Tiered Pricing Suggestion Guide

HOW SHOULD I USE THE SLIDING SCALE?

Keeping the below guidelines in mind, know that we ultimately trust and support you to choose the level of contribution that works for you and your family. 

If your current financial situation falls somewhere between two of the tiers described below, we ask you to mix and match pricing in a way which offers the highest contribution you can within your means and without overstretching. 

Please do not use BELOW-COST pricing simply because someone in your party is a non-swimmer or a child, UNLESS you also fall within the below guidelines for the BELOW COST tier.

Please consider contributing at REPLENISH if you fit many OR most of the following descriptions:

• You are booking reservations for those beyond yourself and your immediate dependents (e.g. for a friend, or for a party, gathering or organization convening at the Springs, be it large or small);
• You are financially comfortable with the ability to comfortably meet all your basic needs;
• You own the home you live in;
• You are either employed full-time OR work part-time by choice;
• You travel recreationally more than once per year;
• You have investments and/or retirement accounts;
• You have access to either inherited wealth, family support, or other sources of financial support/stability in times of need;
• You have a relatively high degree of earning power, perhaps due to your level of education, overall health, race/class background, etc.

Please consider contributing at the regular DAY VISIT tier if you fit many OR most of the following descriptions:

• You are booking reservations for those beyond yourself and your immediate dependents (e.g. friends and/or party attendees);
• You are financially doing okay and usually have the ability to meet your basic needs;
• You can afford the monthly payments for the home you live in (either rent OR own);
• You are employed full-time OR live on an adequate retirement income;
• You travel recreationally at least once per year;
• You have average earning power, perhaps due to your level of education, overall health, race/class background, etc.

Please consider contributing at BELOW-COST if you fit many OR most of the following descriptions:

• You are booking reservations only for yourself and your immediate dependents;
• You have regular difficulty covering basic expenses;
• You are supporting children or have other dependents;
• You have significant and burdensome debt;
• You have significant medical expenses not covered by insurance, or you do not have health insurance;
• You are an elder with very limited financial support;
• You are an unpaid community organizer;
• You have unstable housing and/or limited access to reliable transportation;
• You have not taken a vacation or significant time off in the last year due to the financial burden;
• Your earning power has been significantly constrained by your level of education, overall health, race/class background, etc.
• Please do not use BELOW-COST pricing if someone in your party is simply a non-swimmer or a child, UNLESS you already fall within these guidelines for this BELOW COST tier.

WHAT IF I CAN COMFORTABLY AFFORD BEYOND THIS SLIDING SCALE?

For those who could contribute beyond the REPLENISH tier, we encourage you to consider joining our Sustainer Circle! This circle of monthly donors support the long term mission, vision, revitalization and accessibility of these Springs. Visit our Support the Springs page for more information. 

WHAT IF I CAN’T AFFORD THIS SLIDING SCALE?

We are committed to pricing in ways that take into account structural barriers and systemic discrimination, past and present, to the best of our abilities. Even so, we recognize that even this sliding scale may be or feel cost-prohibitive for some families.

Please read the following section to learn more about our approach to support these Springs remaining financially accessible to as many families as possible. And if you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@mortonswarmsprings.com and help us understand more about your situation.

FINDING OUR WAY TOGETHER WITH MONEY

In these times, to speak directly about money and means is an exercise in humility. We all need it to survive, to eat, to feel secure and to care for basic needs. And yet, money carries the weight of so many shadows–consumerism, commodification and profiteering. In the current capitalistic paradigm, wealth equates with power, those with less are viewed as less than, and profits are valued over relationship, and often even over biospheric health. In a society facing countless compounding crises underpinned by the abuses and perverse incentives inherent in the structure of our global monetary system, we are endeavoring to explore as consciously as possible alternative pathways of money and wealth.

We believe it is our responsibility to learn to handle money just as we do water–e.g. in a respectful way which supports life flourishing rather than degrading; to treat it’s currency as a flow–a moving current and a gift–which must be perpetually circulating and distributing widely to nourish and rehydrate our shared economic aquifer. Indeed, the economic health and vitality of our local community is our common aquifer upon which every individual, family, organization, and plot of land here draws upon for its sustaining. We see that to destabilize or degrade one part is to do the same to the whole.

Since our beginning, we’ve remained committed to accessibility for all. We see the inequities rampant in our society which create disparities in access to places of respite, rejuvenation and recreation. Even so, as the adage goes, we cannot simply ‘warm up the entire ocean with our body temperature.’ Meaning that, to address a problem whose roots are systemic, viable solutions need to operate at the level of an entire community. It will never be solved by individual actions alone. We’ve introduced this pricing system so the work of protecting access for all doesn’t rest solely on our small organization’s shoulders where we would attempt to continually cover the widening gap in ways which risk the long-term viability and sustainability of the Springs.

So we are doing what we can, and this is an ongoing, evolving process. We have our tiered sliding scale and Season Passes to help make these waters as accessible as possible. And we ask that those of increased financial means or access to wealth pay more, inviting an inquiry into the realities of systemic wealth inequality as they consider what feels right to offer. We also encourage participants to both offer and benefit from community support, not only because it can help with the resources needed, but because it weaves a fabric of personal investment and belonging in one’s experience and community. This also fosters a sense of reciprocity between the Springs, our guests, passholders and members, and the wider circles that our communities serve.

Yet in order to remain a viable organization, we need money to support our staff and physical infrastructure, as well as pay the multitude of expenses that go into revitalizing a historic hot springs resort. We are not a charity organization. Nor are we a foundation. We are a small local organization with a very modest budget. But, really, we are not that either. Rather, we are a group of ordinary people who just happen to have an insatiable passion–a calling, perhaps–for facilitating and enhancing direct access to pure, health-giving geothermal waters and natural ecosystems. We have witnessed again and again the life-changing power of healing springs, and for this reason, we are committed to making these waters accessible to all.