This Is One of California's Most Underrated Cities-With Hot Springs, Mountain Views, and Easy Access to Wine Country

"This is where you'll find Murrieta, an oasis nestled among the Santa Rosa and Temescal mountains. In this case, "oasis" is a fitting description rather than an overstatement-the city is one of the few places in Southern California with geothermal springs. It's anchored by Murrieta Hot Springs Resort, which reopened to the public in 2024 as a fully fledged spa and hotel after operating for nearly 30 years as a private religious retreat."

""It started with just some canvas tents," says Marcus Coplin, the medical director at Murrieta Hot Springs Resort. "At one time in the early 20th century, it was the premier health resort in Southern California, and that's the tradition that we're revitalizing. By opening the spring back up, it's bringing back this culture of respite and getting away from it all-but in your backyard.""

"Though the resort has only been open for a few years, guests who pop in for a soak are partaking in a tradition that spans centuries. The Luiseño Indigenous people bathed in the springs' mineral waters since time immemorial, and one of the site's original owners, Fritz Guenther, built a bathhouse and a couple of cottages there in 1902-essentially, the area's first wellness resort."

Murrieta sits among the Santa Rosa and Temescal mountains along Interstate 15 in Southern California. The city contains geothermal springs and the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort, which reopened to the public in 2024 after nearly 30 years as a private religious retreat. Luiseño Indigenous people used the springs' mineral waters for centuries, and Fritz Guenther built an early bathhouse and cottages at the site in 1902. The resort occupies 46 acres with a bathhouse, dozens of pools across a range of temperatures, and a serene lake for shoreside lounging. Staff emphasize restoring the site's historic wellness tradition.

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