Spritual [sic] PathThis weekend Dre and I went on a little retreat to Harbin Hotsprings, a hippie hotsprings resort a few hours north of SF. We have a friend who lives/works there with his partner, and we figured what better excuse to visit than having a hippie host to show us the ropes?

We had a most delicious weekend filled with soaking and hiking and talking and sitting by waterfalls and laying naked in the sun and just generally enjoying ourselves. If you’re a particular kind of person, you should DEFINITELY head to Harbin immediately.

As for what kind of person that might be, I’ll repost the review I just wrote on Yelp … partially in response to some of the other reviewers who were like ZOMG GROSS - HIPPIES R NAKEDZ!!11!!!1@!! …


Wow, reading some of the other reviews kind of shocked me — very much NOT the experience I had at Harbin, and I feel the need to get a couple things out there:

YES, PEOPLE ARE NAKED
I was told twice when making reservations that Harbin is “clothing optional,” so there was no surprise for me when we showed up to the pools and found a sea of naked people of all shapes, ages, sizes, colors, etc. I’m unsure why so many of the reviewers here seem so shocked by this. Where there is warm water and hippies, there is nakedness. Lots of nakedness.

YES, IT IS NEW AGEY
Again, I came fully prepared for this and was greatly amused by it. Undoubtedly, you’ll talk to people who name-drop Yucatan tribal elders and the latest medicinal herbs. Like any religious folk, the practitioners of new age spirituality can get pretentious, dogmatic, and totally laughable — but when you strip it down, the moral of the story is “be quiet and take some time for yourself,” and I’m good with that. If you can’t laugh a little at the newage (rhymes with sewage), then Harbin might not work for you.

NO, PEOPLE AREN’T FUCKING EVERYWHERE
Or rather, they probably are, but not out in public. Yes, the pools are full of naked bodies, and yes some people are touching. But while I saw folks massaging each other’s shoulders, chastely hugging, and touching foreheads in that “we’re spiritually bonded” way, I saw absolutely no groping, making out, humping (dry or wet), rubbing, etc etc. I’m trying to figure out if all the reviewers indicating otherwise just managed to catch a lecherous incident, or whether folks are projecting? No clue.

Now, on to my actual review:

This was my first trip to Harbin, after having heard several hippie/burner friends from the Bay Area talk about it for years. The location is a bit of a pain for out of towners — we flew into Oakland, rented a car, and drove 2 hours north to get to Harbin. The location is beautiful and worth it, though. Nestled in a valley between two steep oak forest-covered hillsides, with a creek running through the middle.

We stayed in Azalea in a basic room — we had a nice double bed, but shared a bathroom with other visitors. This arrangement worked just fine for us, but if you’re a germaphobe it might not be to your liking. Actually, if you’re a germaphobe Harbin might not be to your liking.

I really appreciated the aesthetics of the grounds — there was art and metal work and masonry everywhere, and parts felt distinctly Gaudi influenced. The grounds were beautiful at night. I loved all the hidden little corners you could find — there’s an amazing root-draped waterfall surrounded by fig trees a stones throw from the guest rooms, but every time I went back to enjoy it, there was no one else there! Wonderful.

If you want hippie food, the market is great with a stock of raw foodist stuff, produce, etc. If you want richer food, the restaurant works. The value isn’t great but they serve lots of meat, so the carnivores are happy. If you’d rather fix your own food, there’s a huge communal kitchen you can use.

The pools come in cold, warm, and VERY HOT. It’s true that there’s no “Hot but not scalding” pool — we did fine alternating between the warm and VERY HOT pools.

Oh, and watsu, while unfortunately named, is pretty much awesome. Definitely recommended just as a pleasant experience. Who knows if it will heal what ails you, but it feels really nice.

While I didn’t see overt fucking anywhere, Harbin is definitely a nice place for couples — I saw a “JUST MARRIED!” sign on a car and have to say that this would be a great place for a hippie honeymoon.

I enjoyed the quietude of the grounds a lot — they’re very clear about no cell phones and a sense of retreat. As someone who’s normally plugged into the web 24/7, it was delicious to have such a sweet, quiet place to hang out for a few days.

I would recommend Harbin to: all ages of hippies, burners, soakers, trippers, honeymooners, romantics, body workers, therapists, woo-woo types, and meditation practitioners.

I do NOT recommend Harbin to: germ-phobes, people with low hippie/new age bullshit tolerance, naked-haters, or the sexually repressed.

PS: I took a couple pictures, but cameras are actually against the rules. If you want to know what Harbin’s like, here’s a good photo set.