Clothing-optional hot springs in California, compared

Headline day-use prices hide the membership fees that two of the northern springs charge before you can soak. Counted together, a first weekday visit lands in a narrower band than the rate pages suggest:

• Harbin: $40 for three hours ($15 one-month membership plus a $25 Harmony Pass), or $60 for six hours.
• Sierra Hot Springs: $40 for a Thursday or Friday ($5 membership plus $35), or $35 if someone else in your party already holds a membership.
• Mi Kasa: $40, with no membership.
• Orr: $50, with no membership listed.
• Wilbur: $68.82, the most expensive day, but its pass also covers a community kitchen and the trails of a 1,560-acre nature preserve.

Weekends add $5 to $15 almost everywhere. A second visit to Harbin within the month drops to the pass price alone, which is why a membership makes sense for anyone planning two trips.

Phones. Sierra Hot Springs bans phones and other electronic devices in its pool areas and keeps rooms phone-free. Harbin bans electronics where clothing is optional, and Wilbur keeps its bath area device-free. Expect the same expectation at Orr even where it isn’t spelled out on the page we read.

Children. All four northern springs allow them, with limits. Harbin’s membership covers up to three children. Orr allows two children on a day visit, keeps them out of the bathhouse after 8 pm, and limits toddlers who aren’t potty trained to the private tubs. Sierra keeps children under 15 out of its meditation pool and other adults-only areas. Wilbur’s essentials page set a minimum age of 13 when we checked it on October 29. The three desert resorts are adults-only.

Alcohol. Harbin calls itself alcohol- and drug-free, and Sierra bans alcohol, drugs and pets. Mi Kasa, by contrast, lets day guests bring their own food and drinks.

Harbin Hot Springs is the most flexible for a short visit, with three-, six- and 24-hour passes. The 24-hour pass includes camping, and indoor lodging runs from $110 for a weekday dome to $345 at the top of the weekend range. Lodging needs a two-night minimum on weekends and holidays, and the domes don’t take children. Source: Harbin rates.

Wilbur Hot Springs is the most restrained about nudity. Clothing is optional in the private bathing area and nowhere else, day guests must leave by 5 pm, and overnight rooms run from $116.55 for a single in the bunk room to $453.99 for the Cabin Suite on holidays. Source: Wilbur rooms and rates.

Orr Hot Springs has the longest day-use hours of the four, noon to 9 pm, and a mix of private tubs, a pool, sauna, steam room and cold plunge. Rooms, yurts, cottages and campsites are booked through the same system as day use. Source: Orr day use and children policy.

Sierra Hot Springs calls itself a nonprofit retreat center and is the cheapest overnight option here: lodge rooms from $105 to $236 a night with tax included, and camping at $45 to $60 per person. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, and every visit needs a reservation. Source: Sierra rates and FAQ.

For the desert resorts, our Desert Hot Springs guide compares rooms and atmosphere, and the day-pass guide covers single visits in more detail.

Esalen in Big Sur is famous for its baths, but its own site doesn’t describe the clothing policy or public access on the pages we could read, and its status notices contradicted each other on October 30. We won’t list it until we can confirm both.

Tecopa Hot Springs near Death Valley is often listed elsewhere, but the domain those listings point to no longer carries resort information, so we couldn’t verify anything current.

Undeveloped springs on public land are outside the scope of this guide. They have no operator, no rules page and no one to confirm conditions.