Every year, residents and tourists alike look for hot springs in Tennessee that they can enjoy. However, there’s only one in the entirety of the Volunteer State–a renowned place called the Red Boiling Springs. Luckily, it’s an amazing place! You’ll love taking a trip there, particularly if you optimize every moment by reading our guide.
Characteristics of Red Boiling Springs
First off, what is Red Boiling Springs like? Whether you’ve been there before or never even heard of it until now, knowing a few important facts about the lone hot spring in Tennessee is a sure way to maximize your experience.
Water Source
Red Boilings Springs is the name of the town, but Salt Lick Creek is the real name of the source behind the only hot spring in Tennessee. Located roughly four miles northwest, the creek flows with rich mineral water that fed animals and Native Americans for thousands of years. Once the town was established, the creek became crucial to its water supply.
Size
Measuring 1.75 square miles, Red Boiling Springs is home to just over 1,200 residents. As a small town in a rural area, it relies heavily on tourism for its income.
Temperature
Despite its name, the water at Red Boiling Springs doesn’t flow above a volcanic zone, so it isn’t already hot. Actually, it’s about as cold as you could expect any other spring water to feel.
Because of its high mineral content, however, the water looks hot and reddish, which inspired the name. When the water leaves the faucet, it’s heated with electric or gas power. In other words, Red Boiling Springs is an artificial hot spring in Tennessee, not a natural one.
Topography and Climate
Red Boiling Springs is located close to Tennessee’s mid-northern border, known for its beautiful highlands. In fact, the town itself is located within the Cumberland Mountains.
With a humid subtropical climate, the temperatures range from mildly cold in winter to hot in summer, always with a hint of moisture in the air. With that in mind, you may prefer visiting the premier hot spring in Tennessee during spring or fall, when the steamy water may feel the most soothing.
Health Benefits
As the only hot spring in Tennessee, Red Boiling Spring is prized for its numerous minerals that boost every visitor’s health. These are the minerals you can expect to find.
Iron
You need iron to produce certain hormones, though its most prominent purpose is to make two different kinds of proteins. One is hemoglobin, essential for helping your blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. The other is myoglobin, which specializes in providing oxygen to your muscles. Evidence suggests that you can absorb iron through your skin.
Sulfur
Countless issues could negatively impact your DNA, so you need sulfur for damage prevention and control. This could help you avoid serious diseases and medical conditions, including cancer. Sulfur will encourage proper tissue function and boost your metabolism, too. Although only a small amount is absorbed through the skin, it’s also great for pore reduction, acne treatment, and exfoliation when applied topically.
Magnesium
Without magnesium, you may have to deal with high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and/or heart disease. That’s because this mineral is crucial for moderating blood sugar levels and supporting muscle and nerve function. Studies show that skin can absorb magnesium, perhaps especially through hair follicles.
Calcium
Although calcium is already known for building strong bones, it’s also important for regulating blood flow, in addition to both heart and nerve function. It will make your skin healthier and more luminescent, too. There is little evidence to suggest that calcium can be absorbed through the skin, but it does well when ingested. That’s good news if you’re visiting the only hot spring in Tennessee which offers mineral water for drinking as well as bathing!
Water Makeup
Red Boiling Spring is remarkable not just because it’s the lone hot spring in Tennessee but because it boasts five different combinations of these minerals, depending on which part of Salt Lick Creek was used to draw the water.
A Brief History of Red Boiling Springs
The development of the only hot spring in Tennessee didn’t happen overnight. Truth be told, the little town has a long history of ups and downs that have led to its thriving presence today. Let’s start from the beginning!
Establishment
Red Boiling Springs was likely founded sometime in the 1820s. In fact, 1829 saw the area’s first post office, initially named after Salt Lick Creek. The water’s appearance led the residents to rename the post office Red Boiling Springs in 1847.
By the 1880s and 1890s, so many people had moved into the area that it started incorporating recent technological developments into its infrastructure. Among the most important changes was the construction of a railroad. Combined with mineral hot springs getaways rising in demand, this led to a crucial era in the town’s history.
Rise of Tourism
Now that tourists and health enthusiasts could easily access the town by train, Red Boiling Springs rapidly became popular not only as the only hot spring in Tennessee but for its rich mineral water. Tourism in the area reached its peak in the 1920s and 1930s. The year 1936 was the most profitable, attracting around 14,000 visitors in one summer.
At the time, there was so much advertising and literature promoting the health benefits of mineral water that many resorts offered tailored baths for their guests. The only hot spring in Tennessee was no different.
Specifically, at Red Boiling Springs, visitors could find a moderate (yet notable) amount of the previously named minerals in the waters called “Red” and “Black,” while the “Double & Twist” had the highest amount. Doctors prescribed certain water treatments depending on the medical problems a visitor was experiencing and which minerals were supposed to help.
If a guest simply wanted a refreshing drink, however, they had to opt for the mineral-free “Freestone” water.
