Pits

Milos has given us quite a lot to experience, discover and enjoy, soakingswise. 

One would expect that after the hits at Alikes, Paleochori, Tria Pigidia and the experiences at for instance Skinopi that there would be little more to add.

That's not so. Milos being one of the more thermally active islands of the Mediterranean, there's always the outstanding list of missed possibilities. 

Take a look at the map below which indicates the many hot spots on the island (source). If you discount the odds and ends that have been described in the mention blog posts above, there's still quite more to be researched though one would need to know whether map below is accurate and up to date. What is certain is that the most obvious ones have been accounted for.

Fortune
That is with one big exception, the premier hot spring of Milos, that of Adamas port itself.  

Named Lakos, this hot spring was already noted by Hippocrates himself (source). This hot spring is supposed to be the most accessible and developed of the island.

Arriving by ferry, the hot springs are situated in the cliff face along side the quay, see lead photo above. Built within the cliff / located in a cave are a number of pools.

But much to every potential soakers surprise the facilities were under lock when we visited. I had asked on forehand but my source's answer was as follows:

'Unfortunately the organized hot springs are closed. I called the municipality but they are not sure if they will open them in April'.

No, they weren't open in April. And by the look of things they weren't going to open fullstop. There was no clue whether or not this was something waiting to happen.

On a number of occasions I tried to peek through the windows / door hoping to see some activity, alas none to be observed.

Apparently the bath(s) had undergone a recent renovation. Until quite recent they were very rustic. The older style cave-like settings are easy to be observed from the koinignomi.gr article (Jul. 17, 2014) on the upcoming restoration activities.

Source

 

More recent was this (translated) news item (Bluebirds Tourism and Travel, 30 Aug. 2015):

'New era for spa tourism Milos 30.08.2015 inaugurated Saturday the hot spring "Lakos" in Milos Adamas - The Cave of Hippocrates. This is an excellent work that creates the conditions for the development of spa tourism in Milos and extend the tourist season on the island'.

Inclusive photo's seem rather plush (below).

Source: Bluebird

Notable is that despite attempts from the private sector to renovate he cave, the decision was to keep these public, i.e. in hands of the municipality. Rather a Pyrrhic victory, if it's not open.

Other info gleamed from the internet. The website Milos.gr:

'However, out of all the hot springs, the only exploitable and recognized as a therapeutic spa-spring of a healing importance, is that of “Lakkos” in Adamantas, which is mentioned in Hippocrates’s works.

The hot springs of Lakkos  are located in the left side of Adamantas harbor, in a cave of 15m

...

The hot springs of Lakkos are opened for spa-treatments from the 15^th of July till the 15^th of October, from 7a.m. till 1p.m'.

Milostravel.com:

'Hippocrates in his "Peri Epidimion" quoted the waters for dermatitis and obesity.

Milos today has a little spa in Adamas, in a cave called "Ta loutra tou lakkou ", the baths of the pit. The water has a temperature from 35 to 41° C, and the well is characterized as a basis of sodium chloride. It is recommended for neuro arthritis and osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle pain and neuralgia, rheumatism, leucorree'.

Pit holes

Included (and ending the series on Milos) in this wrapping up we might as well include references to hot springs on the nearby island of Kimolos (20 minutes by small ferry from Milos) which has it's own hot spring. This source describes it as follows:

'The springs of Prasa can be found on a cement pier in a beach in Prasa. You'll find two pit-holes there, one of them with a cement roof and the other one not. The water that flows from their bottom is not much, but it's very hot.

Across the two springs you'll find an old, semi-abandoned building; it's the building of the springs. There are four basins in there, one of them made of marble. Kimoliots use those basins from time to time'.

It's apparently a d.i.y. hot spring, you have to fill the tub itself, hot water from the spring, seawater to cool it off.

This source senses more soaking opportunities on the island:

'Agioklima, Therma, Prassa are only some of the spots north of Kimolos, where hot springs gush out with a temperature over 56 degrees Celsius'.

Concerning the first two there's little to find. Though on Prassa it seems more development has occurred, see photo following which comes from the reference above with the caption:

'Hot springs near the sea'

The sailor and the soak

Skinopi bay, directly north of the port town of Adamas (Adamantas) on the island of Milos (yes, Greece), has a reputation for thermality. 
But whether or not this is real remains to be seen.

