief from debilitating rheumatism, and 22 U.S. presidents who followed in his footsteps.
Today, after Bath County’s $4.6 million restoration project completed in December 2022, the iconic Warm Springs Pools are once again welcoming visitors. The project returned both the original stone basin and its companion Ladies’ Pool House to their former glory, allowing modern bathers to experience the same geothermally heated waters that have attracted centuries of wellness pilgrims. Naturally enriched with minerals, including magnesium sulfate, iron, silica, boron, and lithium, the springs’ temperature and composition have remained unchanged throughout recorded history.
Long before European settlers documented the therapeutic potential of Bath County’s waters, Native American peoples recognized their restorative power. According to oral tradition, an Indigenous wanderer fell asleep in the mineral springs and awoke renewed, discovering what would become a sacred place of healing.
The springs themselves flow at an astounding rate of approximately 1.7 million gallons per day. They are fed by a complex geological system in which rainwater seeps deep underground and travels through geothermally heated rock nearly a mile below the surface. The water takes roughly 20 years to complete its subterranean journey before resurfacing, enriched by prolonged contact with warm stone and maintaining a consistent temperature of 98°F year-round, unaffected by seasonal change.
That extended journey gives the water its distinctive properties. Dissolved minerals create what early physicians described as a natural pharmacy, while also contributing to the springs’ exceptional clarity. A 1913 New York Times article reported “bathers could be seen as clearly under water as on the surface.” The water’s buoyancy also allows bathers to float almost effortlessly.
Nineteenth-century physician William Burke wrote that the water’s “temperature, buoyancy, refractive power, transparency—all invest it with indescribable luxury to the feelings and to the sight.” Medical practitioners of the era believed different mineral compositions addressed specific ailments: alum-rich springs were said to “purge the bowels,” while sulfur- and iron-enriched spring waters were prescribed for a wide range of illnesses.
Among the most famous visitors was Thomas Jefferson, whose 22-day stay in August 1818 is one of the best-documented wellness pilgrimages in American presidential history. At 75, Jefferson traveled 90 miles west from Monticello seeking relief from rheumatoid arthritis that had plagued him for decades. As early as 1794, he wrote of “a paroxysm of the Rheumatism, which has now kept me for ten days in constant torment.” By the time he arrived in Bath County, the springs had earned a reputation throughout Virginia for its curative properties.
The physical setting of the Warm Springs Pools reflects a careful union of architecture and therapeutic function. The octagonal stone basin was constructed in 1761 and later enclosed with Gentlemen’s Pool House built in the 1820s, making it the oldest spa structure in the United States. Captain Thomas Bullitt, founder of The Homestead resort in 1766, understood that enclosing the spring would appeal to colonial visitors accustomed to European hydrotherapy traditions. The building’s design addressed the challenges of constant heat and humidity: a large opening in the roof allowed steam to escape, while the octagonal form provided structural stability in persistently damp conditions.
In the 1870s, The Homestead added the Ladies’ Pool House, a 22-sided polygonal structure that provided separate facilities for female bathers. The addition reflected both the growing popularity of the springs and the Victorian era’s emphasis on propriety and gender-segregated spaces.
The Warm Springs Bathhouses were placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1968 and added to the National Register of Historic Places the following year. Despite those protections, decades of exposure took their toll. By 2017, the historic wooden structures had deteriorated so severely that Bath County ordered the pools closed to the public, citing safety concerns.
Their revival began in 2015, when Omni Hotels & Resorts, owners of The Homestead, formed the Bathhouses Advisory Committee, a group of leading historic preservationists who were charged with creating the Historic Structures Report. The HSR was completed in 2016 and became a key resource for the comprehensive restoration. Physical work started in 2021, with the goal of preserving as much historic fabric as possible while meeting modern safety and accessibility standards. The $4.6 million project reconstructed roofs to match late-19th-century designs, repaired foundation piers, and retained original copper and wood elements wherever feasible.
When the Warm Springs Pools reopened in December 2022, they offered modern visitors the chance to once again immerse themselves in the same therapeutic waters Jefferson described as “of first merit.” The pools offer a range of experiences: family sessions open to all ages, adult co-ed soaks for those 16 and older, and traditional clothing-optional sessions separated by gender.
The pools now serve as they always have: a place to pause, float, and recover.
A Winter Escape to Bath County
In the Allegheny Mountains along Virginia’s western border, Bath County offers winter travelers a blend of historic luxury and mountain hospitality. The surrounding George Washington National Forest, nearby Douthat State Park, and Lake Moomaw make this rural county a true four-season escape, where you can ski, hike, and soak in warm springs, all in a single day.
The Homestead’s heated outdoor pool welcomes swimmers, even in the heart of winter.
Where to Stay
The Omni Homestead Resort
For more than 250 years, The Homestead has been welcoming guests—including 24 U.S. presidents—to its historic Hot Springs location. This National Historic Landmark underwent a $170 million restoration, completed in 2023, that preserved its Colonial Revival architecture while modernizing amenities.
Winter activities at the resort include Virginia’s oldest ski area (founded in 1959), along with snow tubing and ice skating. When you’re ready to warm up, go for a swim in the resort’s outdoor pool with naturally heated mineral spring water.
Inn at Gristmill Square
For a more laid-back experience, the Inn at Gristmill Square in Warm Springs offers rooms and suites spread across restored 19th-century buildings that resemble a small colonial village. The inn’s signature touch is the complimentary continental breakfast delivered to your room each morning, featuring items like spinach and feta pastries, freshly baked croissants, egg casseroles, and freshly squeezed orange juice.
Where to Eat and Drink
Waterwheel Restaurant
Located within the Gristmill Square complex, the Waterwheel Restaurant has been Bath County’s premier dining destination since 1973. Housed in a 100+ year-old mill building, this award-winning restaurant showcases farm-to-table cuisine with seasonal menus featuring the freshest local ingredients. The restaurant offers an elegant main dining room, an adjoining pub, and access to a historic wine cellar deep within the old mill foundation.
Milk House Market at the Old Dairy
Located in the Old Dairy complex of The Preserve, the Milk House Market serves lunch featuring craft sandwiches and fresh salads, then transitions to dinner with craft pizzas, small plates, and seasonal specials. The market’s specialty provisions shop sells local products and specialty wines in a casual, cozy atmosphere that’s perfect for a relaxed meal after exploring Bath County’s winter landscapes.
Troddenvale Cidery
At Oakley Farm in Warm Springs, Troddenvale Cider works with true cider varietals grown in their orchard, relying on native microbial populations for fermentation, aging in neutral French oak, bottling unfiltered for texture, and limiting preservatives to create ciders that are “transparent, alive, and evolving.” You can sample the fruits of their labor in a tasting room that’s open on Fridays and Saturdays.
Where to Rejuvenate
The Spa at The Omni Homestead
This state-of-the-art facility offers comprehensive wellness experiences, including an Aqua Thermal Suite with European-style healing aquatic environments and a year-round Serenity Garden featuring a River Reflexology Walk, hot springs soaking, Finnish sauna, and deluge showers. The spa recently developed a custom bath and body line inspired by the mineral composition of the Warm Springs Pools.
Warm Spirit Spa
Just steps from the Inn at Gristmill Square at 145 Old Mill Road, Warm Spirit Spa specializes in restorative facials and therapeutic massage treatments, including their signature hot stone massage and Ayurvedic-inspired services. This boutique spa’s two-treatment-room setting provides exceptional quality at more accessible prices than resort spas.