Developed soaking resorts and retreats in Washington — day passes, clothing policy, booking, and whether it is worth the drive.
Written up by hand
Someone has actually been to each of these. Where we are unsure, the spot page says so.
North Bonneville, WA · Columbia Gorge
Good for a first visitHot spring pools
Getting there. Full spa resort in the Columbia Gorge — indoor and outdoor mineral pools, hot tubs, and a spa. Swimsuits required. Day passes (often with spa service) plus lodging.
Rules on the ground. Swimsuits required — polished spa resort, not clothing-optional.
If it is your first time. The most resort-like, comfortable option near Portland — indoor/outdoor pools, easy hour drive up the Gorge. Great for a soft first soak or a couples day.
Full details, map and directions →
Carson, WA · Columbia Gorge
Good for a first visitHot spring
Getting there. Historic 1890s resort in the Gorge. Swimsuit soaking pool, plus old-school private clawfoot mineral baths and wraps. Day-use + lodging; reserve the baths ahead.
Rules on the ground. Swimsuits required in the pool; private baths are individual. Commercial resort, not clothing-optional.
If it is your first time. Come for the vintage bathhouse ritual — a private mineral soak and wrap is the signature. Low-key and historic, easy Gorge day trip.
Full details, map and directions →
Olga, Orcas Island · San Juan Islands
Good for a first visitSoaking tubs
Getting there. Waterfront resort with clothing-optional soaking tubs and a sauna overlooking the bay. Day-use passes + lodging; reserve ahead.
Rules on the ground. Private resort with its own rules; soaking area is clothing-optional.
If it is your first time. Gorgeous island setting and an easy, welcoming intro to CO soaking. Ferry to Orcas required — plan the day.
Full details, map and directions →
Olympic National Park, near Port Angeles · Olympic Peninsula
Good for a first visitHot spring pools
Getting there. Swimsuits required. Three tiled mineral soaking pools plus a freshwater pool inside Olympic National Park (park entrance fee applies). Day-use passes; lodging on site.
Rules on the ground. Swimsuits required — family resort inside a national park, not clothing-optional.
If it is your first time. A classic Olympic road-trip stop — soak after hiking to Sol Duc Falls. Go on a weekday; it fills up. Swimsuits on, all ages.
Full details, map and directions →
What the law in Washington actually says
Washington's indecent exposure statute, RCW 9A.88.010,
requires an open and obscene exposure that the person knows is likely to cause reasonable
affront or alarm. Nudity by itself is not the offence — the statute is aimed at conduct directed at
someone, and it explicitly exempts breastfeeding. Washington courts have read it narrowly for that
reason.
This is not a green light, and please do not read it as one.
A state statute is only the first of several rules that apply where you are standing. Counties and
cities pass their own ordinances, and the land manager — the Forest Service, the BLM, State Parks, a
county parks department, a private owner — sets its own rules on top of the law and can enforce them
regardless of what the statute says. A place can be perfectly lawful under state law and still get you
a citation from a ranger.
What we do on each spot page is tell you what is actually known about that specific place: who
manages it, whether nudity is customary or designated there, and what people who have been report.
Where we do not know, we say we do not know. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice.
Statute: RCW 9A.88.010. Last reviewed August 2026.
If you think anything here is out of date, tell us — we would rather be corrected than wrong.