The reputation is disclosed on the official tourism website of Milos which has this limited info on the supposed hot springs of Skinopi:

'-          Skinopi

Temperature: up to 41 C

Composition: alipiges (hot springs)'

Alipiges refers from Greek as a saline / salty source. 

But this is about all the info that's available on the bay of Skinopi's thermal reputation; all other references a copy of above. So not much to go by.

Still one never knows.
Skinopi certainly is not a heavily visited place, even though it's only 10 minutes from Adamas. The main reason for not going may well be the access road: a narrow windy and at times dirt road weaves itself up the hill from Adamas and once beyond the mount crashes down to Skinopi.

At the end of the road on the bay, there's a house to the south, and a number of sirmata to the north. 
Sirmata are small structures with a living upstairs and a boathouse downstairs. At least in the old days. Nowadays they are fashionable tourist villa's. Though that wasn't the case here.

The bay of Skinopi looking northwards, to a number of sirmata, sheltered from northern winds.

After parking the car and looking around, it didn't look like we will be seeing any soaking action. Based on my research and the lack of any facilities / hints. 

We decide to shift the search northwards, if not for the thermal opportunities at least for observing the quaint fishermans houses.

Cats
There's one other person on the bay and by the noise he's making one would believe there to be many others. But once we draw closer we realize that his chatter is meant for his cats. 

The older and getting bald man greets us heartily, asks us from where we are, apologizes for the ruckus with the cats and then shows us that the cats respond well to his chatter as on command one of them jumps into his arms.

With little prompting he sets off explaining how, as a sailor, he crossed the many seas only to retire after 35 years of service. He then took up fishing in the Aegean, but has now really retired on his own at his little sirmata. 

"Sometimes I go fishing"

he says, pointing to his tiny dinghy, 

"I catch a few fish for myself. And the rest for the cats". 

Life could be hard. And lonely. But he seemed very content with how things turned out.

"You know, I have lived my life".

Bubbles
Having said that, I disclose my reason for visiting his part of the world. 

"Ah yes. Look". 

He points to a place in the water just a meter away.

"Where there are bubbles, there is hot water". 

I place my foot over the bubbles and indeed the water is markedly warmer.  

 

He continues

"Sometimes, the bubbles are much more lively. At night I hear them from inside my house!"

But not today. The last house south, he notes, has a source inside. There's no outflow, but the owners have a tub which they fill from the source. 

"And you see the rock at the end of the bay?"

He points southwards. 

"Behind that rock is another source, in sea, between two rocks. A nice bath. But very difficult to get there. Only with a boat".

I'll take his word for it, but make a mental note to search for this. Later maybe.

After a little more small talk we thank our Skinopi host profusely and see if it's possible to get our rental Fiat Panda back up the hill. 
Though we also take the opportunity to wander around the vacant house to the south: no thermal source to be seen from the outside.

Rainbows

Looking westwards

Traversing the Greek island of Milos is not too challenging. A great part of the eastern part of the isle for instance are undulating hills, nothing too serious, mostly ending in cliffs near to some exquisite beaches. And again, it's on one of these beaches where the next geothermal expressions of Milos are to be found.

The beach of Paleochori (Paliochori / Paleohóri) lies on the southeastern side of the island, neatly tucked in under said cliffs, making it a great place to go especially with northern winds. As Milos is here at it's narrowest, it's no surprise that this beach is also one of the islands busier locales: it's easy and well to access from the larger villages on the island. That said, coastal development still is in it's infancy. Then again, as it was still April, the action might well be in revved up during the summer months.

Now let's look at some of the accolades Paleochori beach has attained:
* Tripadvisor rate it as the no. 4 thing to do on the island (hint: the top 3 were all beaches ...). 
* Greeka's report (five stars apparently): 

'Its crystal-clear waters are a perpetual temptation for swimming and the variety of colours and materials there is really amazing'. 

* Cycladia.com: 

'As the cyan waters gently lap the golden shore and the splendidly colored cliffs overhang the beach, the striking landscape composes a colorful natural canvas. The stunningly beautiful beach of Paleochori is considered to be one of the most popular beaches of Milos boasting umbrellas, sun beds, restaurants, cafes and wonderful lodgings. It is the perfect place for swimming, nude sunbathing, snorkeling and a variety of water sports'.

* Rough Guide: 

'Despite being one of the lower profile Cyclades, most beach connoisseurs rate Milos as the best in this most famous island group. Perhaps that is not so surprising – thanks to its volcanic nature and horseshoe shape, it boasts an impressive seventy-five beaches, yet is barely 20km across. 
... 
One of the best beaches on the south coast is sandy Paleohóri, gently heated by underground thermal currents and linked to a second strand, hemmed in by colourful cliffs, via a tunnel through the rock'.

