Virginia’s Warm Springs Pools At The Omni Homestead Resort Reopen For Guest Usage

While wellness at hotels is often seen as a modern amenity, an Omni Hotels & Resorts resort in Virginia has preserved a history wellness site dating back two centuries.

The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs is reopening of the Warm Springs Pools, following the completion of their 14-month, $4 rehabilitation. The project involved the reinvigorating of a set of bathhouses powered by natural and mineral rich warm springs.

“It has been incredibly gratifying to see these phenomenal structures restored to their former glory,” stated Mark Spadoni, managing director of The Omni Homestead Resort, via a media release. “The bathhouses are a fundamental component of Bath County, and it was vital we dedicate time and effort into their preservation.”

The staff at Omni Homestead Resort worked with 3North, an architectural firm in Richmond, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Lionberger Construction to ensure that the project complied with requirements from the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

The rehabilitation project of these structures had two objectives. They were to preserve as much of the historic fabric of Warm Spring Pools—consisting two bathhouses, one for gentlemen and the other for ladies and a reception house for the latter—and make certain the buildings can be used for years to come.

The scope of rehabilitation involved preserving and/or replacing certain aspects such as windows, doors, siding and roofing. The foundation piers of each of the three buildings were also repaired.

In preparing the plans, the team focused on maintaining the existing character of the Warm Springs Pools, by referencing the structures as they were when the resort acquired them in 1925.

“It hasn’t been an easy process, with even more deterioration uncovered along the way, but we are pleased with the quantity of historic fabric that we were able to retain,” said Ed Pillsbury, Principal at 3North, also in the media release.

These structures have neat backstories.

Originally known as the Warm Springs Bath or the Great Bath, the Gentlemen’s Bathhouse was covered by a new octagonal frame building in the mid-1820s. The 22-sided Ladies’ Bathhouse was built in the mid-1870s. In the 1950s, the roof was rebuilt, and a support beam added to the center of the structure. As part of the project, the roof was reconstructed to match its design from the 1890s.

The Reception House, built around 1890, served as a waiting room for the Ladies’ Bathhouse. The bathhouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register.

Guests at The Omni Homestead Resort can make reservations in advance to take a soak in the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ bathhouses. The structures will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations are available on the hour, priced at $25 per person per 50-minute soak. There are separate soaking times for families and adults.

For reservations, call 540-839-3860 or email [email protected].