Beneath the heavy gray of yet another June Gloom day, I drive through San Diego, then head east into the Sonoran Desert towards Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel. Jacumba was established in the 1920s but has been more or less defunct since the 80s. Until now.

The sun breaks over the rolling mountains that come into view. There are marble-like boulders scattered in piles, and I marvel at the landscape that has a familiar look, but an alien feel because I’ve never ventured to this part of California. I follow signs and see a long dark line in the distance, at first thinking it’s some sort of water transportation equipment, but soon learn it’s the border wall with Mexico.

The hotel’s diverse yet minimal decor is a mix of Spanish and Moroccan influences. The lighting is romantic and soothing with rooms clean and peaceful, new yet with natural character built in. The hideaway bar takes one to a different vibe—a dark eclectic saloon, with antique oil paintings of seductive women, herbal tinctures, mezcal cocktails, and DJ’s playing coolly curated tunes late into the night. 

Jacumba is a border town with a rich history due to its famous healing waters. The town declined after various structure fires, and the opening of interstate 8 in the late 1960s that rerouted traffic away from the town. Jacumba's owners are Melissa Strukel, Jeff Osborne, and Corbin Winters. Strukel desired to exit a career of event planning and drove by the defunct hotel in the almost ghost town and instantly knew she needed to reopen the hotel and revitalize the town. She enlisted the help of Winters, her colleague, and Osborne, a real estate professional who was a past client of Strukel and Winters'. They planned his off grid wedding some years back. The three all moved out to Jacumba four years ago and began their project. The hotel was fully opened earlier this year.

Ownerships shows me around the desert town and shares plans for the various empty, rundown structures. A saloon over there, clubhouse here, coffee shop there. We meet a couple locals along the way and they all seem genuinely happy. One local excitedly invites me into her home to check out her little shop of healthy mushrooms tinctures. Another charmingly waves me into his art studio and home. He shows me his robot sculptures and the various tools he uses to create them. Then, I’m shown the bathhouse, an old structure that burnt down in the 1920s. Just the walls and bones are left. Later, I’ll watch a live blue grass performance under the stars in this unusual venue. The tour and the local run-ins lead me to conclude that the revitalization of this unique spot are undoubtedly uplifting the town.

After our short walk through the town, we turn on a dirt path that leads to the mineral spring lake. The lake was dried up before Jacumba’s owners arrived, so they opened up the wells and planted natural flora to help the ecosystem flourish. Strukel shares it was important for them to create a way for visitors and the local community to be able to enjoy the mineral spring waters for free. The town, the lake, the live events, it’s all part of the Jacumba experience.

Knowing the care the owners have for the community and land helps me enjoy the luxurious stay all the more. Back at the property, I am served a pitcher of watermelon mimosas in the shade of my cabana next to the pool. I munch on the best guacamole and a handful of guests in the vicinity enjoy fresh oysters. Jacumba’s produce comes straight from the farms of Imperial Valley and the seafood comes from nearby Baja. I spend the day soaking in one of the two large pools and sunbathing in the mild desert air—Jacumba has an elevation of 3,000 feet which helps the weather stay mild—as palm fronds sway overhead. The owners hope the mild weather will lure visitors in the summer when Joshua Tree and Palm Springs are basically unbearable. 

As mentioned, the natural mineral pools are known to have healing properties. In fact, before I came out to Jacumba, I did a strenuous pilates workout. This weekend was the first time this year I was going to see myself in a bathing suit, and to my extreme disappointment, I woke up the morning after the pilates class with an injured shoulder muscle I could barely move. But after a 20 minute soak in the pool it was completely gone. I mean, it’s real! Real old fashioned medicine.

This brings me to an interesting point. Since the 1920s, and through the 1940s, the US had many hot spring resorts dabbled across the country as hot springs had become famous for their therapeutic benefits. It was believed that the natural thermal waters could cure any number of ailments, including arthritis and polio. Sadly, the baths faded as a medical treatment with the advent of modern medical science and the proliferation of Big Pharma.

Strukel mentions this fact to me and I immediately think, “nothing modern would have healed my shoulder that quickly.” So perhaps in this busy world, where you can find yourself talking to bots, scrolling mindlessly, and ingesting anti-inflammatories like band-aid candy, we need to go back to the beginning. We need musicians playing instruments outdoors under the stars, conversation with people from all walks of life, nutritious farm fresh food, comfy beds, and of course, natural hot springs as medicine. 

Jacumba is available for reservations here.

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