* Captain Barefoot: 

'Having been to all the beaches mentioned on this website and accessible by the marvellous network of BUSES from Adamas, I would advise all nudism candidates to go to Paleochori. 
... 
Paliochori beach is widely thought one of the best beaches in Greece'.

* Insight guides: 

'Mílos's best beaches are in the southwest "bat wing, starting with Paleohóri - it's far end part-naturist, with stem vents in the sand near which eggs can be fried, and hot water bubbling up in the sea'. 

What the above have in common is a focus on how popular and commercial the beach is (but rest assured, nothing is very overdeveloped) and little elaboration of the geothermal character of the beach. 
Let's conclude that Paleochori is worth a visit even without the geothermal features.

Bubbles

In this paragraph we will look into the geothermal phenomena. 

To me, the one thing that strikes you as characteristic of Paleochori beach are the sulphur streaks along the cliffs which distinguish it from other (popular) beaches on Milos. 

Another distinguishing characteristic is the novelty of the Sirocco restaurant which offers fish / meat dishes that have been prepared under the geothermally heated sands. But possibly only in the summer buzz.
 
But what about those other geothermal features? Again the internet is not leaving us in the lurch. Let's start with the Greek geothermal keepsake, the Greek-islands.us website:

'The beach of Paleochori has rather high temperatures. Actually, they're so high that a restaurant close to the beach claims they cook their dishes on the sand! At some point the temperature of the sand is higher than 194°F.

...

You should definitely get in. The waters are lukewarm for about 5-6 meters. The beach is usually not crowded because most of the people prefer the one next to it, with the restaurant'.

* Milos.gr:

'The Beach of Paliohori is of almost 2 kilometers in total size and it is extremely popular. It consists of multi-colored pebbles, coarse sand and fresh crystal clear deep waters. In fact, the beach is composed of three beaches: the big organized one, the middle one and a small narrow one surrounded by rocks. In Paliohori you will have the opportunity to see unique and imposing images, result of the volcanic activity and the geologic vividness of the region. Apart from the multicolored rocks in red, pink, yellow and white-grey color, in Paliohori hot springs gush out. The unbelievable diversity of the existing natural materials and colors will surely amaze you'.

The Milos-island.gr website:

'One of the volcanic characteristics is the geysers, mostly in the east and south-east, where gases, mostly carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and steam, issue through apertures in the rocks, often causing yellow colouration, the well-known sulphur smell and elevated surface temperature eg. Ag. Kyriaki 102°C, Pyromenes 100°, Paliochori 101°C, Vounalia 54°C, Kastanas 86°C, Adamas 100° C. At points where this occurs under the sea, bubbles of gas are visible on the surface and again the same characteristic smell and elevated temperature. Examples may be seen at Ag. Kyriaki, Paliochori, Kanava and Rivari.
...
These springs are at sea level in Adamas for example, where public baths have been built - the temperature reaching 33,3°C. Further examples are, Alikes (22°C), Kanava (50°C), Paliochori (50°C), Mandrakia (54°C), Adamas Haros (42°C), Provata and Tria Pigadia and elsewhere.
The chief salt present in the waters is sodium chloride, but the sulphates of calcium, magnesium, potassium and ammonia are also to be found, along with carbon dioxide and silicon dioxide. The spa waters are considered to remedy rheumatoid arthritis, gynaecological and dermatological illnesses among others. These areas also exhibit elevated land temperatures'.

Feelgreece.com: 

'The rocks just behind the beach are also colored in vivid red, due to their volcanic origin. The volcanic activity is expressed also in the warm underwater springs which can be felt on some places around the shore'.

Milos.gr (again?!):

'Paliohori

Temperature: 65-90 C

Composition: sulphur, alipiges (hot springs)'

Hue(s) and cry?

