Family-owned Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort in British Columbia, Canada, has been sold to the Lower Kootenay Indian Band (LKB) – a tribe that has a history with the site dating back hundreds of years.

Ownership will change hands in April and while there are no immediate changes planned for the wellness resort, LKB will be investing in capital improvements in the near future, according to the band’s chief Jason Louie. One of the goals for the new owners is to work closely with Ainsworth area residents and continue to build relationships to strengthen the area’s tourist economy.

Located 22km south of Kaslo on the west shore of Kootenay Lake, the 41-key resort has been family-owned since 1962. Current owners Norm and Joyce Mackie purchased the property from Joyce’s parents, Sam and Belle Homen in 1979.

The new owner, LKB, is one of four Canadian and two US communities that comprise the Ktunaxa Nation. Lower Kootenay, also known as Yaqan Nukiy, is located in Creston Valley, British Columbia, and has a population of about 250.

“The Ainsworth Hot Springs are known by the Ktunaxa people as ‘nupika wu’u’, which has a literal translation meaning ‘spirit water’,” said Louie. “The resort will provide meaningful employment and business opportunities for the citizens of Yaqan Nukiy and local residents. It will continue to be a major tourism destination of the region.

“This business venture reconnects our First Nation to a significant cultural site of the Ktunaxa people,” added Louie.

The hot springs enter the resort’s systems at about 47°C (117F) and are cooled to an average of 42°C (108F) before they enter the caves, including a unique horseshoe-shaped cave, where they forms a waist-deep steambath. Stalactites form throughout the caves – where the main lounging pool’s temperature average is 35°C (96F). The water naturally changes itself six times a day.