You might not think that Texas is a hot spot for health and wellness. In fact, the state as a whole is more often known for its oil fields and ranching than as a health resort destination. But Mineral Wells, Texas was designated by state lawmakers as the official Wellness Capital of Texas in 2023. The small town outside of Dallas earned the award for one big reason: its unique mineral water.
Yes, there is a natural anomaly in this homey North Texas town: nine underground springs with impressive mineral content. But it is not just spring water packed with macro and micronutrients such as calcium, selenium and magnesium that makes the water here unique. On the contrary, it is also the only mineral water in Texas that is suitable for both drinking and bathing and it is packed with good properties.
One in a million destination
Sure, there are mineral springs and natural springs packed with nutrients all over the country and around the world, but most destinations that tout their healing and/or healthy waters only offer them in one form: for bathing or drinking.
This is not the case in Mineral Wells, where the water pumped from the underground wells can be taken and absorbed directly from the source (after basic carbon and sediment filtration, of course). And it has been used for both since the late 1800s, when early settlers began digging wells and almost immediately realized the water's health potential.
Many new residents even started bottling businesses and began selling the water shortly after they moved in. The only one that still exists today is Crazy Water, formerly Famous Water. In 1913, residents opened a water bar, still located in the town’s Crazy Water Hotel, to sell hydration by the glass. Doctors even prescribed bottles of the stuff to sick patients, often a mixture of water from the various springs with varying mineral contents.
As a result, the area became known in the early 1900s through the 1960s as the place “Where America Drinks its Way to Health.” A slogan that is not far from the truth, given how well researched it is benefits of mineral water—regardless of whether you want to soak it or sip it.
Minerals for health
According to experts, including Dustin Strong, certified holistic nutritionist and certified applied clinical nutritionist, the benefits of mineral water are often underestimated. After all, most of these nutrients are necessary for health and survival, including calcium and magnesium, which are abundant in the waters of Mineral Wells.
“Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. We need calcium for almost every physiological function,” Strong explains. “It’s so deeply involved in all the biochemical functions in the body.” Magnesium is a close second. But the water also contains manganese, zinc, potassium and bicarbonate, among other minerals, all of which the body needs to function optimally.
After all, mineral water in one form or another has been shown to reduce anxiety, stimulate gastrointestinal function, improve sleep quality and much more. And since most of these nutrients are not naturally produced by the bodythey must be consumed.
Drink to your health
So why not just wash down a vitamin supplement with a glass of plain water? Strong says that these supplements often claim to provide all of your daily mineral needs, but they often come in non-bioavailable forms, meaning your body has to work much harder to break them down. However, when you drink these minerals, your body can transport them directly to the necessary organs and surgeries.
Likewise, the minerals found in water are much more bioavailable (i.e., usable) to the body than the same minerals found in food, Strong says. Extracting minerals from food requires adequate stomach acid, which many people don’t have in sufficient supply due to eating under stress or low zinc levels, he explains. Getting calcium from water means that a lack of adequate stomach acid isn’t a limiting factor and the body can literally drink the nutrient in (via ingestion or soaking).
And although other mineral waters can also provide a solution, the concentration of minerals in the water in Mineral Wells is impressively high. It would take four or more bottles of most bottled spring water, even those with a higher mineral content, to get the same nutritional value as one bottle of Crazy Water. To be mineral water you must have a total dissolved solids (TDS) of more than 250 mg/liter. According to Rose Jordan, Tourism Director, Crazy Water #3 that is bottled and used for bathing has a TDS of 900-1100 mg/liter.
Fortunately, in Mineral Wells you can order soda, coffee, tea or plain water at the Crazy Water Coffee and Water Bar in the Crazy Water Hotel, or pay to fill bottles or jugs at the Famous Water Pavilion. They even ship bottles across the country.
Enjoy it
But drinking isn't the only way to get nutrients into your system. In fact, studies have shown bathing in the same stuff is also possible promote general health and well-being with the added benefit of relieving skin conditions.
That's because some minerals can be absorbed transdermally, Strong explains. For example, your skin can obtain nutrients from the environment when you lie in water. After all, your skin is your largest organ. Why you might consider soaking in addition to drinking is that when bathing, transdermal absorption means that nutrients are locally available to the body and can be absorbed exactly where they are needed. Think of psoriasis flare-ups, rashes or minor bacterial infections.
That's because when you consume nutrients through food and water, Strong says, those minerals are pushed to your vital organs to first support necessary physical activities. Your heart, brain, liver, etc. get the first bite because they are responsible for keeping you alive. But any problems in your limbs or less vital areas such as the skin or cramping calves will only get what's left – if anything is left. So soaking means skin conditions like eczema, even your gut microbiome, are the first to gain insight into the healing powers of waterbut also possible boost mood and immune function.
Want to try it? In Mineral Wells, you can enjoy a soak at the Crazy Water Bath House and Spa, where microbubbles in the tub help open pores for better mineral absorption. In 2025, the Crazy Water Hotel will also offer spa services, including mineral water baths.
Whether you sip or take a bath, you can still enjoy a good dose of minerals by drinking (and bathing) in this Texas town.
