two steam baths and two swimming pools, of which the larger was outdoors. One of the steam baths was a covered pool from the Hot Sulphur spring. Harbin Hot Springs issued several postcards advertising the resort in the 1920s and 1930s. By 1969 the property was owned by Sandia Corporation, which was interested in the potential for geothermal energy. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the property was run as a commune with the name Harbinger commune, "centered around a man named Don Hamrick, a charismatic fellow who wore business suits and combined science with spiritualism in his lectures/sermons". In 1969, Harbinger had about 120 people, but ultimately, the community did not thrive. In 1972 Robert Hartley bought the property and renovated the run-down facilities. He sold it to Heart Consciousness Church in 1992. As of 2012, the clothing-optional retreat center was known as an outdoor spa with a New Age ambiance, where Watsu was developed. The resort was evacuated because of the Valley Fire on September 12, 2015. By September 14, Harbin was almost completely destroyed by the fire with only the pool complex largely intact. SunRay Kelly had designed and built the Harbin Hot Springs Temple, a yoga and meditation space, which burned down in 2015. In January 2019 it partially reopened, including the main pools and sauna, and a limited cafeteria service. Modern establishment Robert Hartley (also known as Ishvara) bought the land in 1972 to be a Gestalt center. Sold to the Heart Consciousness Church (HCC) in 1975, Harbin/HCC operates as a Retreat Center. Harbin/HCC maintains a more specifically religious organization, the New Age Church of Being, incorporated in 1996. Harbin is a center for the expression of New Age beliefs. Harbin's clothing-optional policy, its pools, and the natural beauty of the local landscape are part of Harbin's appeal to visitors, who must agree to membership, if only temporarily, for admission. Harbin has been a center for the development of new modes of healing and personal development, including Watsu (water shiatsu), a massage technique created by Harold Dull at Harbin in the early 1980s. Watsu, based on gently moving the body through water, is now practiced in spas throughout the world. References Sources Further reading 2015 disestablishments in California Springs of Lake County, California Buildings and structures in Lake County, California Former Native American populated places in California Hot springs of California Intentional communities in