Did you say the midcentury modern homes of Palm Springs?
Wrong.
Did you say the golf courses in La Quinta?
Wrong.
Did you say the music festivals in Indio/Coachella?
Sorry, not even close.
It’s the mineral waters of Desert Hot Springs.
Discovered by Cabot Xerxa in 1911 (though no doubt known by the Cahuilla people for thousands of years), the springs near his homestead on Miracle Hill yielded both hot water at temperatures over 150 degrees and cold mineral water judged by many (including expert tasters at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting) to be among the finest in the world. You could take an empty bottle up to Desert Hot Springs, find a local with an obliging tap, fill your bottle, and taste better water than you could buy in any store.
As our editor Kent Black writes in “It’s the Water” in this issue, the hot springs that gave the city its name (and onetime fame), are just as abundant and curative as they were sixty years ago when over 140 spas dotted Miracle Hill and visitors came from all over the world to soak.
So why isn’t Desert Hot Springs as famous as other desert cities? Why isn’t DHS as desirable (and overrun) as the rest of the Valley?
As Mayor Scott Matas points out in our Q&A, there is an unfair stigma attached to the city. He points out that in three major categories of crime, DHS is, in fact, one of the safest cities in the Valley. In fact, as he makes clear in his interview, the city has devoted significant resources to make sure that the city has both a top-flight fire department and law enforcement. Mayor Matas shares a vision for the future of DHS with major business owners such as Azure Palm’s Maria Lease for a major downtown development on Pierson and the creation of walking streets on Hacienda in the Spa District.
The vision is not farfetched. With many cities in the Valley nearing maximum build out, savvy investors may see the potential in Desert Hot Springs. With enough people of vision joining forces, DHS may once again become the Valley’s renowned Spa City.
If you have the water, they will come.
