A hot spring spa facility located within a national park.
It has a historical connection with the famous French sparkling water, Perrier.
A Richly International History
Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia is located within Kootenay National Park, one of the seven parks that make up the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Within Canada, it's a drive of just under three hours from Calgary, Alberta, and about an hour and a half from Banff.
From the United States, it's a three-hour drive from Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
The facility is located in a valley 2 miles northeast of the village of the same name.
The hot springs, said to have been used by the indigenous Kutenai people, may have been repeatedly passed by white settlers without notice due to their nearly odorless features.
In 1890, a British settler purchased land around the hot springs from the state government, but due to its remote location, it appears to have been left undeveloped for some time.
Full-scale development began after 1911, when the government started improving the surrounding roads.
In 1914, a company named The Radium Natural Springs Syndicate Ltd was established, with British industrialist St. John Harmsworth as one of its principal investors.
Harmsworth was known for his investment in the Perrier Springs in France and the success of his bottled mineral water business.
Harmsworth, who had been paralyzed from the waist down due to a traffic accident, reportedly decided to invest after experiencing some improvement following a soaking in the hot springs.
Subsequently, as the surrounding land was designated a national park, it was acquired by the Park Service in 1922.
The current building (Aquacourt) was completed in 1951 and is designated as a historic structure.
Now, after passing under the road from the parking lot to enter the Aquacourt and paying the CAD 17.50 admission fee (at the time of writing), I received one token.
This token was used to lock lockers in the changing room downstairs.
Please note that once the token is used, it cannot be returned.
There was a spa offering massage treatments before heading to the outdoor pools, but it was closed.
Above the Mountain Stream
The pools are divided into two main areas, and this swimming pool uses cold mountain stream water.
Looking at it this way, you can clearly see how the facility fits perfectly into the rugged gorge.
Beside the other hot spring pool, there was only one small tub.
The water temp was104 degrees F.
The hot spring pool was long, facing the rock face—it was simply enormous.
Beneath that pool, a mountain stream flowed through a tunnel-like passage.
True to its name, Radium Hot Springs water contains radioactive elements, and it is said that the radiation exposure received from a 30-minute soaking is approximately 1.3 microsieverts.
This was at a level that can be said to have absolutely no effect on the human body, and I felt nothing unusual.
If anything, just the smell of chlorination.
That said, the view of the enormous pool was truly spectacular.
Summary
Radium Hot Springs, Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia, Canada
My rating
Type: Walk-in
Rule: Clothing required
Chemical use: Yes
Water temp: Up to 104 degrees F
