Sodium

Pairs with chloride to make a spring "saline."

What it is

Sodium is an alkali metal and the partner of chloride in saline springs. In hot springs it also appears with bicarbonate. It is one of the most common dissolved ions in geothermal water.

In hot springs

Sodium varies from a few mg/L to over 1,000 mg/L in highly saline springs. Sodium-chloride (saline) springs are among the most traditional in balneotherapy.

Cited benefits and context

Saline and mineral-water bathing have a long balneological tradition, and systematic reviews find balneotherapy may be associated with improvement in some rheumatological conditions, with caveats about evidence quality (PMC7383020; PubMed 19570124).

Evidence specific to sodium dermal absorption is limited. Most sodium-related balneology research is really about saline mineral-water bathing broadly, not sodium alone. No clinical evidence shows that sodium in soaking water confers a distinct health benefit beyond the general effects of mineral bathing.

Cautions

Very saline water can sting broken skin and dry the skin. Rinse after soaking. Sodium in soaking water is irrelevant to dietary sodium intake.

Springs ranked by most sodium

181 springs with verified sodium data · showing top 50 · source: USGS Water Quality Portal

  1. 1

    Squaw Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    4300 mg/L

  2. 2

    Battle Creek Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    3100 mg/L

  3. 3

    Brockman Creek Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    2100 mg/L

  4. 4

    Heise Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · developed

    1500 mg/L

  5. 5

    Alpine Warm Spring

    id · 85°F · primitive

    1500 mg/L

  6. 6

    Malad Warm Spring

    id · 90°F · primitive

    1200 mg/L

  7. 7

    Prices Warm Spring

    id · 85°F · primitive

    1200 mg/L

  8. 8

    Woodruff Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    910 mg/L

  9. 9

    The Landusky Plunge

    mt · 77°F · primitive

    760 mg/L

  10. 10

    BLM Well (Frazier Hot Spring)

    id · 105°F · primitive

    510 mg/L

  11. 11

    Maple Grove Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    490 mg/L

  12. 12

    White Licks Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    420 mg/L

  13. 13

    Cove Creek Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    320 mg/L

  14. 14

    Crane Creek Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    280 mg/L

  15. 15

    Pleasantview Warm Springs

    id · 85°F · primitive

    280 mg/L

  16. 16

    Sharkey Hot Spring

    mt · 102°F · primitive

    270 mg/L

  17. 17

    Grape Creek Warm Spring

    id · 85°F · primitive

    240 mg/L

  18. 18

    Big Creek Hot Springs

    mt · 102°F · primitive

    220 mg/L

  19. 19

    Hot Springs State Park

    wy · 104°F · primitive

    210 mg/L

  20. 20

    Cleveland Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    208 mg/L

  21. 21

    Lakey Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    200 mg/L

  22. 22

    Bear Lake Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · developed

    180 mg/L

  23. 23

    Lava Hot Springs

    id · 130°F · developed

    170 mg/L

  24. 24

    Sullivan Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    170 mg/L

  25. 25

    Roystone Hot Springs

    id · 105°F · developed

    160 mg/L

  26. 26

    Rock Creek Hot Springs

    mt · 112°F · primitive

    160 mg/L

  27. 27

    Riggins Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    160 mg/L

  28. 28

    Beardsley Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    150 mg/L

  29. 29

    Salmon Falls Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    140 mg/L

  30. 30

    Hot Sulphur (Miracle Hot) Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    130 mg/L

  31. 31

    Krigbaum Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    130 mg/L

  32. 32

    Stinky Warm Spring

    id · 85°F · primitive

    130 mg/L

  33. 33

    Kwiskwis Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    120 mg/L

  34. 34

    Boulder Creek Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    120 mg/L

  35. 35

    Indian Creek Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    110 mg/L

  36. 36

    Barrons Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    110 mg/L

  37. 37

    Middle Fork Indian Creek Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    110 mg/L

  38. 38

    Cabarton Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    110 mg/L

  39. 39

    Indian Springs (Resort)

    id · 102°F · developed

    110 mg/L

  40. 40

    West Pass Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    110 mg/L

  41. 41

    Boulder Hot Springs

    mt · 102°F · resort

    110 mg/L

  42. 42

    Sunflower Flat Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    97 mg/L

  43. 43

    Rocky Canyon Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    97 mg/L

  44. 44

    Starkey Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    96 mg/L

  45. 45

    Firehole Lake

    wy · 160°F · developed

    95 mg/L

  46. 46

    White Arrow Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    94 mg/L

  47. 47

    Lower Loon Creek Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    94 mg/L

  48. 48

    Cox Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    93 mg/L

  49. 49

    Elk Creek Hot Spring

    id · 102°F · primitive

    92 mg/L

  50. 50

    Warm Springs Creek Hot Springs

    id · 102°F · primitive

    90 mg/L

Sources

← All minerals