About the film

A feature length documentary film exploring the healing power of hot springs.

synopsis

Beneath the Surface uncovers the rich history, science, and spirituality of thermal waters. Told through stunning visuals and the intimate voices of scientists, historians, indigenous elders, and modern seekers, the film traces humanity’s journey: from ancient Roman thermae and Japanese onsens, where balneotherapy was sacred medicine, to the pharmaceutical era that sidelined them. Now, cutting-edge science revives their power—easing pain, healing gut health, melting stress—while mystical threads reveal water’s response to intention, earth’s grounding force, and a divine reconnection to nature.

Filmed in breathtaking springs across Iceland’s ethereal blues, Japan’s ancestral ryokan, Montana’s wild gems and so many more. This luminous visual poem unveils the mystique and quiet miracles steaming just beneath the surface.

why now

We live in an age where modern medicine excels at symptom control yet leaves millions craving genuine healing. Simultaneously our technology meant to connect often leaves us riddled with anxiety in an unrelenting world where fear is a mechanism of control. Here, we stand at a crossroads.

True sustainability demands we reclaim holistic living: lowering stress, restoring equilibrium, and grounding ourselves into earth’s medicine as a means to revive agency in the miracle of the body. Right now, as this longing peaks, science validates the ancient wisdom—thermal waters are profound, proven medicine, calling us back to balance and deep restoration.

Meet the Interviewees