the hidden waters and spas of desert hot springs · 2020-03-19 · the hidden waters and spas of...

The Hidden Waters and Spas of Desert Hot Springs

Including an

Insider’s Story

Presentation for theSpa Connection11/6/2019

Jeff BowmanFormer: Owner Living Waters Spa

Director Mission Springs Water DistrictPresident DHS Historical Society

Desert Hot Springs Spas – 5 phases

1900-1932: Discovery of Water – Cold and Hot

1932-1948: The Founding of Desert Hot Springs

1949-1970: “California’s Spa City” Develops

1971-1996: The Spas Mature

1997-present: The Spas Revive

Phase I - Discovery of Water

Water in the Desert = Life in the Desert

Homesteaders

Hilda Gray: 1909 – Near Two Bunch Palms

Cabot Yerxa: 1913 – Walked to Garnet to get water

Homestead Act

Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of residence before receiving ownership of the land.

Discovery of Water

Cabot Yerxa: 1914/15

Dug for water and hit both the HOT and COLD water aquifers

He named the location “Miracle Hill” because he discovered both HOT and COLD water.

Discovery of Water

HOT WATER

COLD WATER

Discovery of Water

In 1918 Cabot enlisted in the Army.

Cabot left the Army in 1919 and settled in Furtilla, California where he operated a grocery store and was Postmaster until 1924.

In 1925 he returned to Europe to travel and study art for one year.

On his return to the United States, he settled in Moorpark, California to operate a grocery store until he finally returned to the desert in 1937.

The City of Desert Hot Springswas founded because of

LovePassion

Gritfor the Water!

“When you’ve got Water, you can build a City!”

In November 1932 a developer from downtown Los Angeles – L.W. Coffee (age 56) – happens to meet Cabot Yerxa who at this time had left the desert and had a grocery store in Moorpark, California.

Coffee learns of the hot mineral water in the area and decides that the area that Cabot had homesteaded would be an ideal place for a town focused on health.

Phase II - The Founding ofDesert Hot Springs

Cabot introduces Coffee to W. G. Anderson whom Coffee comes to the desert to meet.

Coffee finds Anderson on November 25, 1932 and for the next 3 or 4 weeks Anderson becomes helpful in “visioning” with Coffee over the future of this part of the desert.

Coffee returns to LA to set up a trust whose beneficiaries are the various owners in the area that would become Desert Hot Springs.

1933: He begins to drill for water, leasing a small drilling rig and hiring Earl Howard. Drilling proceeded from early May to late June. The water in the well had a temperature of 140°.

Coffee sold 14 1-acre lots.

1933: Coffee (age 57) built his original Bath House (not to be confused with his first Spa) at Palm and Pierson.

"We then installed an electric light plant, operated with an old Studebaker engine, which supplied lights for the bath house and the adobe. This plant furnished us about twelve lights, which was hardly enough..." Coffee adds a butane gas range and begins serving meals. He applies for a beer and wine license "which was not hard to get at that time." - L.W. Coffee, Why DHS?

Weekend crowds often sleep in their cars because there are no rooms.

Coffee’s Spa

Foundation laid: January 8, 1941 (age 65)

Opened for business: July 12, 1941

(WW-II: 1939-1945 w/ Pearl Harbor in Dec. 1941)

1947 a fire destroyed the first “Coffee’s” (age 71)

1948 it was rebuilt “bigger and better” (age 72)

1991 it was torn down (34 years after Coffee’s death)

Coffee’s first Spa 1941

Rebuilt Coffee’s Spa c.1952

Insider Information

Coffee demonstrated the “grit” needed to create and run a mineral water spa.

As we all know, this same “grit” is REQUIRED today or you won’t make it!

Phase III - 1949-1970“California’s Spa City” Develops

From post-WWII until the 1970s, Desert Hot Springs experienced a dramatic period of growth – especially in SPAS.

Coffee started marketing “spa properties” complete with hot water wells.

There were over 120 lodging facilities built in Desert Hot Springs during that time.

The city incorporated: September 17, 1963.

Acoma-Spa Therapools

Albertina's Alcove

Ali Baba Motel

Ambassador Arms Hotel

Atlas-Hi Lodge

Be-Be Manor

Bertram's Ma-Ha-Yah Lodge

Big Wagon Guest Ranch

Biltmore Desert Hot Springs

Blue Heaven Rancho

Blue Water Manor

Broadview Lodge

Burwood Lodge

Cactus Apts.

Cactus Springs Lodge

Capri Hotel

Caravan Motel

Casa Bello

Casa Bienvenido Motel

Casa Del Sol

Chateau Frontenac

Cherry's Desert Court

Coachella Valley Apts.

Dal Mae

David's Spa

Desert Holiday

Desert Home Apts.

Desert Hot Springs Hotel

Desert Palms

Desert Retreat

Desert Stars Motel

Desert Vista Apts.

Desert-Aire

Dor-Neil Apartments

Dorsk House

Dorville's Sun and Spa Lodge

Doty's Lodge

Ocotillo Apartments

Dunes Motel

Eagle Apartments

El Encanto Convalescent Home

El Reposo

El Siesta Apartments

Emerald Springs

Enar Apts.

Graben Duplex and Pool

Granada Apts.

Grand View Court

Hi There

Highlander Lodge

Hilltop House

Keers Motel

Kings Rest Apts.

Kismet Lodge Spa-Tel

Kitchens Motel

Klocks

La Fiesta

Lido Palms Spa-Tel

Linda Vista Lodge

Little Admiral Inn

Little Jay

Lorane Manor

Mansergh's

Mary Ann Manor

Mary Karaula Apts.

