Editing Hot spring (section)

==Human uses==
[[File:Jigokudani hotspring in Nagano Japan 001.jpg|thumb|right|[[Japanese macaque|Macaque]]s enjoying an open air hot spring or "[[onsen]]" in [[Nagano, Nagano|Nagano]]]]
[[File:Tsurunoyu onsen rotenburo2.JPG|thumb|Winter bathing at Tsuru-no-yu roten-buro in Nyūtō, Akita]]
[[File:Sai ngam hot spring pai.jpg|thumb|Sai Ngam hot springs in Mae Hong Son province, Thailand]]
===History===
Hot springs have been enjoyed by humans for thousands of years.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=van Tubergen |first1=A |title=A brief history of spa therapy |journal=Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases |date=1 March 2002 |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=273–275 |doi=10.1136/ard.61.3.273|pmid=11830439 |pmc=1754027 }}</ref> Even [[macaques]] are known to have extended their northern range into [[Japan]] by making use of hot springs to protect themselves from cold stress.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Takeshita |first1=Rafaela S. C. |last2=Bercovitch |first2=Fred B. |last3=Kinoshita |first3=Kodzue |last4=Huffman |first4=Michael A. |title=Beneficial effect of hot spring bathing on stress levels in Japanese macaques |journal=Primates |date=May 2018 |volume=59 |issue=3 |pages=215–225 |doi=10.1007/s10329-018-0655-x|pmid=29616368 |s2cid=4568998 }}</ref> Hot spring baths (''[[onsen]]'') have been in use in Japan for at least two thousand years, traditionally for cleanliness and relaxation, but increasingly for their therapeutic value.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Serbulea |first1=Mihaela |last2=Payyappallimana |first2=Unnikrishnan |title=Onsen (hot springs) in Japan—Transforming terrain into healing landscapes |journal=Health & Place |date=November 2012 |volume=18 |issue=6 |pages=1366–1373 |doi=10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.06.020|pmid=22878276 }}</ref> In the [[Homeric Age]] of Greece (ca. 1000 BCE), baths were primarily for hygiene, but by the time of [[Hippocrates]] (ca. 460 BCE), hot springs were credited with healing power. The popularity of hot springs has fluctuated over the centuries since, but they are now popular around the world.{{sfn|van Tubergen|2002}} In 2023 the Global Wellness Institute, a [[Wellness tourism|wellness industry]] study, estimated the global earnings of the 31,200 hot springs establishments to be over $62 billion USD.<ref>Andrea Sachs. (14 March 2025). "Soak in these 9 hot springs destinations from the Yukon to Mexico." [https://wapo.st/4ib2Qhy Washington Post website] Retrieved 16 March 2025.</ref>

===Therapeutic uses===
Because of both the [[folklore]] and the claimed [[medical]] value attributed to some hot springs, they are often popular [[tourist]] destinations, and locations for [[physical therapy|rehabilitation]] [[clinic]]s for those with [[disabilities]]. However, the scientific basis for therapeutic bathing in hot springs is uncertain. Hot bath therapy for [[lead poisoning]] was common and reportedly highly successful in the 18th and 19th centuries, and may have been due to [[diuresis]] (increased production of urine) from sitting in hot water, which increased excretion of lead; better food and isolation from lead sources; and increased intake of calcium and iron. Significant improvement in patients with [[rheumatoid arthritis]] and [[ankylosing spondylitis]] have been reported in studies of spa therapy, but these studies have methodological problems, such as the obvious impracticality of [[placebo-controlled studies]] (in which a patient does not know if they are receiving the therapy). As a result, the therapeutic effectiveness of hot spring therapy remains uncertain.{{sfn|van Tubergen|2002}}

===Precautions===
Hot springs in volcanic areas are often at or near the [[boiling point]]. People have been seriously scalded and even killed by accidentally or intentionally entering these springs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Safety |url=https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/safety.htm |website=Yellowstone National Park |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=24 June 2021 |date=8 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Almasy |first1=Steve |title=Man severely burned after falling into Yellowstone hot spring |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/14/us/yellowstone-hot-spring-burns-north-carolina-man/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=24 June 2021 |date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Robin |title=This Is What Happens When You Fall Into One Of Yellowstone's Hot Springs |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2016/12/30/this-is-what-happens-when-you-fall-into-one-of-yellowstones-hot-springs/ |website=Forbes |access-date=24 June 2021 |date=30 December 2016}}</ref>

