In the Fountain of Youth
Words Jessi Devenyns | Photos Baptiste Despois
Mineral-rich water can spend millenia calibrating its mineral content before bubbling to the surface. An oasis carefully stewarded over generations yields life even in the most unexpected places.
At Ottine Mineral Springs, these good things converge. All you need is time to absorb the benefits. For over 100 years, bathers have submerged themselves in liquid layers of sodium, sulfate, and chloride to alleviate ailments and worries. But until recently, relief was by invitation only.
What began as a club welcoming 28 avid bathers now tops 8,000 members since opening to the general public. However, the club’s seven natural pools are capped at 200 people daily, which makes a seat at the spa a game of patience. Those who draw an entrance ticket will step from Hill Country landscapes into a collection of buildings whose architecture spans the better part of the 20th century and encircles the soaking tubs, sheltering them from the cacophony of the outside world and only letting nature seep in.
The glassy, azure lines of each pool are broken by hat brims and floating bodies. Conversations bubble alongside the springs, and laughter glints under the bright Texas sun as people glide between patches of shadow cast by umbrellas and oaks whose memories stretch back to when these waters were prescribed to treat ailments.
DeDe DeStefano, the Director of Experience at the springs, can recall a time before these mineral-laden waters were frequented for pure pleasure. “I grew up here. My mom worked here, my sister, my cousins, almost all my aunts too. So it’s always been a really special place to me,” she says, explaining how serendipity allowed her to move back into her childhood home and participate in the rehabilitation of these springs into their modern manifestation as a wellness center.
Still, the medicinal purposes of these waters shouldn’t be discounted. DeDe herself routinely takes to these waters, crediting them with expediting her recovery period following a surgery. “I know I’m supposed to believe in our water because I work here, but I’m telling you from a user standpoint, nothing worked except for soaking in these springs.”
Even if it’s just for pleasure, the hot springs are inviting on a summer day. The central Palmetto Pool hovers right around body temperature, making it easy to slide into the water and soak in the benefits of nature.
Down the hill, two smaller pools focus on sound and pressure point therapy, drawing people to congregate underneath waterfalls and inside grottos to listen to spilling water rhythmically tapping the pool’s surface. Some bathers are braver, favoring the hot-cold plunge where the extreme temperature contrast invigorates circulation and enlivens the senses.
Many eventually wander over to shaded hammocks and lounges to wait for appointments at the spa or explore stories written in paperback books. It’s not uncommon to sidestep a slightly soggy, dog-eared title that someone has just set down to sip on a cold refreshment from the cafe perched at the top of the hill.
Health is secured through repeatedly making discerning choices. The languid pace of a day at Ottine Mineral Springs complements the pace at which health develops: slowly, deliberately, and with care. It also translates into the care of the springs themselves.
“We’re just stewards of this property,” says DeDe. “We’re stewards of the water and the people who came before us. So it’s our responsibility to maintain that kind of positive energy.”
Did you know? Wildcatters drilled into these hot, artisan springs while searching for oil. The original spring, which is still preserved today, was donated to the community to use for health improvements.
Expansion plans are underway. The future holds a hotel, private baths, and hike-and-bike trails across the 40 acres surrounding the springs.
Contact:
(830) 250-4686
2033 FM 1586, Gonzales, TX
ottinemineralsprings.com
@ottine_mineral_springs
