Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel

What to expect

Jacumba Hot Springs is a small desert town on Old Highway 80, a few hundred yards from the Mexican border. Its hotel was built in the 1920s as a stop on the route between San Diego and the Imperial Valley, and in the Hollywood era the hot springs drew film stars out to the desert. The town faded after Interstate 8 bypassed it, and several owners tried and failed to bring the hotel back.

In 2020 three partners, Jeff Osborne, Melissa Strukel and Corbin Winters, bought the hotel along with most of the town’s commercial property, including an old bathhouse and a dried-up lake. They renovated the hotel and held a grand reopening in April 2024. You will see it listed as Jacumba Hot Springs Resort, Jacumba Hot Springs Spa or Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel. They are the same place, at 44500 Old Highway 80.

Today the hotel has 18 rooms, two suites, a restaurant, a bar and three mineral pools. The look is relaxed desert boho: shade sails, wood decks, loungers and cabanas, with bare mountains behind. It draws a mix of San Diego weekenders and people stopping between the coast and the desert.

The pools

All three pools use the town’s spring water, and the hotel says the water is untreated. It comes out of the ground at 96 to 102°F36 to 39°C and flows through the pools continuously, so each pool is fully refreshed somewhere between every 30 minutes and every 6 hours. The hotel lists hydrogen sulfide, bicarbonate, silica, sodium and lithium among the minerals, and says the water is strongly alkaline. Expect a faint sulfur smell.

• Ritual Pool: The largest pool, outdoors under the open sky, at 96 to 101°F36 to 38°C. It is open to hotel guests and day pass holders, and it is where the rentable cabanas are.
• Solstice Pool: A smaller, quieter pool in the middle of the hotel, also 96 to 101°F36 to 38°C, with poolside food and drink service. Open to hotel guests and a limited number of pass holders.
• Echo Room: An indoor, round soaking pool under a skylight, next to a shaded courtyard. It is the hottest at 99 to 103°F37 to 39°C. Hotel guests only, open 24 hours.

The hotel’s healing waters page adds a seasonal note: in summer the outdoor pools are cooled to roughly 90 to 99°F32 to 37°C, and in winter they are heated to 96 to 102°F36 to 39°C. So a July soak will be closer to a warm swim than a hot bath.

Prices and booking

All pool access is for adults 21 and over. There are no exceptions for day visitors with children.

Starting prices from the hotel’s own pool pass page:

• Ritual Pool Pass: from $25
• Solstice Pool Pass: from $60
• Ritual Star Soak Pass (evening, Ritual Pool only): from $20
• Unlimited pool passes are also sold, with hotel discounts; the price is not listed publicly.

The same passes also appear on ResortPass, where the Ritual day pass shows from $45 and the Star Soak pass from $22 including fees, so compare before you buy. ResortPass lists the day pass as valid 9am to midnight and the Star Soak pass as 5pm to midnight. An older guide gave 9am to 9pm for day passes, so check the time on your booking. ResortPass passes include towels, first-come loungers and free parking.

Cabanas at the Ritual Pool start at $280 for a 10am to 3pm or 4pm to 9pm session for up to 12 people. The Caravan Lounge starts at $400 for up to 8. Cabana food orders need to be placed at least 24 hours ahead.

The Ojas spa works out of tents on the property. Massages are $222 for 60 minutes, $333 for 90 minutes and $444 for 120 minutes, and every massage includes a Ritual Pool pass for that day. Bookings for pools, cabanas and spa go through the hotel’s online booking system.

Two rules worth knowing before you pack: only mineral sunscreen is allowed in the pools (it is sold at the check-in trailer), and the minerals can tarnish silver jewelry.

Getting there

From San Diego, take Interstate 8 east past Alpine, Pine Valley and Boulevard. Exit for Jacumba Hot Springs and follow Old Highway 80 into town. The hotel says the drive takes about an hour from downtown San Diego. The hotel is on the main street, with free self-parking, so there is no walking involved.

From the Imperial Valley and Arizona, come west on I-8 up the In-Ko-Pah grade and exit toward Jacumba. Fill up before you leave the interstate, as services in town are limited.

When to go

October to April is the comfortable season. Days are mild, nights are cool, and the outdoor pools are kept at their warmest. Winter nights at this elevation can be cold, which makes the Echo Room and an evening Star Soak pass worth having.

Summer afternoons in the desert are hot. The hotel cools the outdoor pools in summer, and the Star Soak pass makes more sense than a midday visit. Weekends are busiest year-round, and day passes often sell out, so a weekday visit gives you the best choice of times and pools.

The hotel runs regular events: a makers market on the third Sunday of the month, a bazaar on the first Saturday, and seasonal parties around Halloween and Día de los Muertos. These bring more people to town.

Where to stay nearby

The hotel’s own rooms are the obvious choice and give you the Echo Room and the Solstice Pool. The owners also rent casitas and guest houses a short walk from the hotel, each with its own mineral spring soaking tub. These suit groups and, according to Hidden San Diego, families, since the main hotel is adults only.

Other lodging in town is limited. The De Anza resort area near Jacumba has separate rentals. For a wider choice, Alpine and El Cajon on the way back toward San Diego have chain hotels, and the Anza-Borrego region to the northeast has campgrounds.

Safety notes

• Heat: The Echo Room reaches 103°F39°C. Keep soaks short and drink water, especially after a hot day or a drink at the bar.
• Desert weather: Summer days are very hot and winter nights drop sharply. Carry water and a layer in the car.
• Border area: Jacumba sits right on the international border. Expect Border Patrol traffic and checkpoints on nearby roads, and do not wander off-trail toward the border fence.
• Water: The pools are untreated. Do not put your head under, and skip a soak if you have open cuts.

Nearby stops worth adding

Lake Jacumba, revived by the owners after years of being dry, is open to the public for a small donation and has shaded palapas. Desert View Tower, a stone lookout off I-8 near In-Ko-Pah, has wide views over the desert floor and a boulder garden of carved rock animals. Boulder Park next to it is a short scramble among granite boulders.