Harbin Hot Springs http://www.harbin.org/ P.O. Box 782 Middletown, CA 95461 Reservations: 707-987-2477 Toll free: 1-800-622-2477 Rates Call for current rates Day use: $20-25/day Private rooms: $30-185 Dorm rooms: $30-45 per person

Harbin hot-stuff
Michael Ohlsson
BayInsider contributor

Have you been working insane hours? Need a break from the bustling nonsense of modern life? Salvation is just two hours north of San Francisco at a place called Harbin Hot Springs.

Harbin is a retreat, not a resort. There is no champagne, but plenty of granola. It's more like a commune with 150 residents, a health store, restaurant, library, and communal kitchen. You can choose to sleep in private cabins, communal bunkers, or camp outside. Meals are available in the Harbin restaurant, or you can bring food to cook in the kitchen (vegetarian only). No alcohol is allowed on the premises, no shouting, no pets, no driving. There are yoga and dance classes. Deer make frequent visits. You can hike for miles and camp in the hills. Several kinds of massage are available, but the highlight is the pools.

You begin by undressing in the co-ed locker room and showering with lavender soap and spring water. Then head a dozen steps outdoors to the large warm pool. Talk is restricted to low whispers. If this is your first time, you may feel bashful being naked in a large pool full of other naked people. You'll soon get over it.

As the soft, silky water gradually soothes you into relaxation, tiny bubbles exfoliate your skin. Usually there's someone in the pool performing a "watsu" water massage. A Harbin invention, "watsu" is basically under-water shiatsu. One person is held by one or more massage therapists and gently massaged and floated around the pool.

It's easy to spend hours here in the warm pool, but you must brave the hot pool. You enter an open room decorated with gothic metal sculpture that seems to grow organically from the ground and walls. No tippy toes - get right in. Ow-woo! Hot! Hot! Relax - in about ten seconds you'll never want to get out. It helps to move slowly or stay still, but after you get used to the heat, you might find yourself thrashing around in the water to feel more heat. The hot pool is best experienced at night. The candles, the steam, the cave-like ambiance take you far, far away from the everyday stresses of life. If you're not ready for the heat, there are benches to sit, sauna-style, near the pool, or to dip your feet in.

After a few minutes of heat, it's time for the cold plunge. Walk a dozen steps outside to the cold pool. Yes, it's worth it. Get in. Oooo-ou again! The water here is from a direct stream of spring water. Very cold. You only need a few seconds. Step out. Ahhhh! Not so bad. A new understanding dawns on you. The cold pool traps the heat in, soothing deeply. Now get your naked self back to the warm pool. Repeat cycle.

After my third pool rotation, I stepped calmly out of the cold pool into the wind and rain. I felt warm and calm despite the nasty weather. A family of deer joined me as we took in the beauty of the dense, misty forest surrounding us. Nirvana!

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