You might not think of Texas as a health and wellness hotspot. In fact, the state is better known for its oil fields and cattle ranches than for its health resorts. But Mineral Wells, Texas, has been designated the official Wellness Capital of Texas by the state legislature in 2023. The main reason this small town outside Dallas earned this honor is because of its unique mineral waters.
Yes, this homey North Texas town has the natural quirk of nine underground wells with incredible mineral content. But what makes the water special here isn’t just spring water, packed with macro- and micro-nutrients like calcium, selenium, and magnesium. Instead, it’s the only mineral water in the state of Texas that’s suitable for both drinking and bathing, and it’s packed with nutrients.
One and only destination
Sure, there are mineral and natural springs packed with nutrients all over the country and the world, but most tourist destinations that claim to have healing or health benefits only allow access to them for bathing or drinking.
Not so at Mineral Wells: The water, pumped from an underground well, is ready for soaking or drinking straight from the source (after basic carbon and sediment filtration, of course.) And Mineral Wells has been used for both since the late 1800s, ever since early settlers began digging wells and quickly realized the health benefits of the water.
In fact, many new residents began bottling and selling water soon after settling. The only one that still stands today is Crazy Water, formerly known as Famous Water. In 1913, residents opened a water bar, still located in the town’s Crazy Water Hotel, which sold hydration by the glass. Doctors sometimes prescribed bottled water for sick patients, a mixture of water from various wells with different mineral content.
As a result, from the early 1900s through the 1960s, the area became known as “where Americans drink to their health,” a slogan that, based on well-researched findings, is not far off the mark. The benefits of mineral water—Soak or drink, it’s up to you.
Minerals for Health
According to experts including Dustin Strong, a certified holistic nutritionist and certified applied clinical nutritionist: The benefits of mineral water are often underestimated: after all, Mineral Wells water contains most of the nutrients essential for health and survival, including calcium and magnesium.
“Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. You need calcium for nearly every physiological function,” Strong explains. “It’s deeply involved in every biochemical function in the body.” Magnesium is a close second. But the water also contains minerals like manganese, zinc, potassium, and bicarbonate, all of which your body needs to perform at its best.
After all, mineral water has been shown to have a variety of benefits, including reducing anxiety in some way, improving gastrointestinal function, and improving sleep quality. And most of these nutrients come from Not produced naturally in the bodythey must be consumed.
Drink for your health
So why not just wash your vitamin supplements down with plain water? Strong says that these supplements often claim to provide all of your daily needs of essential minerals, but they’re often in a non-bioavailable form, meaning your body has a much harder time breaking them down. But when you drink these minerals, your body can quickly deliver them to the organs and functions that need them.
Similarly, minerals found in water are much more available (i.e., can be used) by the body than the same minerals found in food, Strong says. You need plenty of stomach acid to extract minerals from food, but many people don’t have an adequate supply of stomach acid because they eat while stressed or because their zinc levels are low, he explains. Getting calcium from water means your body can literally gobble down the nutrients (either orally or by immersion) without a lack of stomach acid being a limiting factor.
While other mineral waters may suffice, the concentration of minerals in Mineral Wells water is incredibly high: you would need more than four bottles of most bottled spring waters, even those with higher mineral content, to get the same nutritional value as one bottle of Crazy Water. To be considered mineral water, the total dissolved solids (TDS) must be greater than or equal to 250 mg/litre.Crazy Water #3, the water that is bottled and used for bathing, has a TDS of 900 to 1,100 mg/liter, according to Crazy Water co-owner Rose Jordan.
Luckily, in Mineral Wells, you can order soda, coffee, tea, or just plain water at Crazy Water Coffee and Water Bar inside the Crazy Water Hotel, or you can have water filled into a bottle or jug inside the Famous Water Pavilion for a fee, and they’ll ship bottles nationwide.
Absorb
But hydration isn’t the only way to get nutrients into your body. Research suggests If you are exposed to the same Improves overall health and wellness Together Added benefit of relieving skin conditions.
Strong explains that this is because some minerals can be absorbed transdermally, meaning that when you’re immersed in water, your skin can pull nutrients from your surroundings. After all, your skin is your largest organ. The reason you should consider immersing yourself in water instead of just drinking it is because when you bathe, transdermal absorption distributes nutrients locally throughout your body, allowing them to be absorbed exactly where they’re needed. Think of a psoriasis flare-up, a rash, or a minor bacterial infection.
Strong explains that’s because when you take in nutrients from food and water, those minerals are sent to your vital organs first to fuel essential bodily functions. Your heart, brain, and liver are the first to use them because they keep you alive. But problems in less important areas, like limb problems or skin or calf cramps, only get what’s left. That is, if there’s anything left. Soaking in water means: The healing power of water is also effective for skin diseases such as eczema and intestinal flora.but also Boosts mood and immune function.
Want to give it a try? In Mineral Wells, you can enjoy a bath at the Crazy Water Bath House and Spa. The tiny bubbles in the bathtub open your pores and promote the absorption of minerals. In 2025, the Crazy Water Hotel will also offer spa services such as mineral water baths.
So whether you sip it or take a dip, you can drink (and bathe) and replenish your minerals in this Texas town.
