What did influence the destiny of the town?
The West Coast is an area of high population density, and is located on the Ring of Fire, so that there are several spa towns nearby.
Meanwhile, there are places becoming a ghost town.
The U.S-Mexican Border
The closest hot springs to the U.S-Mexican border is Boquillas Hot Springs, and the second one may be Jacumba Hot Springs.
In the past, there were no walls between the United States and Mexico, and anyone could come and go freely.
Photo by Anthony Albright - U.S.-Mexico Border (2017) / CC BY-SA 2.0
However, the number of drug-related smuggling and illegal immigrant had been increased.
In 1995, the border was barricaded and it dictated the city’s destiny of the continuous downfall.
During World War II, Jacumba Hot Springs had been the world-famous spa town, but it lost out to cities more closely to Los Angeles like Desert Hot Springs.
Tepid Water for Summer
When I visited there, there was no cell phone reception from the U.S. and my cell phone connected to Mexican carriers.
This motel is the only facility that opens.
The indoor bath is a Jacuzzi.
From the very beginning, I do not like a Jacuzzi.
It looks a kind of washing machine; I am not willing to soak in it after someone's bathing.
The water in the tub looks contaminated like that in a wash machine.
There are two pools outside, and free-flowing water is provided to them.
The temperature of the source is tepid (around 100 degrees F), and it is additionally chilled in the huge pools.
The water has clear smells of rotten eggs.
Generally, people in the United States recognize the smell of hydrogen sulfide as bad odor, so that one of the reasons for the town’s downfall seems to be the smell.
However, I feel regret for seemingly making little effort to emphasize the characteristic of the water.
Summary
Jacumba Hot Springs Resort & Spa, Jacumba Hot Springs, California, U.S.
Rating:
Tips
Take up your position close to water outlets.
- Walk-in: Yes
- Lodging: Yes (Online Bookings)
Related Hot Springs
It is 50 minutes drive from Jacumba to the country park.
Agua Caliente County Park, Julian, California, U.S.
Unfortunately, the water is badly chlorinated.