Lava Hot Springs Area History
The Lava Hot Springs have always been considered healing. It was a place the Bannock and Shoshone Indian tribes gathered to bathe, rest, and worship.
Because of trappers and hunters, the Lava Hot Springs became a known stop in the Oregon Trail for settlers to rest in the mineral-rich waters.
On July 24, 1915 the village was officially incorporated and named Lava Hot Springs. A railroad service to Lava Hot Springs encouraged an increase in visitors who came to partake in the diverse benefits of the natural hot water.
Lava and it's mineral water received so much recognition because of the water's acclaimed "curative powers." People from all over would come to soak in the water to for their Rheumatism, Arthritis, and other disabilities.
After the War, it was used as a hospital for the town's elderly, and then it became a rest home.
In in the 1980s the old Sanitarium sat vacant, but then was purchased in 1988 by George Katsilometes to be converted into an inn.
In 1924, the Lava Hot Springs Sanitarium building was completed as one of the most thoroughly equipped Sanitariums in the West. It availed itself of the most modern methods of hydro-therapy and physical therapy, combined with up-to-date medical treatment, including the hot mineral spring water in the treatment of disease.
After WWII, mineral water baths were used to help rehabilitate veterans. There were 4, 120 degree F. mineral baths in the building, and patients could also receive other treatments such as massage and alcohol baths after their mineral soak.
Lava Hot Springs Inn History
A Sanitarium is an establishment for the medical treatment of people who are convalescing or have a chronic illness; a "Health Resort."
In 2022, George began bottling the water in an FDA-approved facility in Pocatello, Idaho for sale to the general public. He hopes that people all over the world can experience the superior taste, quality, and mineral-count of Lava Hot Springs Inn Mineral Water.
In 1996, George began bottling the celebrated mineral water that came from his closed-source geothermal well. The bottled water was offered to the inn's guests as a special memento. The bottle became a cherished token of their stay at the inn. But George dreamed of sharing the healing, mineral-rich water with the world.
In 1989, the owner, George, began drilling for hot water to be used for soaking pools for guests of the inn. He found that not only was the water hot, but it was naturally infused with vital minerals. The water has been purified in an ancient 500 ft layer of limestone that acts as a filter and purifier for the unique water.
