Stripped

o_pshenica 

Пусть все будут счастливы, особенно сплетники, завистники и недоброжелатели ) #india #kheerganga #himalayas #православнаяатмосфера #himachalpradesh фильтрами убила небесно-голубую водичку..

There's less and less time in my life for updating previous posts unfortunately, so let's look especially at some photo's popping up recently. 

Alphabetically? 

As there's nothing available from Afghanistan, Bhutan or China (not really, China's contributions fall under Sichuan and Tibet, following), let's start with India. 

First off, the ever beautiful Kheerganga (above), this time the women's side (bathing is strictly gender divided), somehow they need to be protected from some of the most beautiful views of any soak on this globe. 

Lower down the vales of the Himal (we're looking at the second photo), soaks are more visited and less picturesque. Always like a simple picture with a nice personal story.

  

 carapiranha 

#Gangnani desperately clings to a mountainside en route Gangotri, as if a gust of wind could carry it away. It's a tiny hamlet, famed for its #hotspring. In the #ladies bath house, the steaming #water gushes down a narrow rock face and into a cement #pool. Wisps of steam curl from its surface into the crisp air. While we stripped and entered the water as if in a spa, for others it was a religious experience. They were here to be blessed by one holy arm of the Ganga. A quick dip in the early morning, a hand placed at the feet of the deity and then the practiced task of draping their #saris.

Miracles

morganphoto 

Natural hot spring when looking for the perfect #aoolchic with @samrukmasa #picoftheday #kazakhstan #hotsprings #saltywater #miraclewater

Over to the not-often-featured-here Kazakhstan. Contrasting pictures, from the deserts to the mountains (summer to winter?). 

Nearby Kyrgyzstan though has only mountainous hot springs on offer.

Radon hot springs on the outskirts of Almaty, Gorelnik (Kazachstan) by veyizak: 

Гаааааайййс! Мы с @savydova ходили на радоновый источник по пути на турбазу Горельник! Много позитива, заряда энергии и отличного настроения, не смотря на холод в горах, вам обеспечены! Всего то нужно залезть в эту бочку/ванну/корыто с термальной, минеральной водой. 🐳🏞🏔❄️🌊

Altyn Arashan, source

Soaking in the hot springs after our four and a half hour walk

Also from Altyn Arashan, Karakol, source. 

Wow factoring

 

ckl1523

Natural hot spring water in Chame, by Marsyandi khola, Annapurna circuit, Nepal. Simply wow

#Annapurnacircuit #Nepal #Trekking #Chame #naturalhotspring #Himalayas

Halfway through the alphabet we get to Nepal; again two contrasting pictures. Note how the first picture (above, north of the Annapurna's) is a soak below the adjacent river.

 

soffydombernowsky 

Missing Nepal 💋#vacation #beauty #trip #traveling #travelingram #travelgram #vsco #love #beautiful #wanderlust #instatravel #tourist #photooftheday #happy #nature #travel #trek #amazing #annapurnacircuit #hotspring 💦💦

Wait

maison_jade 

Winter is coming here in Shanghai and I am missing this natural outdoor #hotspring at Brilliant Resort and Spa in #Chongqing... Cannot wait to try the one in Yunnan next time ♨️♨️♨️ #luxurytravel

Somewhat of anomaly between the gorgeous natural soaks, just a picture to show the new breed of Chinese soaking for the elite sites: tasteful, but little character (?).  

Then below), back to nature: they hardly get better than these few from Siberia"s Kamchatka peninsula. Natural, beautifully located and remote enough to drop the suit, if that's how you like to soak.

 

kamoutdoors 

Тимоновские Горячие источники) и пускай весь мир подождет) #kamchatka #outdoors #neverstopexploring #tour #travel #hotsprings #тимона #Камчатка #турыпокамчатке #приезжайтевгости

source

На Чукотке, между посёлками Лаврентия и Лорино, прямо у дороги с твёрдым покрытием, есть горячий источник. В образовавшемся озерке температура в среднем +45-50 ºС, ближе к самому источнику повышается до +80. Окунуться в горячую воду особенно приятно, когда вокруг мороз около -30 ºС. В советские времена здесь был маленький санаторий с гостиницей, рядом в парниках круглый год выращивали овощи. Сейчас власти Чукотского района мечтают восстановить былое.

leivamood 

Hot springs! Hot springs! 🙈🛀#picoftheday #instagood #kamchatka #kamchatkalife #hotsprings #volcano #warmingup #instadaily #mothernature #nakedplanet #adventure #travel #traveling #travelphotography #travelpics #friends #кусилося

Ritual

Hot spring near Bulunkul. From siconquesoporfavor:

The first destination a remote hill side shack that housed a warmish spring with, strangely enough, a bathtub built in for the water to run through. The water wasn’t that warm but blocked from the wind we took a dip anyway amongst the discarded razor blades the local sheppherds use to shave with and the shabby shack effect is great for a half hour soak after not having a shower last night.

