For my birthday yesterday my husband and I (along with his brother and family) took the kids to Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville, UT. The photo on this website http://www.crystalhotsprings.net/ is slightly deceiving; it doesn’t look quite that nice in the middle of January, but it was still fun.
Crystal hot springs is a series of pools built around naturally occurring hot springs. The temperature of the water ranged from 70 to 108 degrees depending on which pool you went to. Big E, my two year old, ran pell mell between the 96 degree pool and the 70 degree pool. All I can say is that 70 degrees is not that warm when your body is accustomed to 96. E didn’t mind though, he was all about jumping in the freezing water polar bear style. Thank goodness for life jackets.
Little g on the other hand didn’t know what to think. Most of the time she just slept in her car seat but for the short time she was swimming with us there was definitely some crying. Overall she did great just gliding around being held by mom or dad but when she first got in the pool she let out a wild woman scream that would seem like we were torturing her. And according to some fellow pool goers we were.
Two women approached me to warn me about the mineral content of the pools, which is the highest in the US and possibly the world. Lithium is especially high here, which is a main ingredient in antidepressants. Many people come to these pools for that purpose, a natural mood lifter. However the effect of these mineral pools on small children is unknown. Being properly concerned I took little g out, rinsed off and put her in her car seat for a nap. However, Big E was not to be stopped so if there are lasting effects from this mineral soak I will let you know. I’m not too worried since he was jumping in the freezing water pool and running around the deck for the majority of the time anyway.
For me Crystal Hot Springs was a fun excursion with my family. I wanted to go there specifically because it’s warm and my kids could swim outside in January. However, others apparently felt I was encroaching on their healing bath. As one older gentlemen left the pool he mumbled under his breath, “Doesn’t anyone have jobs? What are they teaching these kids, that they should just play all the time?” Uh, yeah. Kids should play, that’s their job.
At one point when cousin E slipped and bonked her head, another pool goer, who thought mom reacted too slowly yelled, “Are you just going to watch her drown? That’s the second time she’s done that!” Cousin E was crying, mom was comforting her and a few minutes later all was well, except for the awkward feeling in the air. Why do people feel the need to comment on other people’s parenting? They shouldn’t judge the mother of an independent 18 month old because she’s letting her daughter explore with mom was 10 feet away.
Overall we enjoyed the trip, enjoyed the warmth and enjoyed each others company. I encourage any other mountain moms and pops to take their kids there and enjoy the pools and summertime waterslide. Just use common sense and ignore others’ rude comments.
Bonuse: my skin feels extra soft today, thanks mineral bath! 🙂
