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A short update sprinkled with an assortment of photo's. 

Above Kamchatka (Far-East Russia).

Then, I came across a couple of articles on spirituality and hot springs with the correct geographical spread. 

First off an article (Nov. 19) on (hot) springs in Kazachstan by Holyandhealingwells:

'Hot springs are found in the mountainous regions and indeed appear to attract a mystical belief. Alex Lee explains on the website of Kazakh culture, Edgekz, a familiar tradition to readers of this blog:

“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.”

The laying of ribbons being a custom widespread across England and in Europe. One of the most famed of these hot springs is Rakhmanovsky Springs, a remote spring though to relieve pain, improve heart and circulatory problems and even slow aging and help regeneration. The reason for the later belief may derive from a local story linked to its discovery. This is named after a local hunter who discovered the spring following a wounded deer. Being ready to finish it off he watched amazed as the fatally wounded animal lay in the hot waters and was apparently healed, running away from the hunter unharmed. Understandably amazed by what he saw he did not shoot it but told the locals of what he saw.

Other springs in the country are famed for hydrocarbonate and sulphate waters as well as silica, bromide, iodine and even Radon. The east of Kazakhstan boasts thermal hot springs with sulphate and hydrocarbonate waters. Additionally, Kazakhstan offers silicic water springs, as well as bromide and iodine waters. Bromide water calms one’s nerve system and also has anti-inflammatory effects, while iodine is considered helpful for gastrointestinal tract diseases with atherosclerosis and thyroid dysfunction.

Perhaps the most established is the Alma Arasan hot spring established as a spa in 1886 for rheumatism, metabolic disease, blood problems with over 2000 patients seeking its waters a year. These waters have a temperature 35-7 C and said to be radioactive much like the Pyrenean Aix Les Bains. This might explain why it is claimed that those poisoned by heavy metals such as lead will get cured'.

From the Kazakh hot spring of Chundzhu. premiumsparesort_almaty: 

#чунджа#горячиеисточники#чунджагорячиеисточники #chundzha#goryachieistochniki #premiumspa#premiumsparesort #премиумспаресорт#минеральнаявода #релакс #relaxing#relax #relaxtime #almaty #kanyon #travel#spa #lechebnye #otdyh #lechenie#mineralnayavoda

More holy springs, this time from Tibet. Tibettravel (Sep. 30):

'Lhasa is also attractive amongst a wide spectrum of tourists for its large storehouse of the various hot springs. The waters of these hot springs are indeed very magical for the fact they possess some supernatural quality of healing. Moreover the water of these hot springs are rich storehouses of sulphur, iodine, chlorine fluorine and all other such types of elements required for the cure of certain ailments in the body.The hot springs in Tibet find a mention as early as the onset of true Tibetan civilizations. Hot springs are regarded with great importance in several Buddhist scriptures also. These historical records show that hot springs in Tibet are not only the region of luxury but also necessity. They have a remarkable healing power for ailments like rheumatism, cardiovascular problems, skin problems and even pulmonary problems.In a recent research it has been found that Tibet is the home of about 1000 hot springs containing waters at variable temperatures. While some contain boiling waters, there are others where the water is luke warm'.

The article explores 4 hot springs nearby. It concludes with some tips:

• Do not enter the spring if you are drunk.• It is very natural that while you take your bath, the skin may turn reddish. Do not fret about that'.

Viewable
Found on alanya-travels: a tour along Tajik hot springs along the Pamir valley.

What to expect:

Bath with a view

Part of the story (eastward.nl, Aug. 20): 

'The road got more and more amazing. Epic valley after epic valley kept turning up after every corner. When we saw a small pool on the side of the road we stopped to check it out. It was warm! So we decided to take a bath with an epic view.

Elsewhere in Tajikistan, Johan Smits reporting in Travel starts at 40 (Oct.) explains what a visit to a Tajik sanatorium entails:

'If someone asked you to sit naked on a bottomless chair and have radio-active water sprayed upwards onto your private parts, you might be forgiven for raising an eyebrow or two. Yet, that’s precisely what I willingly subjected myself to at Khoja Obi Garm, a Soviet-era sanatorium high up in the mountains of Tajikistan. What’s more, I might visit it again'.

