Here are
a few answers to frequently asked questions about Harbin...
Does the
room/visit charge include use of the facilities?
Yes. All Harbin guests have full access to the pools, trails,
guest kitchen, dressing facilities, sundecks, etc.
Why must
I pay for a membership to visit Harbin?
Harbin is operated as a nonprofit retreat facility, and as
such, at least one member in a visiting party must carry an HCC
membership.
What is
Harbin's policy towards families with children?
Families are welcome to visit Harbin as day visitors or overnight
campers. Please see the Before You
Visit section for complete details.
Is Harbin
a nudist colony?
Clothing is optional and nudity is common in the Harbin pools
and pool area. Although clothing is not required anywhere on our
property (other than in food service areas and on public roads),
nudity is less common away from the pools, especially during cooler
months. Harbin is not a nudist organization, and guests are encouraged
to choose whatever clothing option is most comfortable for themselves.
Click here for discussion about nudity by Harbin's founder.
Does Harbin
offer mud baths or massage services?
Harbin does not offer mud baths. However, we do offer many
other forms of massage and pampering treatments. Visit our Massage
& Watsu section for more details.
What should I pack, or how should I prepare for my visit? Any restrictions I should know about?
See our Before You Visit page, and our Packing List for details and recommendations.
I notice that your retreat center does not have TVs or phones in the rooms, forbids the use of cell phones, and has limited Internet options. Is your organization against modern technology?
To be honest, we use plenty of technology in the operation of our retreat center, and we are grateful for the benefits it affords us. However, we recognize that guests come to us as a retreat from the noise of their everyday lives, so one of our missions has been to create a place where guests can “unplug” from technology. In our early days, technology was televisions and telephones. Today it is laptops and Blackberries. For this reason, we have avoided installing Wi-Fi terminals in our guest areas. We do provide pay-per-minute phones and high-speed Internet terminals for those who must stay in touch, but these offerings are intentionally modest to discourage their overuse. For every guest that finds our technology policies to be disruptive to their visit, we hear from many others that celebrate the freedom of saying “I’ll be out of touch” during their visit. In fact, some of those who initially miss the connectivity the most turn out to be the biggest fans of being “unplugged” by the end of their stay. So although we recognize that our policy is inconvenient, our hope is that guests will be encouraged to use their time at Harbin to connect with silence, nature and the beautiful fellow beings that reside and visit here.
How old
is Harbin Hot Springs?
The
springs here have been used for centuries by native populations.
Harbin Hot Springs and Harbin Mountain got their names from James
M. Harbin, believed to have settled on this land around 1856. By 1870, Richard
Williams had built the Harbin Springs Health and Pleasure Resort
on this location, featuring a hotel building built in the hillside
below the springs. This hotel would burn to the ground and be
replaced by two new hotels (both also burned) as the land changed
hands and changed character over the next 100 years. Whether operated
as a Victorian resort, hunting lodge, boxing camp or free-form
university, the hot springs have always remained at Harbin’s
heart. Most of the buildings now standing were built in the early
1900s, including the remains of the Stuparich Resort that now
serves as residential housing and maintenance areas. In 1972, Harbin
Hot Springs was acquired by Robert Hartley (AKA Ishvara), and
was in turn sold to Heart Consciousness Church, which now operates
Harbin as a nonprofit retreat and workshop center. The property
lines encompass nearly 1700 acres of land, and are surrounded
by undeveloped private and government land. For a detailed
and fascinating look into the history of Harbin, we highly recommend “Harbin Hot Springs -- Healing Waters, Sacred Land” by Ellen Klages. Or check out the other books written by area
authors.
What area
sights are worth visiting?
Harbin is located in the wine growing
region north of San Francisco, approximately 2 hours from San
Francisco or Sacramento, and about 25 miles north of Calistoga.
This southern tip of Lake County is rather rural, with wine tasting
to the south, or boating and fishing on Clear Lake to the north.
Due to its quiet roads and clean air, Lake County is growing in
popularity with cross-country and amateur cyclists. Middletown
features a surprisingly wide selection of restaurants, as well
as hometown stores and antique shops. For more information on
Lake County, contact the Visitors Information Center at 1-800-525-3743.
http://www.lakecounty.com
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