To finish off this entry a couple of rambling affairs which have remoteness and naturalness as common factors as well.  
Above a hot spring near Bulunkul (Tajikistan), following a soak from near Tidrum (I think, located not too far away from Tibet's Lhasa) and rounding off with some (hot) pot affairs.

 

xuanxia_hanna

 #tibet#hotspring

   

 jaapbosman 

After a long climb spending some quality time at the hotspring with the monks. #danamonastery #nangqen #tibet #Qinghai #hotsprings #travelchina

Drama

Friends
To start off this photo post, let's see what recent pictures were published from the former Soviet republic. To start with current day Russia and the many hot springs surrounding the Baikal lake, Siberia. This being Zaibaikal:

 

#hotsprings #lakebaikal #russia #siberia #friends #howmanypeoplefitinonetub #rudelbumsinrussland #nature #baikalsee

Source

dámské

In the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, this peculiar hot spring, a must-see of every off the trodden path tourist, source.

KAZAKHSTAN, BAIKONUR : People cool off in a hydrosulfuric spring at the bank of the Syr Darya river in Kazakhstan’s city of Baikonur, near the well-known Russian leased cosmodrome, on August 29, 2015. The temperature in the city reached 29 degrees celsius. AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Source

Car wash
Heading more to the south, Mongolia and Tibet:

Mongolia!!! Paradise 

source

From picturesIforgottosend: 

 Many of the nearby hills were covered in prayer flags, as are almost all the hills in this part of the world. Nearby is the Northern Sichaun-Tibet Highway. Along the highway is Darjay Gompa, an important monastery that seemed like all the other monasteries to me. The dirt roads had Tibetan horsemen, roaming groups of village children (“I love you America!”) and monks on motorcycles. 

There is a small hot-spring with lukewarm water on the other side of a river from Talam Khang. There are always ten or more people there, taking baths and chatting and a nearby shop sells alcohol. Ana was hesitant to get into the water in the almost entirely naked man-infested pool. There was trash all around the edges – though almost all Tibetan people live off the land, they could hardly be seen as environmental stewards, the addiction to producing garbage has afflicted them, too. They drive their motorbikes and cars everywhere. It isn’t strange to see them herding yaks on motorbike, honking and whipping at them in the mountain grasslands, their campsites strewn with empty bottles and instant noodle packaging.

At night I went for a beer at the warm springs and was sitting on a rock with the Germans. A man drove his jeep right into the pool and started washing the mud off of it just a couple feet from us.

 objevily jsme horké prameny!

Somewhere on the Tibetan plateau, source. 

The Dezhong hot spring, Lhasa, Tibet, source. 

Wild and free

Then on to the Himal proper: later Nepal. 

From India comes this photo entry from ramblingwiththerickshaws, a thoroughly enjoyable and different experience of India.

 I never thought smelling like sulfur would become such a memorable and special experiment and although I am fully clothed the rest of the time here in India, going wild and free will always have a special meaning meaning for me, especially in the Himalayas.

This hot tub is acceptable. #nepal #chame #yodo #yolo #yolohomo #rkon #rkoi #hottubbin #hottub #hotsprings #annapurnacircuit #annapurna #annapurnasanctuary @eyes_without_a_face_369 - 

Source

Monsoon season is already here in the Philippines, despite the summer heat. Don't know why, but it made me think of this place. After a tiring and hot second day on the Tamang Heritage Trail, we finally made it to the village of Tatopani. And this was our reward - a relaxing and steamy bath in the village's hot spring with a view of the Himalayas. At night it rained and hailed. But it was quite warm inside the dining hall. A bad Nepali (or maybe it was Indian) drama tv show being watched by the village children made us laugh and entertained us throughout the night. I miss trekking in Nepal. // Tatopani, Tamang Heritage Trail, Nepal

Source

Update

Just some of the pictures / info I've noticed over the past months concerning just a few of the many, may hot soaks in the Himalaya and further away ...

