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Thursday, January 11, 2018

USA, Nevada: The Peppermill is a Great Location for a Geothermal Event!

Get in hot water on a winter weekend escape to Reno (Los Angeles Times)

The Peppermill Resort Hotel is the location for the 2018 GRC Annual Meeting & Expo - Book your room now


Most of the big hotel-casinos in Reno have well-appointed rooms, but the Peppermill Resort Hotel ups the ante with a wide choice of spacious suites. The whole place is heated geothermally with water sourced 4,400 feet underground, directly beneath the hotel. That’s also the source of the hot water that flows out of the taps. Don’t worry, though: The boiling hot water is significantly cooled before being pumped to the guest rooms.

Although not visually exciting, the free tour of the Peppermill’s heating plant is a good way to learn how geothermal energy works. The hotel saves more than $2 million each year by not using the plant’s giant boilers to heat water.

Two-hundred years ago, where Steamboat Hot Springs now stands, Native Americans were using super-heated mud bubbling from the ground to treat various ailments. Now guests can relax and rejuvenate here in seven indoor soaking tubs, five large enough for couples. The water, which surges into a holding tank at 215 degrees, is cooled to between 85 and 115 degrees before being pumped into the mission-style building. Because this is Nevada, there are trace amounts of gold and silver in the water, but it’s the silica that is good for hair and skin. One-hour soaks cost $25 per person or $45 per couple. Some of the tubs are handicap accessible.