Harbin Hot Springs
Encyclopedia
Harbin Hot Springs is a non-profit
hot spring
retreat and workshop center in Harbin Springs
, Lake County
, in Northern California
, about two hours northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area
.
habitation. The baths were commercially developed by settlers in the 1860s, when buildings were erected on the site. It's a fire-prone region; and, over the years, successive lodges have been rebuilt when they burned down. Harbin Hot Springs issued several postcards advertising the resort in the 1920s and 1930s. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the property was run as a commune
with the name Harbinger, but it didn't thrive.
center. Sold to the Heart Consciousness Church (HCC) in 1975, Harbin/HCC operates as an intentional community where approximately 150 residents live and operate the Retreat Center for outside visitors. Harbin/HCC maintains a more specifically religious organization, the New Age Church of Being, incorporated in 1996. Harbin has been a center for the development of new modes of healing and personal development. Specifically, Harold Dull created and developed Watsu
(water shiatsu
) and Waterdance movement therapies there. Harbin is a center for the expression of New Age
beliefs. Harbin's clothing-optional policy, its pools, and the natural beauty of the local landscape are part of Harbin's appeal to visitors, who must agree to membership, if only temporarily, for admission.
Currently maintained by its residents, Harbin offers facilities for retreats, lodging, massage
, watsu, and six mineral water
pools at various temperatures. It is operated on a clothing-optional basis, which means that nudity is permitted but not required. Many Bay Area New Age
, Neopagan
, Buddhist
, yoga
, art, and other organizations or teachers hold weekend retreats and week-long festivals at the facility. Accommodations include campsites, tent cabins, hotel rooms, dormitory facilities, and private cabins. Members can also choose to stay at outside facilities in Middletown and beyond.
, whose primary workshops are held here.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
retreat and workshop center in Harbin Springs
Harbin Springs, California
Harbin Springs is an unincorporated community in Lake County, California. It is located east-southeast of Whispering Pines, at an elevation of 1555 feet . Harbin Springs is probably best known as the site of the Harbin Hot Springs.James M. Harbin came to California in 1846 and co-discovered the...
, Lake County
Lake County, California
Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
, in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, about two hours northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
History
The hot springs have been a healing and gathering place since Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
habitation. The baths were commercially developed by settlers in the 1860s, when buildings were erected on the site. It's a fire-prone region; and, over the years, successive lodges have been rebuilt when they burned down. Harbin Hot Springs issued several postcards advertising the resort in the 1920s and 1930s. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the property was run as a commune
Commune
Commune may refer to:In society:* Commune, a human community in which resources are shared* Commune , a township or municipality* One of the Communes of France* An Italian Comune...
with the name Harbinger, but it didn't thrive.
Modern establishment
Robert Hartley (AKA Ishvara) bought the land in 1972 to be a GestaltGestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...
center. Sold to the Heart Consciousness Church (HCC) in 1975, Harbin/HCC operates as an intentional community where approximately 150 residents live and operate the Retreat Center for outside visitors. Harbin/HCC maintains a more specifically religious organization, the New Age Church of Being, incorporated in 1996. Harbin has been a center for the development of new modes of healing and personal development. Specifically, Harold Dull created and developed Watsu
Watsu
Watsu, a portmanteau of water and shiatsu, is a form of therapeutic bodywork performed in warm water pools . The receiver of a Watsu treatment is supported by the practitioner, creating a sensation of floating...
(water shiatsu
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is Japanese for "finger pressure;" it is a type of alternative medicine consisting of finger and palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques. There is no scientific evidence proving that shiatsu can treat any disease, but shiatsu practitioners promote it as a way to help people...
) and Waterdance movement therapies there. Harbin is a center for the expression of New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
beliefs. Harbin's clothing-optional policy, its pools, and the natural beauty of the local landscape are part of Harbin's appeal to visitors, who must agree to membership, if only temporarily, for admission.
Currently maintained by its residents, Harbin offers facilities for retreats, lodging, massage
Massage
Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
, watsu, and six mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
pools at various temperatures. It is operated on a clothing-optional basis, which means that nudity is permitted but not required. Many Bay Area New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
, Neopagan
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
, Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, art, and other organizations or teachers hold weekend retreats and week-long festivals at the facility. Accommodations include campsites, tent cabins, hotel rooms, dormitory facilities, and private cabins. Members can also choose to stay at outside facilities in Middletown and beyond.
See also
Human Awareness InstituteHuman Awareness Institute
The Human Awareness Institute , is an organization based in Northern California which offers participatory workshops on love, intimacy and sexuality. The primary workshops are a series of eight, each lasting a weekend, which are taken in a linear sequence. The workshops are given worldwide, but the...
, whose primary workshops are held here.