Destination: Termas Geométricas, Chile
Sited on a volcanic fault line where thermal waters bubble out of the ground, Termas Geométricas is a finely tuned dialogue between humans and nature, water and the weather.
Termas Geométricas, in Villarrica National Park an hour south of Santiago, is sited on the Mocha/Villarrica fault, which runs from the Pacific to the Andes. The nature reserve is home to three volcanoes including Villarrica, one of Chile’s most active. It last erupted in 2015 when the fireworks lasted for several months. This seismic activity generates the thermal waters that rise out of the ground between 65ºC and 85ºC. It was these hot springs and the Mapuche myths swirling around them that attracted architect Germán del Sol to the region almost 25 years ago and inspired his dream of creating an extraordinary balneary experience in this secret valley.
Luminous orange-red timber walkways follow the winding canyon of the Aihué mountain stream for 500 meters transporting bathers to 17 steaming pools submerged deep within the lush temperate rainforest. Del Sol designed a gravity-fed system to transport the hot water to the pools, which are kept at a constant temperature of 39ºC to 41ºC, via wooden channels inspired by those used in local Mapuche mills. The baths are lined with local slate and built into the natural walls of the creek, so the nalca (Gunnera tinctoria, or giant rhubarb) and moss are reflected in the glassy surface of the water which flows over the pool edge and shrouds them in a cloud of steam. In order to muffle the chatter of excited bathers, he amplified the sound of water by widening the slow-flowing stream and filling it with small stones.
Between soaks bathers can cool off under waterfalls. Along the way, there are sheds with turf roofs containing bathrooms and changing rooms, as well as occasional shelters where guests can relax around an open fireplace. It is the contrast between man and nature, the precision and the wildness that makes Termas Geométricas so special.
Photos by Felipe Camus
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