• Bhutan 

After the wash out of a few years back this is what the hot springs of Gasa are coming to look like. Sourced from the tumbler of bhutanmajestictravel1:

'The Gasa Tsachu “Hot Spring” very popular for both Nationals and also Tourist to come soak because there are different Bath Tubs for different illness, such as Tuberculosis, Joints, Rashes and so on. Best time is Spring and Winter but my recommendation is late Autumn and late Spring because of lesser visitors. #gasa #hotspring #autumn #spring #winter #tsachu'

Also from Bhutan, this photo from John Berthold as part of a series on the country:

'Bathers enjoy a soak in the Gelephu hot spring in Southern Bhutan next to a small shrine dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava'.

• China
  
  
  

  Hotspring waterfall spa in Liangshan of Sichuan province, China. #China #waterfall #spa #nature #hotspring #Sichuan #温泉 #凉山 #四川 #backpacking

  source

• India

Trekking and soaking are heaven sent. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Himalaya's. Read this trek account from Ujithra Ponniah. An excerpt:

'The trek to Kheerganga begins from Barshani village, which is the last motorable point. It is a 14km uphill trek through the forest.  The forest is alive and buzzing with life and the Parvati River accompanies you through your walk. Having recuperated from our long trek to Kheerganga and enjoyed the dip in the hot spring and rejuvenating sight of the first layer of snow on the surrounding mountains, we trekked further with the hope of reaching Tunda Bhuj, a place adorned with a wide variety of sub-alpine forests'.

What Kheerganga looks like (female side; even so far from reality old habits die hard ...): 

#hotsprings #india #trek 

Kheerganga, Himachal Pradesh, India, source

A hot spring in Madkot, Uttarakhand, India, photo from Picasa accountant Arun Chendukala:

• Kazakhstan

С добрым утром братва!Вы видите сероводородный источник, который находится в устье р. Горельник.По слухам местных жителей его вода омолаживает и снимает усталость.Температура воды источника около 22°С.#Казахстан #Горы #ГорячийИсточник #Медео #Вхламтур

It says Kazakhstan, so it must be so. But not hot? source

• Kyrgyzstan

#Горячийисточник #hotsprings #kyrgisztan #socrowded #healthy #salty #hot #swimming #issykkul

source

• Mongolia 

Tsenkher hot spring, from the blog of ontheroadwithclaire. 

• Nepal

Hotspring near Nepal - Tibet boarder #nepal #tibet #hotspring #tatopani

source

L'eau doit aussi avoir des vertus quand on la boit car de nombreuses personnes remplissent des bouteilles.

More black and white, this time it is from Chilime Tatopani, Nepal, also near the border with Tibet. More great photo's from Le Voyage de Philmy. 

• Siberia

Nearly off the Asian continent are the Kuril islands. From this summer are photo's from Eugene Kapersky on flickr:

Iturup hot springs (above) and Urup (below):

Tying the ribbon round the trees

Wish
To the north of Uzbekistan lies the immense country of Kazakhstan. Here a few hot springs can be found, in the mountains bordering Kyrgyzstan and China. 

However knowing that there are hot springs does not mean that they can be highlighted. 
Take for instance the hot spring located near Chimkent (Shymkent). Just the one mention:

'hot spring health spas'.

That's not much help. Some respite comes from the recent website of edgekz where a page by Alex Lee explains Kazakh hot spring culture. Winter is the season for hot springs. And:

'Springs are sources of healing and spirituality in many cultures, and near Kazakhstan’s hot and cold springs, you can still see ribbons tied to trees, which locals have tied there when they make wishes on the magical waters'.

So there's more.

Comparisons
Alma Arasan is located just south of Alamty. Alma-Arasan:

'There are 51 groundwater springs, many of which are used for spa therapy purposes. The Alma- Arasan hot spring water is similar in its chemical composition to French mineral waters of the Pyre-nean type (Aix les Bains, etc.)
...
The temperature of major springs constitutes 35-37 degrees centigrade. With regard to water content, temperature and radioactivity the water is similar to Tshaltubo Springs [famous hot spring in Georgia, the country]. The springs have a good influence on people who suffer from rheumatism, metabolic disease, diseases of peripheral system and blood vessels, as well as on the diseases of women and on the people who were poisoned with copper, lead and other metals. Every year Arasan-Kapal Resort accepts around 2000 patients'.