Then we come to milostalgia one of the very limited detailed accounts on a visit to Paleochori and who elaborates such that my own experience might well melt in her shine:

'The restaurant is called Sirocco, the food is solidly good [true], and you get to eat about 10 feet from the water's edge.  The most interesting thing here is something they called 'volcanic food'.  As I've mentioned before, Milos is a volcanic island with lots of geological oddities.  One of these oddities apparently is that volcanic heat gets quite close to the surface in some places, including the beach right in front of Sirocco.  So what they've done is create a sort of oven by burying a metal box in the sand there.  And their menu has a 'volcanic food' section with a few dishes that are cooked in this volcanic oven.  I thought it was a cool concept, but I also doubted it was true.  It sounded like something you would make up for the tourists.  But then on our second trip I had walked a ways down the beach away from the restaurant and I was standing at the water's edge.  As the waves washed the sand out from under my feet, they sank down a couple of inches and I had to jerk one of them out fast.  It was hot!  I stuck my toe down under the sand again to make sure I hadn't imagined it, but no, the sand got really hot just a couple inches below the surface.  It's a bizarre thing, but there is some serious volcanic heat coming right up to the surface in spots of Paleochori.  I no longer doubt that Sirocco is cooking food in the sand in front of their restaurant.  (I will however admit that most of the non-volcanic food we got was better than the volcanic eggplant dish we tried.)

And on top of the fish, there's another volcanic feature that makes the snorkeling really impressive.  The sea floor at Paleochori is leaking some kind of gas.  Tiny bubbles rise up from the sand throughout the beach, and some areas are really dense with them.  If you listen underwater you can hear the bubbling, and if the sun is shining through one of the fields of bubbles, it looks downright surreal.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a waterproof camera, so I didn't get a picture of it myself, but I did find a picture on the internet that someone took of the bubbles at Paleochori'.

Streaking

Well, the above leaves me with little need to add anything original, but still I'll give it a try.

We visited here twice, both times with glorious sunny spring weather, it's certainly not a drag to visit this pleasant beach. 

As stressed above, the road ends more or less at the Sirocco restaurant which sits to the west of the middle beach. 

One can still continue on the road, left (eastwards) for another 200m or so and end at the east part of the central beach. This part (middle section), though the most accessible and it seems most popular, is also the least spectacular.

From Sirocco, head west around or through the rocks (depending on the tide) and you'll end up at (surprise, surprise) the western beach. There's also access to this beach section via stairs coming from a beach bar above the cliffs. 
See photo below of west beach section with the stairs in center of beach. Dead ahead are the cliffs with geothermal as evidence of sulphur emissions.

 

I tried to find the heat sources themselves and was only successful at the westernmost section. The sand there is quite course and the shore slope steepish meaning you are dipping your feet quite deep with every step. At a certain place you felt that the sub-surface temperature a lot higher than the warm sand above it. That ladies and gents, is where you'll hot seepage is taking place.

But alas I found no further evidence, certainly none of warm seawaters!

However on our next visit we headed eastwards from the middle beach. 
Again, once off the main beach, the cliffs return. As do the spectacular sulphur streaks. Here I swam out in the sea and witnessed and felt the various sub-marine springs, quite delicious.

Eastwards

Fuming

There's more to the Paleochori area in geothermal sense, though not always obvious. 

Eastwards one can visit an abondoned sulphur mine, already featured earlier on the ENSS blog.

While heading towards Paleochori, note that the area was once the place to develop geothermal power. Alas, state thinking has promoted old school environmental degrading power production near Alikes, pity that.

Then again, the first try was not a success and such being sceptical and reluctant is common. From Spero News (12 Sep. 2009):

'To some in Greece, however, the words geothermal power are synonymous with the botched project on Milos in the early 1980s, when an attempt by PPC to develop a small plant there resulted in the release of large amounts of hydrogen sulphide, a toxic gas responsible for the odour of rotten eggs and flatulence. Understandably, many locals on Milos - without whose consent any similar project there is likely to stall - are deeply opposed to even discussing the potential of geothermal energy'.

The gases also resulted in trees dying. Nice.

Westwards along the coast are a few more geothermal features. The next beach is that of Agios Kyriaki which is also mentioned to have submarine springs. But none were witnessed on exploration.

