Carson Hot Springs ~ Carson, Oregon

Carson Hot Springs: A place with so much potential and yet...

Carson just built a new soaking and "cryotherapy" pool at their hot springs resort.

JOE: Carson Hot Springs is nestled in this beautiful little piece of nature just off the Columbia Gorge in the quaint little town of Carson, Washington. This hot springs has been in operation since 1897 as a business and the waters were appreciated for hundreds of years previous to this by the local Native American population. In the past decade several additions have been made to the grounds including the pool above and the three story hotel below.

The new pool house at Carson Hot Springs. There's chlorine inside there.

JOE: Until the addition of the pool in 2016, the only way in which you came to enjoy these glorious waters was by going for a soak and wrap, if you are anywhere near the area. It's really quite an experience to give this a try, there is a 25 minutes soak session and then a 25 minute wrap session where an attendant comes and gets you all snug in some sheets and a blanket and then you proceed to sweat out the demons, it is such an incredibly potent experience. It almost knocks you out, I think the combination of the soaking with all its glorious minerals and then immediately getting wrapped up really sweats out the toxins and in general drains the energy out of you. In a good way though. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Hydration, hydration, hydration! After you are done and recovered from that initial drained/knocked out feeling, you feel absolutely wonderful. 
RACH: The soak and wrap in the old bathhouse is a no-frills, real deal wellness treatment. It's only about a 45 minute drive from Portland, and I would go as far as to say that it would be a worthy thing to make into a regular weekly or bi-weekly practice. For $25 you get the benefits of some very strong and detoxifying waters, and the sweat you get from the wrap is no joke. And it's nice to soak in the privacy of your own curtain-shrouded clawfoot tub. 

Entrance to the Ladies Bath House and Men's Bath House at Carson Hot Springs. And apparently, only the ladies get to receive a massage?

The soaking tubs in the Men's Bath House. Simple and straightforward, get your soak on and get ready to get wrapped. But really, why wouldn't you put those fancy tiles in here instead of outside on the stairs?

Here's where you get wrapped. Men's Bath House at Carson Hot Springs.

Willy Cosmo in bed ready to soak it up before bed time.

JOE: We had never stayed the night at Carson before so for the sake of giving the best review we could, we booked one of the rooms there. They're a bit pricey for what you are getting but we really wanted to have Willy Cosmo get into these waters and this is the only way at Carson for that to be a possibility. For anyone under the age of 18, the only way to get your soak on is to come and stay at one of the rooms with a jacuzzi tub in it. Willy really loved the waters too, that is completely understandable because let's be honest, these waters are no joke legit.

This is why we were here. To soak it up and get us and Willy Cosmo in some healing waters.

Ahhhh. That's one happy baby. Willy Cosmo loves to get his soak on. This water is what Carson Hot Springs has going for it...

JOE: The history of this place and its waters in interesting and I like seeing pictures of what it was like way back when. That is cool. It does kinda have a ghost town/haunted feeling to it, too but I am alright with that. I even think that is something I'd put in the plus category (but I acknowledge that may sound weird).  Carson Hot Springs has great water. That's the truth. If for nothing else I'd say come check it out for yourself if you live in the Portland area or are visiting Mt Hood and the Hood River area. Some of the old pictures make the place look like it would have been really awesome to have visited back then...

Carson Hot Springs. Way back in the day...

Hotel St Martin at Carson Hot Springs way back when...

Hotel St Martin at Carson Hot Springs now.

There's another spot in Carson we recommend you check out. It's this delicious restaurant and brewery just down the road and we definitely suggest you go there. Backwoods Brewery is great. They serve up some tasty beers and we were pleased to have happened upon some live music out back when we got there as well.  They have a super friendly staff and a pretty darn good menu, too. House made salads and hand made from scratch pizzas make this a great place to go and eat if you ever find yourself in or near Carson, Washington. We really liked Backwoods Brewery.

Willy Cosmo and Mama at Backwoods Brewery in Carson, Washington. Good times. Good beer. Good food. And live music!

When all is said and done, Carson Hot Springs is home to some mighty fine water. There is room for improvement with this place to be sure but it is without question that it has some excellent Hot Springs Mineral water to soak your bones in.

Carson Hot Springs Water has all these good things going on in it. This here is why we'll still go back!

Carson Hot Springs
372 St. Martin's Springs Road,
Carson, Washington, 98610