I also learned from a now defunct link that Alma was established in 1886. This link also notes the following:

'The resort’s medicinal features include warm springs of lightly mineralized water with silicic acid used for baths'.

Somehow some confusion exists as Alma Arasan can also refer to the public baths in Almaty itself. If you want to know more, take a look at the great entry into the Steppe magazine by Rebecca Beardmore.

On Zharkent Arasan which, by the way, was established in 1967:

'The main medicinal factors are: nitric, chloride-sulphate, sodium water (36C) which contains fluorine, organic substances used for bath and shower'.(source), oh no, another broken link)

Zharkent is located northwest of Almaty, quite a distance away from the former capital. If expecting a nice rural bath do note that Zharkent is another of the over-medicalized baths which seem to treat soaking as a necessary way to treat illness, rather than something which be pleasurable let alone the above mentioned way of a spiritual experience. Here is the link to the bath house / hotel, all in Russian alas. Note that this hot spring has the added benefit of radon ...

Kapal (not (?) to be confused with Kapal-Arasan) possesses (broken link) a mineral spring with a temperature of 25-28C, not quite soakable?

Remojándonos?
Aktau lies on the Caspian sea coast which may possess a salty miracle hot spring as proved on youtube with this description:

'A small warm bubbling hot spring, a little ways off-the-path from the road between Karagiye Depression (-132 meters below sea level, 3rd lowest spot on Earth) and Aktau city in Mangystau Province, Republic of Kazakhstan'.

Wikitravel mentions the existence of Radon hot springs ("facilities are very primitive") in the Aktau travel guide with nearby mud baths, possibly the same as above?

On the Partido y regreso blog there is entry on Aktau hot springs and mud baths. The following picture illustrates the soakability of this hot spring:

Remojándonos [= soaking!] un poco. Está calentito

An avid visitor to the shores of the Caspian takes his wind-cycle to the hot springs and notes that the route along the nuclear power plant is picturesque. Once there: 

'After all of the amazing scenery, I finally got to the hot water spring! Beautiful and well attended spring is extremely hot — 50-60 degrees! It is recommended not to bath more than 15 minutes at a time. Some people take mud bath'.

An odd experience is revealed by Jennie Vader on a visit to a banya slash hot spring near Turkestan:

'... and I went to a banya in the middle of the steppe about 30 minutes from Turkestan. The banya is a dome-like structure (called the egg) built over a natural, underground hot spring. We all went into this huge egg and then into our own room which consisted of 2 shower heads and an old bathtub. Basically, you seal up your room and the hot water runs constantly, steaming everything up. You shower like usual and sit in the bathtub of really hot water'.

Whopping
Then there are the hot springs of Chundzha. Edgekz notes:

'Chundzha is located 243 kilometers east and a four-and-a-half-to five-hour drive from Almaty in the Uighur district of the Almaty region.  The area is home to a whopping 140 mineral springs'. 

It names Mirage, Tumar, Derevushka, Omur Su and Premium spa resorts, all located more or less near Chundzha.

 

'Hot spring pool at Chundzha

The indoor swimming pool at a Soviet resort in Chundzha in the eastern part of the Almaty Region in Kazakhstan'.

The above picture accompanies an article in the Steppe Times by Jonathan Newell. It links to an article which oddly doesn't mention then hot springs themselves.

More recently kazworld.info mentions Dobyn:

'Experts say the hot springs at Dobyn village are enriched with minerals and contain small amounts of nitrogen. The waters contain silica and trace elements of radon, providing the thermal springs with unique medical and healing qualities'.

It goes on to mention how the wellness industry in Kazakhstan is shaping up. Twenty three health centres have been established since 2000, with 13 under construction, among them a Premium Spa Resort (see above). Two-hundred thousand visits were reported in 2011.

There are also mentions made of the following hot springs in Kazakhstan: Tamshaly, Ayak-Kalkan (hot spring 180 km from Almaty, in the village of Baseit), a so-called Mountain Thermal Water Resort.

