Ten hotels and mineral spas across Desert Hot Springs are opening their doors to one another this weekend, letting ticket holders wander between properties for soaking sessions, sound healing and guided meditation. The Miracle Hill Wellness Weekend runs Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, turning the city's naturally occurring hot springs into the backbone of a three-day, multi-venue retreat.
According to the event page from Miracle Hill, the weekend spans programming across 10 participating hotels and mineral spas, with expert talks, interactive workshops, yoga and movement sessions, guided meditation and sound healing woven into the schedule alongside nutrition and sleep programming. Ticket holders can also take advantage of specially discounted soaking day passes and spa services at participating properties between sessions, the event page notes.
Tickets come in a few tiers: day passes, three-day standard passes and a limited run of three-day VIP passes, the site states. VIP holders get an extra perk baked into their ticket — access to Friday evening's VIP kickoff reception, kicking the weekend off before the broader programming begins Saturday and Sunday.
Practitioners and the Properties Hosting Them
Organizers list a roster of practitioners and experts appearing throughout the weekend, including life coach Christy Curtis, Dr. Marcus Copland, Sonja Fung, Cristal Salcido, Narayani Swenning and Dr. Hessam Mahdavi, per the same event listing. The mix reflects the event's stated focus on medical, physical, mental and holistic wellness, a framing echoed on the site for Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa Oasis, one of the participating properties perched on Miracle Hill overlooking Mount San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley.
The city's geology is doing a lot of the heavy lifting behind the scenes. Desert Hot Springs sits atop a naturally occurring geothermal aquifer, according to the Miracle Hill event page, and the water feeding that aquifer has a surprisingly long trip to make. As one local account put it to KESQ, “This hot water comes up from San Gorgonio. It takes about seven years to get here.” The water surfaces hot — the same report notes it emerges “from 105 to 175” degrees before being cooled with cold mineral water for soaking.
Part of a Bigger Spa Economy
The weekend isn't a one-off for Miracle Hill. The property's broader 2026 Spa Tour runs January through December, with twelve seasonal stops at its Desert Hot Springs estate, and the operator says its more than 85 mineral pools run year-round. Five marquee weekends anchor that annual calendar — Stillness, Healing Waters, Solstice, Lantern Nights and the Year-End Reset — with the October gathering fitting into that larger seasonal rhythm.
City officials have framed the growing spa scene as a sign of momentum. Tourism Development Liaison Rayce Jonsrud told KESQ that strong turnout for Miracle Hill programming is “a testament to the city's increased presence in the wellness space,” adding that the activity reflects “a community on the rise.” The City of Desert Hot Springs likewise credits the mineral waters with having “driven the economy” for years.
Other properties in that spa economy highlight their own niche draws. KESQ's report points to Miracle Manor, Two Bunch Palms and Azure Palm Hot Springs as destinations ranging from boutique to world-class, noting Azure Palm's Himalayan salt room — described as the only one in the Coachella Valley — and a 29-degree ice room. Sagewater Spa, located atop Miracle Hill, uses hot spring water in both its soaking pools and its swimming pool, according to NBC Palm Springs.
As for how many spas or activities fall under the Miracle Hill umbrella, accounts vary. KESQ's January report described a separate Spa Tour program that let attendees tour 13 spas and experience more than 80 activities, while the official October Wellness Weekend page lists 10 participating hotels and mineral spas. More details on the weekend's full lineup and ticketing are available at miraclehillspas.com.