Decline of Tourism
After mineral water tourism reached its peak, mineral water came under scrutiny by the medical community. As its touted benefits were downplayed or outright dismissed, Red Boiling Springs received fewer guests each year. The construction of additional highways worsened the problem, giving travelers more ways to get where they needed to go.
The town never became widely known for anything else beyond its unique distinction as the only hot spring in Tennessee. It survived on its local economy and what little tourism it continued to receive. Residents did not try to revive tourism in earnest until the late 1970s.
Modern Day
In the 21st century, people are gaining new interest in mineral water, which is partially why so many people are interested in finding hot springs in Tennessee. There may not be on-site doctors writing prescriptions anymore, but at Red Boiling Springs, guests still enjoy treatments using the mineral water from Salt Lick Creek.
Summer is an especially eventful time for the area. The Folk Medicine Festival occurs on the first Saturday of every June, characterized by sharing traditional skills and knowledge in natural medicine and healing folklore. This is followed by the Summer Solstice Festival, a celebration that consists of people camping, eating organic food, and listening to live music on a farm for three days.
What better way to participate in these events than by treating yourself to a mineral water hot spring in Tennessee? You just have to know where to stay!
The Historic Armour’s Hotel and Spa
Long ago, a hotel was built to honor and provide access to the only hot spring in Tennessee. Known as the Armour’s Hotel & Spa, it’s the pride of Red Boiling Springs and the best way to take full advantage of the mineral waters.
The Hotel’s History
As mineral water tourism approached its heyday, Red Boiling Springs needed a new way to accommodate visitors to the prestigious hot spring in Tennessee. This led to the construction of the Counts Hotel in 1924. With 32 gorgeous guest rooms across 2.7 acres and numerous ways to access the mineral water, it was immediately popular among visitors.
In later years, the hotel’s name was changed to Smith’s Hotel, likely to honor its builder, John Smith. As of 1986, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Not until 1991 was it given the moniker for which it’s known today–Armour’s Hotel. By now, many of its rooms have been turned into libraries, large suites, massage spaces, etc.
Amenities
The hotel has proven so timeless that it’s one of only three remaining hotels in Red Boiling Springs. It may also be the most widely loved, thanks to its vintage beauty, luxurious comfort, stellar service, and numerous amenities. In fact, a few amenities, in particular, keep people coming.
Mineral Water Treatments
Direct access to the mineral water is the Armour Hotel’s most distinguishing feature, maintaining public interest in the only hot spring in Tennessee. In the hotel’s single bathroom, you’ll find claw-foot tubs with direct access to the mineral water. Simply turn on the faucet to heat it up and let it run into the bath. The minerals may give the water an opaque greenish-gray color, but they will leave you feeling rejuvenated.
If you’d prefer, the hotel also boasts a spa where you can get mineral water treatments from massages and steam therapy. They offer other holistic health tools and services as well, such as essential oils, heated biomats, personality consultations, and more.
Restaurant
Although there are lovely restaurants close to Red Boiling Springs, the staff at Armour’s Hotel believe that the singular hot spring in Tennessee deserves its own restaurant. At the Armour’s Dining Room, you’ll find delectable dishes inspired by traditional American and Southern cuisine. The menu is crafted carefully and artfully, but they strive to fulfill all dietary needs and preferences.
Gift Shop
Considering the alternative medicinal properties unique to the only hot spring in Tennessee, the Armour’s Hotel proudly offers its own wellness gift shop, known as Indigo Mountain. There, you can indulge in numerous foods, vitamins, supplements, beauty care products, jewelry, gemstones, and essential oils created to improve your physical and emotional health.
Other Natural Springs in Tennessee
Red Boiling Spring may be the only hot spring in Tennessee, but there are a couple of natural springs that you may want to check out as well!
Mineral Springs
Located in Mineral Springs Park inside the Tennessee River Valley, the Mineral Springs may not be heated, but its mineral water was valued among settlers and soldiers for decades before World War I. After that, it sat neglected until the 1970s, when the residents began reviving it.
With the restored springs, it became the perfect place to add a playground, geocaches, skateboarding ramps, basketball and tennis courts, walking trails, and splash fountains.
Short Springs
If you’re close to Tullahoma, go to the Short Springs State Natural Park. When you embark on the stunning hiking and walking trails, you’re rewarded with the magnificent sight of the springs flowing majestically to the earth. The Machine Falls Loop is especially popular for its accessibility and aesthetic appeal.
Come to the Only Hot Spring in Tennessee!
Red Boiling Springs isn’t notable merely because there are no other hot springs in Tennessee; it’s worth visiting simply for being a wonderful place. In fact, one trip there could put you in the mood to pamper yourself even more. If so, have a look at our suggestions for where to go glamping in Tennessee!
- About the Author
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With a bachelor’s degree in history and several years of professional writing experience, Ashley Morales believes there’s a story in everything. It’s her passion to tell each one that she can.
She has been camping and nurturing a love for nature since childhood. Sharing her knowledge is just one of the many ways that she likes to encourage others to enjoy the outdoors. Waterfronts are always her favorite places to camp or relax, no matter the time of year!