Edgekz then mentions Rakhmanovsky Klyuchi resort:

'The Rakhmanovsky springs are named for the man who discovered them. Legend has it that Rakhmanov, a local hunter, once wounded a Siberian deer and followed it as it ran into a mountain spring.Rakhmanov discovered that the water was warm and steamy as he continued to track the wounded animal in order to finish it off.But as he approved the stag and aimed for a final shot, he witnessed what he thought was a miracle: The nearly fatally wounded animal lying in the hot mineral waters was suddenly healed, rose up and ran away.Rakhmanov was paralyzed by what he had just seen and couldn’t pull the trigger. Since then, locals have called the healing hot springs after the stunned hunter. To this day, despite their remote location, the Rakhmanovsky springs remain popular and many still believe they offer healing benefits such as reducing pain and improving cardiovascular health. The springs are also thought to help spark regeneration and slow aging.

The major resort in this area is the Rakhmanovsky Klyuchi Resort, which opened in 1964 and can accommodate 80 people'. 

Little other references though.

Finally, a flickr photo reference to a hot spring in their Kazakhstan set. Have my doubts though.

Northern boundary?

The leftovers
With blogs listing details on the hot springs of both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, it's only natural to expect their neighbours, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, to also be highlighted. Because there aren't that many hot springs this single blog post will cover all three countries.

Soaking in Uzbekistan - no way!
Starting off with Uzbekistan is the most simplest as I have yet to find out whether or not there are hot springs in this country.

Big country, little soaks
To the north of Uzbekistan lies the immense country of Kazakhstan. Here a few hot springs can be found in the mountains bordering Kyrgyzstan and China. However knowing that there are hot springs does not mean that they can be highlighted. Take for instance the hot spring located near Chimkent (Shymkent). Just the one mention:

'hot spring health spas'.

Elsewhere, there is more info on two close to each other located hot springs, Alma Arasan and Zharkent-Arasan.
Alma-Arasan:

'There are 51 groundwater springs, many of which are used for spa therapy purposes. The Alma- Arasan hot spring water is similar in its chemical composition to French mineral waters of the Pyre-nean type (Aix les Bains, etc.)
...
The temperature of major springs constitutes 35-37 degrees centigrade. With regard to water content, temperature and radioactivity the water is similar to Tshaltubo Springs [famous hot spring in Georgia, the country]. The springs have a good influence on people who suffer from rheumatism, metabolic disease, diseases of peripheral system and blood vessels, as well as on the diseases of women and on the people who were poisoned with copper, lead and other metals. Every year Arasan-Kapal Resort accepts around 2000 patients'.

Other info on Alma concern it's establishment in 1886.

On Zharkent which, by the way, was established in 1967:

'The main medicinal factors are: nitric, chloride-sulphate, sodium water (36C) which contains fluorine, organic substances used for bath and shower'.(source)

Kapal (not (?) to be confused with Kapal-Arasan) possesses a mineral spring with a temperature of 25-28C, not quite soakable?

Aktau, lying on the Caspian sea on youtube with this description:

'A small warm bubbling hot spring, a little ways off-the-path from the road between Karagiye Depression (-132 meters below sea level, 3rd lowest spot on Earth) and Aktau city in Mangystau Province, Republic of Kazakhstan'.

Wikitravel mentions the existence of Radon hot springs ("facilities are very primitive") in the Aktau travel guide with nearby mud baths, possibly the same as above?.

An odd experience is revealed by Jennie Vader on a visit to a banya slash hot spring near Turkestan:

'... and I went to a banya in the middle of the steppe about 30 minutes from Turkestan. The banya is a dome-like structure (called the egg) built over a natural, underground hot spring. We all went into this huge egg and then into our own room which consisted of 2 shower heads and an old bathtub. Basically, you seal up your room and the hot water runs constantly, steaming everything up. You shower like usual and sit in the bathtub of really hot water'.

There are also mentions made of the following hot springs in Kazakhstan: Tamshaly, Ayak-Kalkan (hot spring 180 km from Almaty, in the village of Baseit), a so-called Mountain Thermal Water Resort.

A flickr photo reference to a hot spring in their Kazakhstan set. Have my doubts though.

More recently kazworld.info mentions Dobyn:

'Experts say the hot springs at Dobyn village are enriched with minerals and contain small amounts of nitrogen. The waters contain silica and trace elements of radon, providing the thermal springs with unique medical and healing qualities'.

It goes on to mention how the wellness industry in Kazakhstan is shaping up. Twenty three health centres have been established since 2000, with 13 under construction, among them a Premium Spa Resort (though the website of the company has no info on this possibility). Two-hundred thousand visits were reported in 2011.

