Saratoga Springs is the largest city in the county of Saratoga, north of New York's capital, Albany. Known for its famous racetrack, Saratoga is also popular for the public mineral springs. Anyone can visit a spring and taste the water, or even bottle some of it and bring it home. Bathing in and drinking natural mineral water has been practiced for many years.
About Mineral Water
Mineral water is, simply enough, water containing minerals. Mineral water can be man-made, or can occur naturally from springs. The springs in Saratoga are all naturally carbonated, and contain many different minerals, such as salts, gases, or iron. Some of Saratoga's mineral water is even bottled and sold, although these springs are not available to the public. Water containing a lot of minerals is also called "hard water," which can cause mineral buildup when washing dishes or taking showers. People living in hard water areas often install water softeners, which makes the desirability of mineral water baths ironic.
Reported Health Benefits of Mineral Water
There are reportedly health benefits to both drinking or bathing in naturally occurring mineral water. Bathing is said to cure skin ailments or heal wounds. Drinking the water is said to help with digestive issues, and can help with mineral deficiencies. Some of this is folklore, but bathing in warm water is certainly soothing to the mind.
Saratoga Spa State Park
Saratoga Spa State Park contains the only active geysers west of the Mississippi River. The Geyser Island Spouter and Polaris Spring are the names of the two geysers in the park. Eight of Saratoga's public springs are located in the park.
The Gideon Putnam Resort, adjacent to the park, is a private establishment that offers mineral water treatments at its Roosevelt Baths and Spa. Although expensive to bathe at the Spa, there are currently no public bathhouses at any of the springs. There are several other bathhouses that are now used as office buildings.
List of Saratoga Springs
There are 17 public springs in Saratoga Springs. Many of them are located under pavilions, complete with signs. Others are subtle spigots coming out of a rock. Each separate spring has its own distinct flavor, due to the differing amounts of minerals at each location.
- Big Red Spring
- Charlie Spring
- Columbian Springs
- Congress Spring
- Deer Park Spring
- Empire Spring
- Geyser Island Spouter
- Geyser Spring
- Governor Spring
- Hathorn #1
- Hathorn #3
- Hayes Well Spring
- High Rock Spring
- Old Iron Spring
- Old Red Spring
- Orenda Spring and Tufa Deposits
- Patterson Springs
- Peerless Spring
- Polaris Spring
- State Seal
Visiting all 17 springs makes for a fun adventure in Upstate New York. For more information about the springs, or to get a map, please visit Saratoga.com or visit the Saratoga Springs Visitors Center in person.
Allison Russo - Allison Russo holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Most recently she ...
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