Some hot springs microbiota are infectious to humans:
* ''[[Naegleria fowleri]]'', an [[excavata|excavate]] [[amoeba]], lives in warm unsalted waters worldwide and causes a fatal [[meningitis]] should the organisms enter the nose.<ref>{{EMedicine|article|972044|Naegleria}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shinji Izumiyama |author2=Kenji Yagita |author3=Reiko Furushima-Shimogawara |author4=Tokiko Asakura |author5=Tatsuya Karasudani |author6=Takuro Endo |title=Occurrence and Distribution of ''Naegleria'' Species in Thermal Waters in Japan |journal=J Eukaryot Microbiol |volume=50 |pages=514–5 |date=July 2003 |pmid=14736147 |doi=10.1111/j.1550-7408.2003.tb00614.x |s2cid=45052636 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Yasuo Sugita |author2=Teruhiko Fujii |author3=Itsurou Hayashi |author4=Takachika Aoki |author5=Toshirou Yokoyama |author6=Minoru Morimatsu |author7=Toshihide Fukuma |author8=Yoshiaki Takamiya |title=Primary amebic meningoencephalitis due to ''Naegleria fowleri'': An autopsy case in Japan |journal=Pathology International |volume=49 |issue=5 |pages=468–70 |date=May 1999 |pmid=10417693 |doi=10.1046/j.1440-1827.1999.00893.x |s2cid=21576553 }}</ref>
* ''[[Acanthamoeba]]'' also can spread through hot springs, according to the US [[Centers for Disease Control]] - The organisms enter through the eyes or via an open wound.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasites/acanthomoeba/factsht_acanthamoeba.htm CDC description of acanthamoeba]</ref>
* ''[[Legionella]]'' [[bacteria]] have been spread through hot springs.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Miyamoto H, Jitsurong S, Shiota R, Maruta K, Yoshida S, Yabuuchi E |title=Molecular determination of infection source of a sporadic ''Legionella pneumonia'' case associated with a hot spring bath |journal=Microbiol. Immunol. |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=197–202 |year=1997 |pmid=9130230 |doi=10.1111/j.1348-0421.1997.tb01190.x|s2cid=25016946 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Eiko Yabauuchi |author2=Kunio Agata |title=An outbreak of legionellosis in a new facility of hot spring Bath in Hiuga City |journal=Kansenshogaku Zasshi |volume=78 |issue=2 |pages=90–8 |year=2004 |issn=0387-5911 |pmid=15103899|doi=10.11150/kansenshogakuzasshi1970.78.90 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
*''[[Neisseria gonorrhoeae]]'' was reported to have very likely been acquired from bathing in a hot spring according to one [[case study]], with the near-body temperature, slightly acidic, [[Isotonic fluid|isotonic]], organic matter-containing waters thought to facilitate the survival of the pathogen.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Goodyear-Smith|first1=Felicity|last2=Schabetsberger|first2=Robert|date=2021-09-17|title=Gonococcus infection probably acquired from bathing in a natural thermal pool: a case report|journal=Journal of Medical Case Reports|volume=15|issue=1|pages=458|doi=10.1186/s13256-021-03043-6|issn=1752-1947|pmc=8445652|pmid=34530901 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Etiquette===
The customs and practices observed differ depending on the hot spring. It is common practice that bathers should wash before entering the water so as not to contaminate the water (with/without soap).<ref>{{Cite book
 |title=Ryokan
 |first=Gabriele |last=Fahr-Becker
 |year=2001
 |isbn=978-3-8290-4829-3
 |page=24
|publisher=Könemann }}</ref> In many countries, like Japan, it is required to enter the hot spring with no clothes on, including swimwear. Often there are different facilities or times for men and women, but mixed ''onsen'' do exist.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cheung |first1=Jeanne |title=A Guide to Japan's Onsen Etiquette for First Timers (Hint: You're Gonna be in the Buff) |url=https://traveler.marriott.com/culture-and-style/onsen-japan-etiquette-for-first-timers/ |website=Marriot Bonvoy Traveler |date=16 February 2018 |publisher=Marriot Internal Inc. |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref> In some countries, if it is a public hot spring, swimwear is required.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spa Etiquette & Information |url=https://www.onespa.com/spa-information/ |website=One Spa |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nudity Spa Guide |url=https://www.spafinder.com/nudity-spa-guide/ |website=Spa Finder |date=19 July 2016 |publisher=Blackhawk Network, Inc. |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref>