Are There Hot Springs

Hot Springs in Vermont: Saunas, Cold Plunges and Spring Resorts

In the early 1800s Vermont's mineral springs drew visitors from across the Northeast, but there are no hot springs in Vermont; one spring hotel still stands at Clarendon Springs. Today Vermonters warm up in saunas by lakes and waterfalls. Here is the history, the nearest hot springs, and four places to soak.

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Savu, Burlington
Photo: EdwinJulio1995, CC BY-SA 4.0

Soaking in Vermont: key facts

Vermont's heat comes from wood-lined saunas and hot tubs, usually followed by a cold plunge.

Natural hot springs
None
Sauna rental
Savu, $65 an hour
Listed here
4 places
Historic spring hotel
Clarendon House, about 1835
Nearest hot springs
Bath County, Virginia, about 560 miles from Burlington

Are there hot springs in Vermont?

No. Vermont has no natural hot springs, and NOAA lists no thermal springs in the state. Its 19th-century mineral spring resorts were built on cold springs. Instead, Vermont has saunas and cold plunges: Savu rents wood-lined saunas by Lake Champlain in Burlington and beside Madbush Falls in the Mad River Valley.

The nearest water that surfaces hot is in Bath County, Virginia, about 560 miles from Burlington in a straight line.

How far are hot springs from Burlington?

Vermont is a long way from any hot spring; southern Vermont is only slightly closer than Burlington.

FromNearest hot springs (straight line)Next nearest
BurlingtonBath County, Virginia560 milesHot Springs, North Carolina, 780 milesHot Springs, Arkansas, 1,260 miles

Bath County, Virginia, is the nearest; beyond it, the hot springs of North Carolina and Arkansas are farther still.

Vermont's mineral spring resorts

By 1800, small mineral springs at a number of places in Vermont, among them Brattleboro, Brunswick and Highgate, were drawing people in search of rest and cures. Through the first half of the 1800s, resorts grew up at springs in Clarendon, Sheldon, Middletown and elsewhere, and visitors drank and bathed in the water.

The best preserved is Clarendon Springs in Rutland County. Its hotel, the Clarendon House, was built around 1835 and enlarged in the 1850s, and it is one of the oldest surviving mineral spring resort hotels in the north-eastern United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Vermont's spring resorts faded as tastes turned to lakes, mountains and, later, skiing. The modern way to warm up is the sauna: Savu's cedar-lined saunas for up to four people, heated to about 200°F, sit by Lake Champlain, at Madbush Falls and at Smugglers' Notch.

The best spas in Vermont

Rentable saunas by the lake and the falls, two Nordic spas and an inn with an outdoor hot tub near Jay Peak.

  • Sauna

    Savu

    Burlington

    Private cedar-lined saunas for up to four, heated to about 200°F, by Lake Champlain; also at Madbush Falls and Smugglers' Notch.

  • Nordic spa

    Featherbed Inn & Nordic Spa

    Waitsfield

    A sauna built like a sugar shack, a cedar cold plunge and a pool.

  • Nordic spa

    Sweet Cedars Nordic Spa

    East Hardwick

    An outdoor cedar sauna and cold plunge in the Northeast Kingdom.

  • Inn spa

    Phineas Swann Inn & Spa

    Montgomery Center

    An inn at the base of Jay Peak with traditional and infrared saunas and an outdoor hot tub.

Map of spas in Vermont

Where each of the 4 places in Vermont is. Pin shapes show the type; open the larger map for more detail.

Spring site Sauna or inn Heated pool

Before you go

Sauna sense.

  • Go in roundsTen to fifteen minutes in a 200°F sauna, then a cold plunge or cool shower, then rest.
  • Respect the cold waterEnter lakes and plunges slowly, and keep winter dips short.
  • Keep hot tubs at 104°F or belowThe CPSC's limit for hot tubs, including inn tubs.

Seasons, costs and access in Vermont

When to go

Saunas are best in the cold months; Savu books Thursday to Sunday at Smugglers' Notch and Wednesday to Sunday in Burlington.

What it costs

Savu charges $65 an hour for a sauna that fits four. Inn spas charge for treatments.

Getting there

Burlington is on Lake Champlain; Waitsfield is in the Mad River Valley, East Hardwick in the Northeast Kingdom, and Montgomery Center near the Canadian border. Clarendon Springs is south-west of Rutland.

Hot springs in Vermont: questions and answers

How much does a Savu sauna cost?

Savu charges $65 per hour for a sauna that fits four people, according to Vermont Vacation.

Were there mineral spring resorts in Vermont?

Yes. In the early 1800s resorts grew up at mineral springs in Clarendon, Sheldon, Highgate, Brattleboro and other towns; the Clarendon House hotel of about 1835 survives.

Where are Savu's saunas?

By Lake Champlain in Burlington, at Madbush Falls in the Mad River Valley, and at Smugglers' Notch.

Where are the nearest hot springs to Vermont?

In Bath County, Virginia, about 560 miles from Burlington in a straight line. The next nearest are in Hot Springs, North Carolina, about 780 miles away.

Where can I use an outdoor hot tub in Vermont?

The Phineas Swann Inn & Spa in Montgomery Center, near Jay Peak, has an outdoor hot tub and saunas.

Pictures of places to soak in Vermont

Photos of Savu, a place 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.

Savu, Burlington
SavuPhoto: EdwinJulio1995, CC BY-SA 4.0
Savu, Burlington
SavuPhoto: Budiartokoriun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sources

This guide was reviewed on . Facts come from the official sources listed below.

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