No pictures of this, though the surroundings are astounding. 

More on the (ex-) Soviet sanatorium culture can be found in this article on the calvert journal.

iskandar_blue

One of the stranger places that we’ve come across in the Wakhan valley. Garmchashma is a sulfur mineral hot spring with an average temp of 60 C. The apparent healing power of the sulphate draws locals with all sorts of skin conditions. #hotspring #sulphur #summer #centralasia #tajilkistan#гармчашма #skin #nature

Notices

avlazarus being happy at Vashisht hot spring:

#hotspring #vashishthotspring #himalayas#india #himachalpradesh#happyhippie#manali #vashisht #вашишт #манали#гималаи#горячийисточник#горячииисточниквашишт

Spiritual relevance:

'Nearby Manali, Vashisht is a small village known for the holy Vashisht temple and hot water spring. Having separate bathing provisions for men and women, Vashisht spring is known to have medicinal properties. The mythological importance of this site has made Vashisht one of the most well known hot water springs in India'.

Fortunately not the most visited ...

I now seem to have run out of spirituality, so it's back to hedonism for the final picture, that of Kheerganga, Himachal Pradesh (India).

Source

Inadvert

Though Tajikistan's hot springs are mostly defined by those found in the Wakhan and Pamir (link), there are more to be found in the rest of the country. Unfortunately mot of these have been developed in to Soviet style health spa's thereby diminishing the experience and it's connections with nature.

At the carwash
Nearly 100km to the east of Dushanbe (capital of Tajikistan) is the hot spring of Obigarm. The area is home to 

'... tens of hot mineral springs (source)'.

An experience:

'The one place I went had a pool of the hot mineral springs and it was all that I could do to be in there for 2-3 minutes. Another place I went had this funny looking shower contraption. Basically it looked like a carwash for people. It was built form like 6-8 long pipes that stood up at about shoulder length and had holes that sprayed water towards the inside. Basically, you were supposed to stand in there and let all the mineral water hit all over you body. It results in a kind of water massage'.

More experienced info here.

What the baths may well look like (source).

Disgust
Not to be confused with Obigarm, Obigarm-Khoja is due north of Dushanbe, higher in the mountains. 

And though one associates soaking with pleasure, it seems here the soakers are patients:

'This is a large comfortable health center for 700 people. There are several sanatoriums and health care buildings. One can also find here a special complex of "paroemanatorium" - where vapor of set proportion and temperature is used for treatment. All necessary conditions and conveniences are at the patients' disposal after medical procedures'.

For a full back ground look at this website complete with Soviet style 'resort'. 
An experience:

'The main resort, half painted in garish yellow, frowned upon our intrusion, whilst the private resort begrudging bestowed us with a tour and tinged sheets. In a mouldy changing room wearing inappropriate underwear we wrapped in linen, and skated across the floor in borrowed pool shoes to the bath. Thankfully, the pool of eternal youth was shrouded in enough steam to hide all the flaky skin, and sizzled like a cauldron upon entry. I dipped in, and then jumped out before all my hair bleached and decided to enter the steam room to recover. However, this proved too acidic for my tender lungs, no health warnings here, in fact you are actively encouraged to breath in this toxic gas for up to twelve minutes and repeat the process several times to ensure all your lung tissue is contaminated. In an attempt to recover from the ordeal I hung out of the window and peered at the snow-capped mountains, whilst inadvertently venting the room to the disgust of the other guests'.

Sludge
There's not much info on other hot springs, what follows are a couple of snippets.

'Shohambary sanatorium operates at the territory of Hissar District. Its mineral water temperature ranges from 37 to 42 C. In summer time, besides in-patients, the sanatorium also hosts out-patients. Digestive system diseases are treated here'.

Also known as Shambari, Shaambary or Shokhambari, more info here.

A couple of mentions of Khavatag:

'Sanatorium "Khavatag" is located in the Fergana valley, 630 m above sea-level, on the northern foothills of the Fergana range, 25 km to the north-west of "Ura-Tyubeh". "Khavatag" means "mountain air". Hot mineral waters of "Khavatag" are useful for treating diseases of motorial organs; functional disorders of the Central Nervous System and particularly those of the peripheral nervous system; gastric and intestinal, skin and gynaecological diseases'.