Going underground
Turkmenistan features an extra ordinary hot spring. Referred to as Kow Ata (Kov Ata, Kovata, Kowata or Bakharden) this a subterranean hot spring. One needs to climb down sets of stairs to get to the thermal waters 60m below ground level.

'The underground lake is formed by a hot spring in a cave 60 m below the ground and stretches over several kilometres. Only the first 70 metres are accessible and sufficiently lit and provide the occasion for a dip in the 36°C water'.
(source).

A great photo can be found on flickr (but not posted). An experience:

'Kowata is an underground hot spring where they took all the trainees swimming a week ago. It is about 45 minutes from the capital and about 5 kilometers from the border with Iran. You descend down about seven flights of slippery steps with wobbly hand rails, wishing you were wearing metal cleats. As you descend the dimly lit corridor, the air grows hotter and more humid, and eventually carries the smell of eggs from the sulfurous waters of the lake. The water is lovely to swim in; about 82 degrees Fahrenheit, it is like being in a bath. The depth of the water wasn’t clear, but nobody’s feet touched the bottom. However, there were many jutting rocks and ledges where you could rest. We spent about two hours swimming before learning that a half-hour was advised, probably for the same reason that excessive time in a hot tub should be avoided. Still, the water is supposed to be medicinal for your skin, and I have not seen any ill effects. When I told my family in Herrick-Gala that I swam, however, they were extremely apologetic because they don’t know how to swim'.

Not always are experiences in such a positive light.

'We drove for a couple of hours out into the middle of nowhere. The engineer led us to a cave and we went inside. Once our eyes adjusted to the dark we saw a large pool of water. There was a single electric lamp on one side of the cave which didn't do much to cut through the gloomy darkness. Bats hung from the ceiling above and the air was thick with steam and the heavy smell of sulphur.
My colleague and I stripped down to our bathing suits and jumped in. The water was bathtub temperature and very murky. I held my breath and let myself sink down as far as I dared but I couldn't touch the bottom.
Strangely the engineer refused to join us but preferred instead to hang out at the cave's entrance and smoke.
The water temperature was pleasant but the sulphurous smell became overbearing after a while and the atmosphere was just plain creepy. My colleague and I climbed out, dried off and put our clothes back on in silence.
We exited the cave and were climbing back into the car when a rickety, rusted-out old bus pulled up and a dozen locals piled out. They were dressed in colorful, ratty garments and were a pretty ragtag bunch.
"Who are they?" I asked our guide.
"Oh them."
And then he told me that this particular hot spring is famous throughout the country. That its warm sulphur waters supposedly have healing properties and that people with otherwise incurable skin diseases were bussed in to bathe here in as a last resort for a cure...
It took weeks before I was convinced that I hadn't contracted leprosy...'.

Photo by flydime:

'The Bakharden Underground lake Kow Ata is an unusual natural site in the biggest cave of the Kopetdag mountains, located about 107 km south-west of Ashgabat. The Turkmen name Kov-Ata means "father of caves". At a first glance, this underground area looks like a magnificent auditorium : the overall length of the cave is 230 m, its height goes up to 20 m, and its width is at some points 57 m (http://www.odyssei.com/travel-tips/4627.html)'.

Wrapping up, in Turkmenistan there is just one mention of another hot spring, Koytendag:

'the, unique hydrogen sulphate hot spring, "Gainar Baba"'.

Northern boundary?

The leftovers
With blogs listing details on the hot springs of both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, it's only natural to expect their neighbours, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, to also be highlighted. Because there aren't that many hot springs this single blog post will cover all three countries.

Soaking in Uzbekistan - no way!
Starting off with Uzbekistan is the most simplest as I have yet to find out whether or not there are hot springs in this country.

Big country, little soaks
To the north of Uzbekistan lies the immense country of Kazakhstan. Here a few hot springs can be found in the mountains bordering Kyrgyzstan and China. However knowing that there are hot springs does not mean that they can be highlighted. Take for instance the hot spring located near Chimkent (Shymkent). Just the one mention:

'hot spring health spas'.

Elsewhere there is more info on two close to each other located hot springs, Alma Arasan and Zharkent-Arasan.
Alma-Arasan:

'There are 51 groundwater springs, many of which are used for spa therapy purposes. The Alma- Arasan hot spring water is similar in its chemical composition to French mineral waters of the Pyre-nean type (Aix les Bains, etc.)
...
The temperature of major springs constitutes 35-37 degrees centigrade. With regard to water content, temperature and radioactivity the water is similar to Tshaltubo Springs [famous hot spring in Georgia, the country]. The springs have a good influence on people who suffer from rheumatism, metabolic disease, diseases of peripheral system and blood vessels, as well as on the diseases of women and on the people who were poisoned with copper, lead and other metals. Every year Arasan-Kapal Resort accepts around 2000 patients'.

