Comments on Abendigo's review of Orr Hot Springs
Description: Orr Hot Springs is an historical resort in Ukiah, CA, located near old growth groves.
Not Crazy about the New Orr Hot Springs
Not that I've ever been to the old one. But Orr finally reopened to the public (given you've made a rez), after a long-overhaul of its hot springs facilities.
When you take a private tub (there are half a dozen private tubs enclosed in cedar rooms), the noise of the hot springs pumps and machinery are SO LOUD that you can't even relax with your ears under the water. Major oversight for a relaxing hot springs environs, major design flaw.
I don't mean to be a hot springs snob -- however, you can hardly escape the noise. I was disappointed, only because Orr is expensive and the property and location are utterly pristine. And the noise was enough to unwarrant a return visit, because it was difficult to relax. Also, the new tubs that opened have a permanent architectural hot springs "faucet" that's essentially always open, eliciting intermittently the sound of falling hot springs into the tubs, and because the sound is loud but unconstant, it's also startling and creates an unrelaxing environment. Another major design flaw, IMHO.
Now the major benefit of Orr is that Montgomery Woods, a huge old growth redwood grove, is just down the street, where you can take a majestic hike, and I mean truly staggering. We also stayed in a very cute yurt.
I had been hearing about Orr Hot Springs for years, and was so excited to get up there, and I have to admit, I'm not excited to return. I'll go to Indian Springs instead, or Wilbur. Thankyou.
Abendigo's keywords: orr hot springs, ukiah, old growth, spa, health, holistic
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Jenn A. says:
I was pretty surprised that you rated this so low - I thought it was plenty quiet! Sure - there's a low hum from the pumps, but that just becomes white noise. If you're looking for noise, you'll find it, you know? I had deer walking right up to my tent - they didn't complain at all about noise! :)
I'm very excited to return, though I've never tried Indian Springs or Wilbur. As far as developed springs go, this one is very nice. It's not nearly as expensive as Wilbur, either!
Abendigo R. says:
I brought my rating up to 3 stars!
Did you just go, to the new tubs?
I wasn't looking for noise at all -- but like I said in the post, I'm not trying to be a hot springs snob. It's just a basic tenet of feng shui not to have harsh noise at a spa where folks are trying to relax -- I've also got hyper-sensitive ears. ;-)
Jenn A. says:
I was there last Labor Day weekend - it was outstanding! The place is so gorgeous. Honestly, I didn't really notice the noise as a problem. The people talking were more annoying than the sound of pumps. I liked that the private rooms had a bit of white noise around them so that I didn't hear the people talking in the other pools as much. I wrote a review and posted some additional pictures - check it out!