'In 1948, a hole of 1,300 meters deep was drilled by geologists in Khavotag, Ura-Tube district. The hot water coming from the drill-hole was proved to be curative for many diseases. Now, the healing water of Khavotag is used for the treating many muscle and bone diseases, distal nervous system and dermal problems'.

Source

Yavroz hot springs gets a mention:

'50km from Dushanbe, (25km from Vahdat) in Romit Valley, there is the Yavroz recreation area at 1,150m above sea level. It has a thermal spring containing silicate, boron, hydrogen sulphide, and radon. The water of the spring, located 2km from the sanitarium, is medicinal and is used for treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, peripheral nervous system and skin'.

Sarob gathers one mention here: 

'Health-improving hotel "Sarob" is balneological complex, that has a number of medicinal health-improving treatments: radon steam, radon pool, radon bath, circular shower, Charcot's douche, intestinal irrigation, gyneacological irrigation, therapeutic mud-baths, paraffin, ozocerite, light bath, darsonvalization, electrophoresis, ultrasound, vertebral massage "Armed", vibratory massage, hand massage, vertebral traction'.

Then on Zumrad hot springs:

'The main natural therapeutic factor is thermal (upto 26°) methane, chloride sodium sulfide boracic waters (mineralization 85—130 g/l). Deposit of mineral water Obishifo (discovered in 1968) is 39 km far from Zumrad town to the west. Water is used for bath. Along with the mineral water as a natural therapeutic factor the sulfide sludged mud is also used'.

Other of Tajikistan's best-known springs are: Anzob and Tashbulak. Unfortunately no other details? Possibly cooler soaks?

World's top 5?

Inner Mongolia (or Nei Mongol) is another of the huge automonous regions of China. Inner Mongolia borders Mongolia, to the west of Beijing. H

In the regions capital Hohhot one can stay at the Water Moon Hotspring hotel, tripadvisor states, though I'm not totally certain whether or not that really is the case.

World famous Wiener
Apparently it was once stated on internet that once used to state:

'There are many hot springs in Inner Mongolia, including the world famous five'.

However, whether this info is now considered useless or whether it's just a case of the internet evolving in directions unknown it remains a question. However if true, the hot spring named Wiener Creek is just one of those 5. The Chinatravel website used to add to the above sentence:

'Located in the middle of Xilu Wei Nahan Daxinganling mountains mountains in the Wiener River mineral field, there are seven springs arranged in the context of more than ten square meters, and some very clear and clean spring water, some were white, some brown-yellow, water temperature were 2 ° ~ 6 ° C, the water quality with world-famous French spa Vichy comparable. They generate strong in much of ancient Tertiary volcanic activity, was Mongolia, Oroqen, Ewenki called “Shen Shui.” Have been developed using universal spring, spring stomach, acid springs, the heart of spring (above 4 springs for drinking spring), the first spring, ear, nose spring, seven medicinal springs bathing spring, about 40 tons per day and night flow can be bath treatment for 45 thousand people used to drink. Mineral water contains more than 230 kinds of minerals, on dozens of chronic diseases have a significant effect'.

Natgeo
The UNESCO designated Hexigten National Geopark contains the Reshuitang thermal spring, another of the mentioned 'world famous five' as well as a number of other geological phenomena. 
Reshuitang is located 30 km north of Jingpeng. Jingpeng is the site of a famous railway pass. According to tripadvisor there is a hotel named Yangguan Hot Spring Hotel. 
More on Reshui can be found here including this last sentence:

'At present, there have been 10 hot spring sanatoriums. This hot spring town which is beside the mountain and water has beautiful scenes'.

This website adds:

'The hot spring was developed 1.000 years ago.In the Liao Dynasty Emperor Taizong and his successors had baths in the spring water In 1686, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty visited the hot spring and took a bath. The site where the Qing emperor bathed remains today'.

