The ancient history of Palm Springs' award-winning Spa at Sec-he

Sitting in the center of the City of Palm Springs on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, which was established on May 15, 1876, is a hot spring that has welcomed all who have come to bathe in its healing mineral water.

Cahuilla oral literature refers to the spring as Sec-he, meaning "the sound of boiling water." The hot mineral water rises naturally from a geothermal reservoir roughly 1.5 miles underground. The rainwater and snowmelt that collect emerge at a rate of 26 gallons per minute. By the time it reaches the surface, it is 180 degrees. The water is then collected on-site at the corner of Indian Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon and is piped only a short distance to private mineral baths at the Spa at Sec-he, built on the exact site of the original bathhouse.

Cahuilla oral history recounts the springs as a place of perpetual healing. Bathing in the water once in the morning and once in the evening was said to rid the tribe's hunters of their scent, allowing them to get close to their prey without being detected. The Cahuilla people believed the mineral waters were magical, while later Euro-American settlers saw the springs as a source of tourism revenue.

In 1886, Welwood Murray and his wife, Elizabeth, opened the Palm Springs Hotel, which functioned as both a hotel and a sanatorium. The establishment initially served those interested in purchasing desert property from local developers and later accommodated patients with respiratory conditions. Disagreements arose between Murray and local tribal members over access to hot springs and irrigation water, leading to a lease agreement. Murray constructed the first bathhouse in 1889. The original bathhouse had become dilapidated; having been built without a foundation, it was demolished, and another was built at the same location in 1915. When the lease expired, the tribe regained control of the land.

With the advent of the First World War and the 1918 peak of the Spanish Flu, the visitor demographics shifted toward tourists rather than patients. Visitors who were unable to travel to Europe found Palm Springs the perfect winter resort. Low disease exposure and a desire for less-dense populations replaced the sanatorium model. As tourism increased, more hotels were constructed. The Oasis Hotel and El Mirador provided more luxury lodging, and in 1930, a brand-new bathhouse was built with funds from an airport lease on Section 14, near Alejo Road and Avenida Caballeros. Still operated by the tribe, the bathhouse was managed day-to-day by Clemente Segundo.

Hollywood notables Dolores Del Rio, Robert Taylor, Ralph Bellamy, and Charlie Farrell were reported to be bathhouse enthusiasts. The price of visiting the bathhouse in 1939 was 50 cents, and a masseur was in attendance. The tribe's only income came from revenues generated by the bathhouse and the entrance to the canyons. During World War II, many soldiers and their families flocked to local hotels to enjoy their leave or visit injured soldiers at Torney General Hospital, and word of the hot springs and spa spread across the country as soldiers and the families returned home.

Congress passed the General Leasing Act in 1955, and it stated that land on the reservation could be leased for 25 years with a one-time renewal option. This law paved the way for the construction of a new bathhouse.

In 1957, the third bathhouse was demolished, and in May of 1958, the Tribal Council announced plans to lease 8 acres, including the mineral springs, the first-ever long-term lease of tribal land. The lease was between Samuel Banowit of Palm Springs Spa Inc. and the Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians (now the Cahuilla Indians). The lease was spearheaded by the All-Women's Tribal Council, consisting of Vyola Ortner, Gloria Gillette, Eileen Miguel, Dora Prieto, and LeVerne Saubel. The partnership with Palm Springs Spa Inc. involved the construction of a 30,000-square-foot health center and, later, a 131-room hotel. William F. Cody, Wesler & Harrison, Parker-Zehnder & Associates, and Phillip Koenig of Chicago were commissioned to design the multimillion-dollar project.

The architects' design used the juxtaposition of the vast sun-filled desert and the towering peak of Mt. San Jacinto. The unique geographic setting provided a canvas for Cody to create a dramatic, aesthetically pleasing entrance to the Spa facility. The entrance to the Palm Springs Spa was the first thin-arch post-tensioned concrete colonnade built in California. The structure echoed with the guests' voices as they approached the floor-to-ceiling front doors. A 12-foot sculpture titled "Dancing Water Nymphs" was the centerpiece for the imposing structure. The Spa, which opened in 1960, was followed by the Spa Hotel in 1963.

In 1993, before the original lease was set to expire in 2008, the Agua Caliente Tribe purchased the spa and hotel for $9 million, bringing the property back under tribal ownership. The Tribe built its first casino on the property in 1995. Eventually, the decision was made to demolish the original buildings despite the preservation community's efforts to preserve them. Preservation groups argued that the structure was an internationally important modernist landmark and urged the tribe to restore and reuse it rather than demolish it. The Tribal Council received over 1,000 letters asking it to reconsider. Because the property is tribal trust land, the Agua Caliente Tribe had the legal authority to decide its future.

Demolition began on Sept. 13, 2014. Tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe said the goal was to create a new vision for the site, protect the spring, and redevelop the property to reflect the Tribe's history and future. The result of that decision culminated in the construction of The Spa at Sec-he and the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, which opened in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The ancient history of Palm Springs' award-winning Spa at Sec-he

Reporting by Renee Brown, Special to The Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun

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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 6:00 AM.