The Breitenbush Hot Springs is a retreat that is sure to please anyone who's looking to get away for the weekend in Oregon. This retreat is located within the boundaries of a 150+ acre wildlife sanctuary in the beautiful Willamette National and offers much more than just a blissful hot soak.
Unwind at Breitenbush Hot Springs
With our busy lives, sometimes the only thing you need is a couple of days to relax, unwind and let go of all the stress — and it's places like this retreat that remind us just what life is about. When visiting Breitenbush, you will fall off the grid for a bit with no phone or Internet access. You will quickly learn this is truly one of Oregon's most amazing hot springs, with a community dedicated to providing a safe and potent environment where people can renew and evolve in ways they never imagined.
Breitenbush also includes 3 vegetarian buffet meals daily and also offers holistic yoga, EDGU, and even meditation programs.
You will love their sanctuary for personal meditation, yoga, and reflection.
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Breitenbush overnight accommodations include summer camping options, plus all-season cozy cabins with geothermal heat. Some of their cabins have bathrooms, and same-sex cabins with bunk beds and rooms are available in the historic lodge. This amazing lodge dates all the way back to the 1920s!
It's worth mentioning visitors are responsible for bringing their own bedding.
The clothing-optional rock-lined pools and four spiral hot tubs guarantee absolute relaxation.
Their delicious, organic, vegetarian meals are provided each day for overnight guests (and for day guests as well, for an additional charge).
And don't forget their natural cedar wood sauna, where you can enjoy a massage.
Throughout the year Breitenbush features over 150 celebrations, conferences and workshops. The hot springs retreat is also known for the following:
- Artisan and book gift shop
- Library
- Hiking trails
- Stone labyrinth
- Forest shelter
- Cedar river yurt
- Buddha’s Playhouse
- Monthly Inipi Ceremony (sweat lodge)
History of Breitenbush River
Native Americans traveled hundreds of miles to visit the mineral-filled springs for medicinal and spiritual purposes.
The first white person to visit was a fur trapper and explorer John Breitenbush, the river's namesake, around the 1840s. By 1897, the fame of the hot springs had spread and pack trains were bringing tourists to the springs.
184543 Breitenbush Hot Springs Sweat House, Santiam NF, OR 1923 (Flickr)
In 1904, the Upper Hot Springs was purchased by Hattie and Fred Bruckman, with hattie staying there for nearly 50 years.
The Brietenbush Lodge was established in 1927 by their son, Merle Bruckman. Visitors from all over came to breathe the vapors from the dissolved minerals and the calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium in the springs. When Merle retired in 1950, the resort fell apart, and was eventually abandoned after changing hands several times.
(Photo: Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)
It wasn't until 1977 when Alex Beamer bought the upper springs and brought it back to good standings. A year-round community focused on preserving the natural landscape.
Overnight lodging options vary from about $60 to $100 depending on the type of lodging. Day use access ranges from $16 to $30 based on a sliding scale for access from 9am to 6pm. ALL visitors must make a reservation in advance.
Directions to Breitenbush Hot Springs
If you are coming from Portland, you will head south from I-5. You will follow I-5 S to Mission St SE in Salem, and take exit 253 from I-5 S. Follow OR-22 E/Santiam Hwy SE and NF-2231 to Breitenbush Hot Springs at 53000 Breitenbush Rd SE, Detroit, OR 97342