Visitors though might want to look up the info on tripadvisor. As this recent poster experiences:

'Unfortunately the hot springs in the town square have been closed for many years and the hot springs in a big hotel with a hot swimming pool were also closed.

...

The huge stone at the entrance of the town announced that this town is famous for hot springs, but no hot springs were open, apparently they only open in May. So don't go there before May, at least I could find a hotel with hot baths, so that was my hot springs experience!! '

More fame
On Ning hot spring, another of those famous 5, there is nothing additional mentioned.

On the hot spring of Liangcheng located near Daihai Lake, Liangcheng county

'Located in the mountains of central Inner Mongolia, Han Liangcheng Daihai very hot, because legend of Emperor Kangxi, when the patrol side spring mount thirst in this plane, also known as “spring plow horse,” Temple has been built Yongxiang, aristocrats, celebrities Ascot and the monk Lama bathing resort of convalescence. Underground water is a sodium bicarbonate-based weak mineralization of water, water temperature 37 ° ~ 38 ° C, rich in lithium, zinc, strontium, radium, metasilicate, selenium, iron, magnesium, sulfur and other chemical elements and minerals substances, rheumatism, rheumatoid, skin diseases, low back pain, dry skin and other diseases have a significant effect'. source

Apparently there's now a hotel named Daihai Hot Spring Hotel. What can one expect? 

'Daihai Tourist Area is mainly composed of three parts - Daihai Hot Spring Resort, Daihai Tourist Resort and Daihai Hot Spring Hotel. In recent years, great investment has been made on the Daihai Scenic Area. It has built several hotels, Daihai Tourist Center, Daihai Spa City, Daihai Ski Resort and Daihai Cultural Tourism School and other projects. Now the 130 square km area around Daihai Lake is a suitable place for leisure, conference and sightseeing.
Daihai Hot Spring Resort( or Daihai Spa City) is just 500meters north of Daihai Hot Spring Hotel, about 10km in the west of Liangcheng County. The Daihai Hot Spring Resort is a Japanese style garden building with 4 indoor hot spring pools. The Daihai Spa City is located at the foot of Manhan Mountain with plentiful hot spring resources. The hot spring temperature is mild and comfortable ranging from 40 degrees to 60 degrees. There are 17 kinds of minor elements in the hot spring water. It is good for the treatment of the pain in low back and legs with rheumatism. The Daihai Hot Spring is often regarded as "Holy Hot Spring Beyond the Great Wall".

The accompanying photo's though reveal a rather dour inside soaking area with yes a fake Japanese touch. This blogger has visited here and leaves this strange comment:

'Otherwise I loved Liangcheng (well one of the small villages surrounding area): we stayed in a Japanese style hotel with its hot springs, almost every family has its own dairy cow, and it’s incredibly easy!'

And a top ski
Arxan (Aershan) is the most mentioned hot spring in Inner Mongolia. Better known for it's ski area (see Ten Best Places for Skiing in China), Arxan is apparently also home to a hot spring museum. I'm not totally sure if this is what a museum means:

'The museum will feature different sites including the Arxan hot springs, volcanoes, as well as bizarre lakes and stones.

The museum locates outside Arxan city, a Chinese frontier town southwest to Daxinganling Region, the city boasts the largest and best-kept volcano basalt physiognomy and the world's largest hot springs used for drinking and bathing.

One of the area's most spectacular sites is a concentration of 48 hot springs that are classified into three different types and four different temperature levels'.(source)

Another aspect that makes Arxan hot springs famous are that it is the largest group of radon hot springs in China (source, link not functional). It is also noted that the local stream is ice-free during winter (source).

Despite all the factual claims to fame there seems precious little photographic evidence of any soaking available. A couple of indoor sites fake Japanese style. One going by the name Haishen Hotspring Hotel (located on Hotspring street). Though this seems attractive enough:

Arxan seems a great place to do nothing:

'AereShan is a famous Mongolian hot Springs area. There is a hot spring for every body organ. The area is all beautiful mountains. We went for a drive into the mountains and wow. Wild flowers. Rivers. Mountains. There is not much to see in the town, so this is an area to relax, use the hot springs, and learn the history'.