McLaughlin's Manor

Mecca, The

Melody Apartments

Mineral Springs

Miracle Manor

Miracle Springs Hotel

Mirage

Mona Lisa Motel

Monte Carlo

Moors

Morrison Guest House

Like today, each Spa had it’s own:

• Character

• Personality

• Charm

• Hot Water Well with varying temps

The Hot Mineral Water from the Desert Hot Springs Aquifer contains:

Lithium .240Sulfate 493.60Sodium 268.60

Bicarbonate 129.00Chloride 120.50

Silica 46.4Calcium 45.10Fluoride 5.30

Magnesium 5.10Iron Oxide - trace

Aluminum Oxide - trace

Barium - traceCopper - trace

Manganese - traceTotal Dissolved

Hardness 110mg/lCalcium Hardness

144mg/lph - 8.3

Blue Water Manor – 8th Street

Cactus Lambda Lodge Spa-tel - Calle Azteca

Cactus Springs Lodge – Club Circle

Caravan Motel – 4th Street

David’s Spa – Palm Drive

MaHaYa Lodge – Calle Las Tiendas

Kismet Lodge – Mountain View Rd.

Rox Lodge – 6th Street

Smile Inn – 6th Street

The Moors – Reposo Way

Pan Pan – Calle Azteca

Waldorf Health Resort – Mesquite

Ponce de Leon – Palm Drive

Phase IV - 1971-1996The Spas Mature

During this time many things happened:

• The over 120 lodging facilities started to decline

• The spas that continued struggled

• Most were turned into small apartments

• Even the original Coffee’s Spa was torn down in 1991

• The current cultural Heath and Wellness emphasis did not exist

• The city developed AROUND the spas

Su Casa 66351 W. 1st Street

Tradewinds Motel 11021 Sunset

Valle Vista Motel 66550 Two Bunch Palms Dr.

Burwood Lodge13181 Calle Amopola

Burwood became Sun Villa Spa

Insider Information

As you drive around town, when you see an older small run down apartment complex, more than likely it was build as a “spa” back in the day.

Most have their own well!

Do you have the “grit” to revive a spa? It can be done!!

Phase V – 1997-presentThe Spas REVIVE

Thanks to the Internet and the growing awareness of Heath and Wellness a revival was possible for the Mineral Water Spas

Yet it still takes the Love, Passion and Grit like that of L.W. Coffee

And some Money too!

Spas of the DHS Hoteliers

AQUA SOLEIL HOTEL & MINERAL WATER SPA

DESERT HOT SPRINGS SPA HOTEL

EL MOROCCO INN & SPA

HACIENDA HOT SPRINGS INN

HOPE SPRINGS RESORT

LIDO PALMS RESORT & SPA

MIRACLE MANOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPA

MIRACLE SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

SAGEWATER SPA

THE SPRING RESORT & SPA

TUSCAN SPRINGS HOTEL & SPA

TWO BUNCH PALMS RESORT & SPA

Highlander Lodge (then)

Tuscan Springs (now)

Cactus Springs (then)

Hope Springs (now)

Miracle Manor (then)

Miracle Manor (now)

Mona Lisa (then)

Sagewater (now)

The Moors (then)

The Spring (now)

Kismet Lodge

Living Waters Spa (now)

Called one of the Top 10 clothing optional resorts in the world and named among the

Top 25 Small Hotels in the USA for FOUR Years in a row!by TripAdvisor.com

We've been featured by the:New York TimesWashington Post

The Tennis ChannelLos Angeles Times

USA Today

Living Waters Spa

Living Waters Spa (now)

◼ Tourists pay a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)

– This year that translates to around $2m

– It goes straight to the city coffers

◼ Then there is the TTDI (Tourist Trickle Down Impact)

– Most industry analysts put the impact at close to a $1 for $1

Inside StoryOur Spas = Revenue for the City

$198.00

$99.00

$99.00

Room Cost

Goods and Services

Food

We at Living Waters Spa triedto keep our guests IN DHS

Impact Breakdown

In addition to the TOT that Tourists pay:

◼ Each spa/hotel has to hire employees

– Each employee has expenses / pays taxes and if they live in DHS the city benefits.

◼ Hotel/spa guests cause the hotel to have more Utility costs

– DHS has a Utility Tax which is boosted by the presence of tourists both in Hotels and other Businesses in DHS

Further Financial Impact

◼ Tourists DO NOT share the same view of Desert Hot Springs as the people of the CV.

◼ Our Mineral Water Spas present the city in a positive way.

◼ We ARE a “funky little desert town that has not been all LAified like Palm Springs.”

◼ Our hotels demonstrate that DHS is a GREAT place to be.

Insider Information

Movies:

“3 Women” by Robert Altman – 1977

Featured Coffee’s Spa

“The Player” by Robert Altman – 1992

Featured Two Bunch Palms

TV Series:

“Hot Springs Hotel” Showtime – 1997-98

Featured Miracle Springs

Insider InformationDHS Spas in the Movies/TV

Inside Coffee’s Spaextracted from the movie “3 Women” by Robert Altman - 1977!

Things to ponder from this presentation:

1. It was L.W. Coffee and his SPA that created DHS and started the town’s spa business

2. It is the spas of DHS that have sustained DHS over the decades

3. Spa ownership is NOT for the faint of heart

4. We should not take our water (nor its history) for granted

5. DO IT NOW! Follow your dreams – this life is NOT a dress rehearsal!

It has been said:

“You only live once”

But it could be better phrased:

“You only die once,

you live EVERY DAY”

Make the most of your DAY!

Let’s go get in some hot water!

Thank you!

the hidden waters and spas of desert hot springs · 2020-03-19 · the hidden waters and spas of...

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