From:
"Monterey
The Presence of the Past"
Augusta Fink, 1972

(photos below)

Slate's Hot Springs
Today's Esalen was once called Slate's Springs, because
it had been the property of Thomas Benton Slate. About the
turn of the century, it was acquired by John Little,
who sold a portion of the land, including the springs, to
a Doctor Murphy. He hoped to build a sanitarium on the site.
In the 1930s there was a lodge, cabins, and open air
baths on a platform wedged into the cliff above the ocean.

A flag was raised at the top of the path leading to the springs
to alert bathers when the tubs were in use. It was a courtesy
to clean and partially refill the tub so that the water
would not lie too hot for the next user. The water turned green
after standing a short time, and those "not in the know,"
thinking it was dirty, emptied it. They suffered a long wait
while their boiling bath cooled.

Photographs taken in 1934
by S. L. Slevin, courtesy of the Bancroft Library.
-----