That description seems quite compelling. Whether or not this will remain is possible not the case. A recent news article suggested that Aershan will be the focus of Sino-Icelandic geothermal investment.

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"'.

World's top 5?

Inner Mongolia (or Nei Mongol) is another of the huge automonous regions of China. Inner Mongolia borders Mongolia, to the west of Beijing. H

In the regions capital Hohhot one can stay at the Water Moon Hotspring hotel, tripadvisor states, though I'm not totally certain whether or not that really is the case.

World famous Wiener
Apparently it was once stated on internet that once used to state:

'There are many hot springs in Inner Mongolia, including the world famous five'.

However, whether this info is now considered useless or whether it's just a case of the internet evolving in directions unknown it remains a question. However if true, the hot spring named Wiener Creek is just one of those 5. The Chinatravel website used to add to the above sentence:

'Located in the middle of Xilu Wei Nahan Daxinganling mountains mountains in the Wiener River mineral field, there are seven springs arranged in the context of more than ten square meters, and some very clear and clean spring water, some were white, some brown-yellow, water temperature were 2 ° ~ 6 ° C, the water quality with world-famous French spa Vichy comparable. They generate strong in much of ancient Tertiary volcanic activity, was Mongolia, Oroqen, Ewenki called “Shen Shui.” Have been developed using universal spring, spring stomach, acid springs, the heart of spring (above 4 springs for drinking spring), the first spring, ear, nose spring, seven medicinal springs bathing spring, about 40 tons per day and night flow can be bath treatment for 45 thousand people used to drink. Mineral water contains more than 230 kinds of minerals, on dozens of chronic diseases have a significant effect'.

Natgeo
The UNESCO designated Hexigten National Geopark contains the Reshuitang thermal spring, another of the top mentioned 'world famous five area' as well as a number of other geological phenomena. Reshuitang is located 30 km north of Jingpeng. More on Reshui can be found here including this last sentence:

'At present, there have been 10 hot spring sanatoriums. This hot spring town which is beside the mountain and water has beautiful scenes'.

More fame
On Ning hot spring, another of those famous 5 there is nothing additional mentioned.

On the hot spring of Liangcheng located near Daihai Lake, Liangcheng county

'Located in the mountains of central Inner Mongolia, Han Liangcheng Daihai very hot, because legend of Emperor Kangxi, when the patrol side spring mount thirst in this plane, also known as “spring plow horse,” Temple has been built Yongxiang, aristocrats, celebrities Ascot and the monk Lama bathing resort of convalescence. Underground water is a sodium bicarbonate-based weak mineralization of water, water temperature 37 ° ~ 38 ° C, rich in lithium, zinc, strontium, radium, metasilicate, selenium, iron, magnesium, sulfur and other chemical elements and minerals substances, rheumatism, rheumatoid, skin diseases, low back pain, dry skin and other diseases have a significant effect'. source

And a top ski
Arxan (Aershan) is the most often mentioned hot spring in Inner Mongolia. Better known for it's ski area (see Ten Best Places for Skiing in China), it is apparently also home to a hot spring museum. I'm not totally sure if this is what a museum means:

'The museum will feature different sites including the Arxan hot springs, volcanoes, as well as bizarre lakes and stones.

The museum locates outside Arxan city, a Chinese frontier town southwest to Daxinganling Region, the city boasts the largest and best-kept volcano basalt physiognomy and the world's largest hot springs used for drinking and bathing.

One of the area's most spectacular sites is a concentration of 48 hot springs that are classified into three different types and four different temperature levels'.(source)

Another aspect that makes Arxan hot springs famous are that it is the largest group of radon hot springs in China (source).

Arxan seems a great place to do nothing:

'AereShan is a famous Mongolian hot Springs area. There is a hot spring for every body organ. The area is all beautiful mountains. We went for a drive into the mountains and wow. Wild flowers. Rivers. Mountains. There is not much to see in the town, so this is an area to relax, use the hot springs, and learn the history'.

That description seems quite compelling. Whether or not this will remain is possible not the case. A recent news article suggested that Aershan will be the focus of Sino-Icelandic geothermal investment.

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"'.