Hot Springs in Connecticut | Are There Hot Springs

Are there hot springs in Connecticut?

No. Connecticut has no natural hot springs, and NOAA's list of US thermal springs has no entries for the state. Its historic spring, at Stafford Springs in Tolland County, is an iron and sulphur spring that comes out cold.

The nearest water that surfaces warm is in Bath County, Virginia, about 430 miles from New Haven in a straight line. Closer to home, a warm soak means a hydrotherapy circuit in Glastonbury or an inn spa with a pool and whirlpool.

The nearest hot springs to Hartford and New Haven

Every option is a long trip from Connecticut: the Virginia mountains first, then western North Carolina.

From	Nearest hot springs (straight line)	Next nearest
Hartford	Bath County, Virginia450 miles	Hot Springs, North Carolina, 680 milesHot Springs, Arkansas, 1,210 miles
New Haven	Bath County, Virginia430 miles	Hot Springs, North Carolina, 650 milesHot Springs, Arkansas, 1,190 miles

Bath County's Warm Springs Pools and the Omni Homestead are the only hot spring soaks we list within 500 miles of the state. If you are driving that far, plan a night there rather than a day trip.

Stafford Springs: the spring John Adams tried

Iron and sulphur springs in the north-east corner of the state drew Native people long before English settlers arrived, and by the 1760s Stafford Springs was a resort with visitors from Boston and beyond. It was one of the best-known mineral springs in the colonies.

In June 1771 John Adams, then a Boston lawyer worn out by work, rode out to take the waters. His diary for June 4 records that he plunged in twice, that the second plunge did him more harm than good, and that the water was very cold. He also drank a good deal of it, from a mug that had been broken and mended.

The resort faded in the 1800s, when the village turned to woollen mills. The spring site is still marked in Stafford Springs, beside the local historical society's museum, but there is no bathing there today.

Connecticut: the essentials

Connecticut's only famous spring is a cold mineral spring; warm water here comes from spa pools and whirlpools.

Historic spring: Stafford Springs, cold iron and sulphur water
Hydrotherapy circuit: Immerse HydroSpa, Glastonbury
Nearest hot springs: Bath County, Virginia, about 430 miles from New Haven
Natural hot springs: None
Listed here: 4 places

Spas in Connecticut

A hydrotherapy circuit near Hartford, and inn and resort spas from the Litchfield Hills to the shoreline.

Hydrotherapy
Immerse HydroSpa & Massage
Glastonbury
A hydrotherapy circuit of hot tub, cold plunge and experience shower, just south-east of Hartford.
Inn spa
The Spa at Norwich Inn
Norwich
A 1929 Georgian manor inn with an indoor pool, indoor whirlpool, sauna and steam room.
Inn spa
Mayflower Inn & Spa
Washington
A Litchfield Hills inn with a pool, a mosaic-domed whirlpool and a thermal sanctuary.
Resort spa
Saybrook Point Resort & Marina
Old Saybrook
A waterfront resort where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound, with a heated pool, whirlpool, sauna and steam room.

Map of spas in Connecticut

The map shows all 4 places we list in Connecticut. Zoom in on the larger map for more detail.

Spring site Spa or inn Heated pool

Planning a soak in Connecticut

Seasons

Every place here is indoors or heated, so any season works. Weekends book up first, especially in the fall foliage season.

Entry fees

Immerse HydroSpa sells time on its circuit; the inn spas tie pool and whirlpool access to treatments or a stay. Ask what is included before you go.

Access and travel

Glastonbury is just south-east of Hartford. Norwich is in the south-east near the casinos, Washington is in the Litchfield Hills, and Old Saybrook is where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound.

Hot springs in Connecticut: questions and answers

Are there hot springs near Hartford?

No. The nearest are in Bath County, Virginia, about 450 miles away in a straight line, and the next are in Hot Springs, North Carolina, about 680 miles away.

Is Stafford Springs a hot spring?

No. It is a cold iron and sulphur spring. John Adams, who bathed there in 1771, wrote that the water was very cold.

Can you still visit the spring at Stafford Springs?

You can see the marked spring site in the village, beside the historical society's museum. There is no bathing.

Where can I soak in warm water in Connecticut?

At Immerse HydroSpa in Glastonbury, which has a hot tub and cold plunge circuit, or at inn spas in Norwich, Washington and Old Saybrook.

Are there any warm springs in New England?

Sand Spring in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is warm rather than hot; it feeds a summer swimming pool. See our Massachusetts page.

Before you go

A few things that make a spa soak in Connecticut go smoothly.

Do the circuit in orderAt a hot-and-cold circuit like Immerse, short rounds of hot tub, cold plunge and rest work better than one long soak.
Ask about day accessInn pools and whirlpools are often reserved for overnight or spa guests.
Visit Stafford Springs for the historyThe spring site is a historic marker, not a place to bathe.

Pictures of places to soak in Connecticut

Photos of The Spa at Norwich Inn and Saybrook Point Resort & Marina, all places to soak in this guide. We only use photos whose license allows reuse and credit the photographer under each one. The full credits are on our photo credits page.