Have you ever wished to walk where Thomas Jefferson and Robert E. Lee walked? Well, you can do that in Charlottesville and Lexington, but you can also follow their steps by “taking the baths” in Warm Springs.

My husband used to tease me by saying he wouldn’t go 90 miles just to take a bath, but our youngest son, Eric, and I have made it a habit to do just that. Several times each summer for years we have gone to Warm Springs to take the baths. It’s a real treat, and everyone should try it.

We call it a mini-trip, and recently we headed out Interstate 581 on a clear and gorgeous sunny day. The mountains looked majestic and we agreed that we wouldn’t want to live anywhere that we couldn’t look up and see them.

Our first stop was for gas near Troutville. As I waited in the car, I watched a young Appalachian Trail hiker, dressed in a tie-dye shirt and baggy shorts, talking on the pay phone. Perhaps he was speaking to a girl as he continued to smile and laugh. All during his conversation he was exercising, doing deep knee bends and pulling his tanned legs behind him to stretch his hamstring muscles. I was fascinated.

Again underway, we enjoyed purple wildflowers in the median and fields of yellow mustard on both sides of the highway before we reached Eagle Rock. On a whim we took a short detour over the James River into that precious little town. The main street near the river was almost deserted but there are charming, well-manicured yards on the upper avenues.

Then it was on to Gala, where we stopped at a filling station to get a cold drink and a snack – that’s part of the regular routine for this trip. After Gala comes Iron Gate and the outstanding rock formation on the right side of the highway. Then to Covington by the Westvaco paper plant, which always reminds me of Dante’s Inferno!

Winding up the mountain road, our car seemed automatically to slow down at Falling Springs, a gushing waterfall crashing down into the valley. The Virginia Department of Transportation has thoughtfully provided parking spaces for those who want to stop and get closer to this lovely place. There is a Swiss-like atmosphere as we drive on to Hot Springs, home of The Homestead resort and a variety of restaurants and shops. We found Elliot’s Restaurant, three doors down from Sam Snead’s Tavern, and ate superb sandwiches.

We drove on to Warm Springs, and there were The Jefferson Pools at last!

The pools are enclosed in two octagonal wood buildings, one for men built in 1761 and one for women, built in 1836. Thomas Jefferson was probably the first famous person to “take the waters” (his expression) for his rheumatism. He was so impressed with the results that he spread the word to others. I have heard that Robert E. Lee used to come over the mountains from Lexington to soak in the spring.

Apparently, well-to-do families came every summer to escape the heat of “the lower country,” and traveled from spring to spring, enjoying the baths. Time in the water was followed by dining and dancing at nearby resort hotels. In those days, Virginia boasted a number of spas.

After we parked our car, we walked to a small building adjacent to the bathhouses to get tickets, which cost $15. (They were $3 when we started going there, which shows how long we’ve enjoyed the place!) Men go into the first building, and women go into the Ladies’ Pool House. If you haven’t brought your bathing suit, one will be supplied. There is a nice attendant there, who gives you a towel or two to dry with when you emerge from the water.

I can remember when I first went to the springs. When you got out of the water, dripping wet, the attendant would come to your cubicle with a bath sheet, help you out of your suit, and give you a rubdown, massaging your shoulders and back. Let me tell you: Them days are gone forever.

Another nod to modern ways are the rubber “noodles” a bather can use to float with, but I prefer to float on my own. Something about that mineral water makes you quite buoyant. After you don your bathing suit (some bathers go nude, which is why there are separate pools), it is a marvelous sensation to step down out of that cool mountain air into crystal clear warm water. The water stays at 98° and is so clear you can see every rock on the bottom.

Wonderful bubbles come up from the depths (4 feet, 10 inches) to tickle you nicely. I always thought it was like bathing in warm champagne!

After an hour you emerge feeling very heavy but very relaxed, and with a new outlook on life. Your skin feels soft and silky, as if you had been rubbed with oil.

This mini-trip is a grand day outing from Roanoke. It takes about two hours to reach Warm Springs by the Covington route. A very nice option is to return home via Goshen Pass and Lexington. The scenery in the pass and the Maury River is spectacular. I hope you will try it soon.

Helen Fitzpatrick is an energetic community worker and a
former journalist who was persuaded to share her getaway.