Saturnia hot springs natural or resort?

We loved Saturnia! I wasn't aware there was any kind of resort. What we went to was out in the countryside, a picturesque collection of waterfalls spilling into natural pools. The water was neither very deep or very hot. I don't remember the rocks being slippery. I'm sure we didn't have any shoes, because they were a little sharp and walking was slow going.

We went late in the afternoon in late May and stayed until the sun went down. An hour or two is enough. A lot of the fun was being in a beautiful location with a handful of Italians and absolutely no other tourists. If we hadn't waited until the last day of our trip to visit, we probably would have returned several times.

The water is not warm enough to keep you comfortable on a cold day iMHO.

I’ve been to Saturnia several times in my youth.I went back this July after many years.
The famous natural hot spring are called “Cascate del Mulino” (Watermill falls). The water comes from a stream which then falls into several pools. The pools look natural but they were rebuilt after a heavy storm and flood destroyed the whole thing years ago. They did a good job though. They look natural. Near the pools there are some bars and snack bars (maybe pizzerie) bathroom facilities, maybe even showers (but I don’t remember if showers are there). You can go there for free but the parking lot requires payment (not much).

You don’t really need shoes of any type, however be aware that the mixture of water and sulphuric sediment makes the place very slippery. Therefore exercise caution when you walk in and out of the pools, or between pools. Inside the pools you can see some areas that have gravel in the water. Walking on the gravel is less slippery. Walking on the big rocks is like walking on ice. Also be careful if you don’t see the bottom of the pool hole. It might be a deeper hole than you think. I made that mistake last July. I set my foot in a hole which I thought was only a few inches deep, instead it was two feet deep. I scratched my leg pretty badly. If you walk with aqua shoes, it might be safer.

The water is warm but not very hot. Maybe because I was there in July with 95 degree weather outside. In a distant past I used to go there even in winter, sometimes with snow in the ground. In that case, since it was very cold outside, the water was pleasantly warm and actually seemed hot compared to the freezing cold outside.

In addition to the above free area there is also a hotel resort where you can stay a d they have all types of services. I stayed there only for the day years ago, but never at night. Link is below.
https://www.termedisaturnia.it/en/

This year I used only the free cascate del mulino. The hotel where I stayed would have allowed me to use the facility above and utilize those services at a discount, but we decided not to go. The hotel where I stayed is below. Nice but much cheaper than the resort above and just 3 minutes away by car just above it on the hill.
https://www.saturniatuscanyhotel.com/

The watermill falls are just minutes away from both hotels.

If you stay at the same hotel I stayed, or also at the resort, check the restaurant below. It’s just a minute away by car up the hill in Poggio Morelia. Cheaper than the hotel and in my opinion more authentic Maremman food. The hotel had a terrace with a million dollar view but the food was Maremman inspired, but kind of innovative cuisine. It was good (albeit a bit pricey) but I like traditional, and the restaurant below fits the bill and it was super close to the hotel (I could have walked to it if it weren’t such a steep road) so I could drink and minimize the risk of driving not too sober.

Ristorante Il Capriccio
0564 607623
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GQKFxZgih5mzFfoy8?g_st=ic

Thanks for the descriptions. We will be staying at an agri-tourism which includes dinner. That restaurant looks very interesting. Do either of you know if this Hot Springs is safe for hair. Years ago I destroyed my hair in Hot Springs so I was assuming I need to keep my head out of the water.

When I was there in 2017, I don’t remember pools deep enough to worry about hair getting wet if it’s put up. There were falls if you wanted to sit under them but they’re easily avoided. I only stayed up near the mill where most the people were. In September - early October, the water was warm enough but I read that it’s hotter at the fancy resort ( the pay one). I also didn’t pay for parking so maybe that’s changed or it’s seasonal, and no showers either. I don’t even remember changing areas but other people did what I did- change in the parking lot, surfer style (with a towel wrapped around the parts you don’t want to show off- not super simple but doable).

I stayed in Montemerano, nearby, and it’s nice for a short visit. Try La Vecchia Dispensa for a pre- dinner wine and snacks. It’s also a wine bar and deli (cheese, etc.) if you want to pick something up for another days appetizers.

We were there a few years ago. We wore our bathing suits under our clothes, then after our soak we took turns holding up a towl by the car as we changed. We definitely wanted to take a shower back at our lodging. The water was nit particularly hard on our hair. I wore sandals, like Tevas, to walk over the rocks. It is a very special place and should feel warm in October.

Phen, I don't think there's any problem with the water. It's not one of those "smelly" springs. I won't use hotel shampoo LOL but the spring water did nothing unusual to my blond hair.

As I said above, I don’t remember if there were showers at the Cascate del Mulino, however there are public restrooms for sure near the snack bars. So, you could change into your bathing suit there (I just changed with a towel my waste, like most people do (if there are Northern Europeans (like Swedes or Germans) they won’t even bother with the towel..or the bathing suit.. I don’t know when they started charging for parking, but it is not expensive. With my hotel pass it was 2€ for the whole day. It is probably 5 or 6 euro without the pass. It’s not a guarded lot. You just get a ticket at the machine for the numbers of hours you need and place the ticket on the dashboard.
When I used to go often (maybe very early 1980s) there was NOTHING there. No parking lot, no snack bars, no bathrooms. I used to park my trusty Fiat so close to the pools that I could very easily gone directly from the car to the water without touching the dry ground. The old watermill was the only structure there, otherwise it was just fields. Now the road is blocked off before you reach the area with the snack bars. You need to park at the aforementioned parking lot and walk the 300-400 meters (1/4 mile) to the falls.
The hotel resort is nice and they have numerous pools, hot and cool. It’s not too expensive for the day use. Unless you get some of the services, like facials, massages, mud baths, etc. which are extra. I hate mud baths. Done it once, and I’ll never do it again. So damn hot I thought I was going to die suffocated. It even melted my bathing suit.