While visiting Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, I had the chance to swim in the waters of a thermal spring.  These boiling hot mineral waters mixed with the icy cold water of a mountain river.  After bathing, I noticed that my hair and skin felt very soft and smooth.  I decided to read more about ‘thermal spas,’ and why they have been so popular for centuries.

People have long ‘taken the waters’ by bathing or drinking from thermal springs.  From the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy to Costa Rica and Colorado, these hot springs have always been popular.  The spa works by drawing water from deep underground and as it travels upwards through the rock it leeches natural elements into the water. People believed that limestone, magnesium, iron, fluoride and other elements could cure all kinds of health problems, from an aching back to insomnia.  Some people even believe the thermal waters will make you live longer!

Have you ever been to a thermal spa?  Do you think that these special spas can cure health problems?

Take a look, and answer these questions:

When do you think this photo was taken? Why do you think that?

What do you think the mood of this photo is?

Why do you think the photographer took it?  What did he want to show?

Does this photo seem real?  Do you think it really happened?

Describe the ‘American West’ in your own words.  How does this photo compare?

A rodeo cowgirl hitches her pony at an El Paso parking meter in this picture from the October 1939 photo feature

“Riatas and Romance on the Rio Grande.”

“El Paso, Texas.”  Luis Marden. Photo of the Day: Vintage National Geographic Photographs.  National Geographic Photography. 23 Dec 2012. Web. 28 Jul 2013.