Are There Hot SpringsAre there hot springs in Michigan?
No. Michigan has no hot springs of its own. Mount Clemens' famous baths used mineral water found while drilling for salt, heated in bathhouses, and Michigan's outdoor hot pool today is a heated Nordic spa at Mount Bohemia on the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The nearest water that comes out hot is in Bath County, Virginia, about 340 miles from Detroit in a straight line. From the Upper Peninsula, South Dakota's Black Hills are almost as close.
The nearest hot springs to Detroit, Grand Rapids and Marquette
Lower Michigan looks south-east to Virginia; the Upper Peninsula is far from everything, with South Dakota about 810 miles from Marquette.
| From | Nearest hot springs (straight line) | Next nearest |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | Bath County, Virginia340 miles | Hot Springs, North Carolina, 440 milesHot Springs, Arkansas, 760 miles |
| Grand Rapids | Bath County, Virginia460 miles | Hot Springs, North Carolina, 510 milesHot Springs, Arkansas, 710 miles |
| Marquette | Bath County, Virginia700 miles | Hot Springs, North Carolina, 770 milesHot Springs, South Dakota, 810 miles |
For most Michiganders, Bath County is the practical choice: a day's drive from Detroit through Ohio and West Virginia.
Mount Clemens, the "Bath City"
In the 1870s, drillers looking for salt wells at Mount Clemens, north-east of Detroit, failed to find salt but struck mineral water. A bath industry grew up around it, and the town became known around the world as a health spa.
At its height Mount Clemens had 23 major hotels and bathhouses and many smaller hotels and rooming houses. The trade began to decline around the Second World War, as fewer visitors stayed the three weeks or so that the cure was said to need. The city's older homes and downtown buildings still date from the bath era.
Further north, warmth has long meant sauna. Finnish immigrants brought the custom to the copper country of the Keweenaw, and Mount Bohemia's Nordic Spa follows it with a Finnish sauna, a eucalyptus steam bath, an outdoor hot pool and a cold pool.
The best spas and heated pools in Michigan
An outdoor hot pool and sauna on the Keweenaw, a casino resort spa in the western U.P. and an indoor waterpark in central Michigan.
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Nordic spa
Nordic Spa at Mount Bohemia
MohawkAn outdoor hot pool, Finnish sauna, eucalyptus steam bath, cold pool and Nordic waterfall, open all year.
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Resort spa
Drift Spa
HarrisAt the Island Resort & Casino: a saltwater pool, co-ed sauna and steam room after treatments.
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Waterpark
Soaring Eagle Waterpark and Hotel
Mt. PleasantA 45,000 sq ft indoor waterpark with a private adult pool, hot tub and sauna.
Map of spas and heated pools in Michigan
The map shows all 3 places we list in Michigan. Zoom in on the larger map for more detail.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
When to go, costs and getting there
Seasons
Mount Bohemia's Nordic Spa is open year-round, and winter turns it into a frozen wonderland. Indoor pools work in any season.
Entry fees
Spa entry and treatments are paid. The waterpark and resort pools are mostly for hotel guests.
Access and travel
Mohawk is near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Harris is in the Upper Peninsula near Escanaba, Mt. Pleasant is in central Lower Michigan, and Mount Clemens is about 20 miles north-east of downtown Detroit.
Questions about soaking in Michigan
Is there an outdoor hot pool in Michigan?
Yes. The Nordic Spa at Mount Bohemia in Mohawk has an outdoor hot pool and a Finnish sauna and is open year-round.
Why was Mount Clemens called the Bath City?
Mineral water found while drilling for salt in the 1870s made it a spa town, with 23 major hotels and bathhouses at its peak.
Where is Mount Clemens?
In Macomb County, about 20 miles north-east of downtown Detroit.
Are there hot springs near Detroit?
Virginia's Bath County is the closest, at about 340 miles in a straight line, ahead of Hot Springs, North Carolina, at about 440.
Are there hot springs near the Upper Peninsula?
No. From Marquette, the nearest are Bath County, Virginia, about 700 miles away, and Hot Springs, South Dakota, about 810 miles away.
Rules and good manners
Hot and cold, done right.
- Alternate, don't overdo itShort rounds of hot pool or sauna, then cold, then rest, are easier on the body than one long soak.
- Watch winter roadsThe Keweenaw gets heavy lake-effect snow; check conditions before driving to Mohawk.
- Keep hot tubs at 104°F or belowThat is the CPSC's limit for hot tubs and spa pools.
Where our information comes from
Reviewed on against the sources below.
- City of Mount Clemens: Local history (salt wells, mineral baths, 23 bathhouses and hotels)
- Pure Michigan: Girls weekend getaway ideas (Mount Bohemia hot pool, year-round)
- Pure Michigan: Wellness retreats (Nordic Spa, Drift Spa)
- Pure Michigan: Soaring Eagle Waterpark and Hotel (adult pool, hot tub, sauna)
- NOAA: Thermal Springs List for the United States
- CPSC: Hot tub temperatures
Explore hot springs in other states
Every other state with a hot springs guide.