Out of the frying pool and into the ice kingdom

I lifted my face into the sunlight, allowing water droplets from the central fountain to rain down and cool my flushed skin. A rainbow arched above the pool and I swirled steaming water around my body. I closed my eyes, a smile stretching across my face.

Bliss.



The Chena Hot Springs were rich in other-worldly enchantment and felt timeless yet ancient. I imagined that a pre-historic creature might lurk beneath the surface, parting the steam every now and again with a splash and the rippling gleam of a tail.

Dark rocks enclosed the pool, and beyond were lush mountains bursting with the first green of a late spring. In winter these pools would be flanked by heavy snow and ice, a blanket of white with a steaming oasis at its heart. At 40 degrees below, wet hair can be sculpted into gravity defying spikes, which freeze instantaneously when they leave the water and hit the frigid air. Chena is a place of duel personalities, it is both winter wonderland and summer playground.

Flushed and slightly light-headed, I felt the heat of the springs radiating from every pore. It was time to cool off in unique Chena style. The Ice Museum: a kingdom of ice where fantasy art and sculpture met sub-zero temperatures.

We paused in the anteroom to close the outer door and don additional winter clothing in preparation for the frosty climate within. Stepping into the inner sanctum was like walking into an industrial-sized freezer. The chill in the air took my breath away. But, oh, what magic dwelt within. A staircase spiralled up into a fairytale tower of ice; jousting knights on horseback were frozen mid-strike next to a giant chess board complete with elaborately carved pieces, and all glowed in rainbow hues in the darkness. A cavernous roof arched high above, lined with ice chandeliers, and further down a doorway opened into the boudoir of an ice princess, featuring an exquisitely carved four-poster bed scattered with the furs of caribou.






I sat on a bar stool with an animal skin the only thing between me and a frozen bum and watched as our bartender served Appletinis into icy glasses, which gave another meaning to martini on the rocks. I felt the top edges melt away with every sip.

Magic Kingdom for sale? Sold!
(To the young woman with the frozen backside and the Appletini afterglow)

The Heat Is On in Chena

After almost two weeks in this Alaskan cabin, without the convenience of running water, I decided it was about time to have a bath. I felt like I could take a long hot soak for days, and that is exactly what I did.

Chena Hot Springs, renowned for its amazing restorative waters, was discovered by gold miners in 1905, who bathed in the springs to relieve their aches and pains. Everyone loves a good long soak, and people have been taking communal dips in the springs for over a century. A resort dating back to 1914 has slowly grown around the hot springs offering every kind of Alaskan activity you can imagine, including horseback riding, winter dog sledding, and hiking any number of nature trails in the area.

After dreaming of a hot bath for days, Chena Hot Springs seemed to be exactly what I needed. I decided that I would go wallow in the rock pools like a hippopotamus and treat myself to a massage. As my spirit of adventure began to grow, I had great visions of riding bareback into the sunset astride a great stallion, or bravely following bearded rangers into remote mountain passes, pursued by swarms of bat-sized mosquitoes and grizzly bears. The theme tune from Deliverance suddenly popped into my head, and after a moment's consideration, a pre-dinner Martini in the lodge seemed like a much better plan. My escapades as an action heroine could wait until tomorrow.


www.chenahotsprings.com