Other info on Alma concern it's establishment in 1886.

On Zharkent which, by the way, was established in 1967:

'The main medicinal factors are: nitric, chloride-sulphate, sodium water (36C) which contains fluorine, organic substances used for bath and shower'.(source)

Kapal (not(?) to be confused with Kapal-Arasan) possesses a mineral spring with a temperature of 25-28C, not quite soakable?
There are also mentions made of the following hot springs in Kazakhstan: Tamshaly, Ayak-Kalkan (hot spring 180 km from Almaty, in the village of Baseit), a so-called Mountain Thermal Water Resort.

A flickr photo reference to a hot spring in their Kazakhstan set. Have my doubts though.

Going underground
Turkmenistan features an extra ordinary hot spring. Referred to as Kow Ata (Kov Ata, Kovata, Kowata or Bakharden) this a subterranean hot spring. One needs to climb down sets of stairs to get to the thermal waters 60m below ground level.

'The underground lake is formed by a hot spring in a cave 60 m below the ground and stretches over several kilometres. Only the first 70 metres are accessible and sufficiently lit and provide the occasion for a dip in the 36°C water'.
(source).

A great photo can be found on flickr (but not posted). An experience:

'Kowata is an underground hot spring where they took all the trainees swimming a week ago. It is about 45 minutes from the capital and about 5 kilometers from the border with Iran. You descend down about seven flights of slippery steps with wobbly hand rails, wishing you were wearing metal cleats. As you descend the dimly lit corridor, the air grows hotter and more humid, and eventually carries the smell of eggs from the sulfurous waters of the lake. The water is lovely to swim in; about 82 degrees Fahrenheit, it is like being in a bath. The depth of the water wasn’t clear, but nobody’s feet touched the bottom. However, there were many jutting rocks and ledges where you could rest. We spent about two hours swimming before learning that a half-hour was advised, probably for the same reason that excessive time in a hot tub should be avoided. Still, the water is supposed to be medicinal for your skin, and I have not seen any ill effects. When I told my family in Herrick-Gala that I swam, however, they were extremely apologetic because they don’t know how to swim'.

Not always are experiences in such a positive light.

'We drove for a couple of hours out into the middle of nowhere. The engineer led us to a cave and we went inside. Once our eyes adjusted to the dark we saw a large pool of water. There was a single electric lamp on one side of the cave which didn't do much to cut through the gloomy darkness. Bats hung from the ceiling above and the air was thick with steam and the heavy smell of sulphur.
My colleague and I stripped down to our bathing suits and jumped in. The water was bathtub temperature and very murky. I held my breath and let myself sink down as far as I dared but I couldn't touch the bottom.
Strangely the engineer refused to join us but preferred instead to hang out at the cave's entrance and smoke.
The water temperature was pleasant but the sulphurous smell became overbearing after a while and the atmosphere was just plain creepy. My colleague and I climbed out, dried off and put our clothes back on in silence.
We exited the cave and were climbing back into the car when a rickety, rusted-out old bus pulled up and a dozen locals piled out. They were dressed in colorful, ratty garments and were a pretty ragtag bunch.
"Who are they?" I asked our guide.
"Oh them."
And then he told me that this particular hot spring is famous throughout the country. That its warm sulphur waters supposedly have healing properties and that people with otherwise incurable skin diseases were bussed in to bathe here in as a last resort for a cure...
It took weeks before I was convinced that I hadn't contracted leprosy...'.

Photo by flydime:

'The Bakharden Underground lake Kow Ata is an unusual natural site in the biggest cave of the Kopetdag mountains, located about 107 km south-west of Ashgabat. The Turkmen name Kov-Ata means "father of caves". At a first glance, this underground area looks like a magnificent auditorium : the overall length of the cave is 230 m, its height goes up to 20 m, and its width is at some points 57 m (http://www.odyssei.com/travel-tips/4627.html)'.

Otherwise in Turkmenistan there is just one mention of another hot spring, Koytendag:

'the, unique hydrogen sulphate hot spring, "Gainar Baba"'.