Above this beach, to the west, atop the Fyriplaka crater one can experience and discover the emergence of various fumaroles. It's not too strenuous coming from the north, in all it's just a little more than 200m in height. Milos Mining Experience:

'Southernmost point of the at Kalamos: Kaolin outcrops on the outskirts of the Fyriplaka volcanic cone, where preexisting volcanic rocks have undergone intense alteration by acidic solutions generated from escaped hot vapors rich in hydrogen sulfide. At these vents (fumaroles), the clear, well-formed yellow crystals are deposits of native sulfur formed by the oxidation of hydrogen sulphide in the atmosphere. The sulfur is accompanied by a series of relatively rare secondary sulphate minerals such as melanterite, halotrichite, and alunite, which develop in clusters and are derived from the chemical alteration of the components of perlite and other volcanic rocks in the area. Alunite (also known as alum) has been used as a hemostatic in medicine from ancient times. Alums and alunogens have also been recorded in the same area.
Sulphate minerals are hydrous minerals and appear pink, white, yellowish and light green in color. They are extremely fragile and are perceived as tiny needles, thin encrustations, and compact aggregates.
The fumaroles, release points of hydrosulfide gas with its characteristically pungent odor and a temperature reaching 1000 º C, are most visible when the ambient temperature is low and the condensation greater. In any case, however, the strong odor of hydrogen sulfide will be noticed. Beyond the points of stronger fumarole activity which may be detected over old mine galleries, there are many places with elevated temperature, easily perceptible to the touch.
To the southwest the continuity of the volcanic cone and the spread of pyroclastic material, such as in the Fyriplaka promontory, is visible'.

Once on top one can clamber around to seek the fumaroles

It's a nice walk up, not difficult to find and not only do you get the experience of the fumaroles, there are also excellent views eastwards to the Kyriaki and Paleochori beaches.

Trying something different, there was this tip on Tripadvisor:

'I can also recommend taking a sea kayak trip from Ag. Kyriaki towards Palaiochori. On the way there are some caves with hot springs as well. Very impressive!'

Seakayakgreece.com:

'Geothermal activity continues to this day and can be seen on the western end of the bay in form of steam vents, hot springs and the only natural sauna cave in the world'.

Finally there's the beach of Tsigrado to mention which lies on the other western side of Fyriplaka crater. It's not really very specially, but as you only can access this beach via ropes and ladders, well that's an attraction in itself.

Gush forth

When researching hot springs you are either overwhelmed by all the information available or underwhelmed by the utter lack of information.  

Searching for the hot springs named Tria Pigadia on the Greek island of Milos, the latter is the case, such so that all I have is a hunch and a map with the name Tria Pigadia on it. 

Let's start with the hunch. Molos.gr: 

'Tria Pigadia
Temperature: 33-41 C
Composition: alipiges (hot springs)'

It then briefly mentions Tria Pigadia again:

'At the above beaches (Alikes, Provatas, Skinopi, Paliohori, Tria Pigadia, Kanava), in the places where hot springs exist, you will see fumaroles gushing within the sea water and you can enjoy your swim completely for free all year round'.

Not much to go by. A beach. 
Then the website greek-islands.us, which despite the excellent information given, always looks like it's an antiquated website, if such exists on internet:

'Tria Pigadia is not a village but a secluded beach [great]. It took its name from the three wells that are there for watering the animals. The Tria Pigadia Springs are long forgotten, which means you're unlikely to find anyone there.

How will you get there?

They're 9 kilometers away from Apollonia. You take the road to Varytini and after 5 kilometers you turn left (there's no sign). You enter a dirt road and travel for 2,5 kilometers until you reach a crossroad with a sign that says "To Tria Pigadia", on your left. After 1,5 kilometer you'll find the beach.

So, here it goes.

On the right side of the beach, facing the sea on the root of a secluded rock, you'll find the springs. There are two big rocks two meters inside the sea. Between them a natural basin is formed. It's the best spot for swimming.

That's about it for the Tria Pigidia hot springs: the hot springs are there and there is a beach with the same name. On the northeast of the island.

Profit

But how to get there?

One must note that large sways of Milos island are part of a mining operation(s) and thus the area where Tria Pigidia is to be found, lies in a massive area on the east coast which is home to quite a few mines and many a road connecting these mines.

Setting off after a lunch at Pollonia on Milos island's northeastern point.

Nothing ventured nothing gained. 

From the sleepy village of Pollonia (above), we head down along the eastern coast of Milos. 
Straight away we are in the midst of a mining operation. 
The road winds itself through a number of these mines upwards to the plateau. 

Then it gets tricky.

Like the description above, we take a left, which turns out to be a dead end. Back to the main road, return in the direction of Pollonia, then another track heading eastwards.  
Looks OK, miss what should have been our second left turn, but follow a circular road which ends as a trail but then all of sudden we end up at a significant crossroads. 
Another eastwards turn here and we are heading towards the coast, the road drops a little. 

At the edge of the island we stop: the road ahead is very steep. But it certainly looks like we are at the right place: google maps refers to a couple of switchbacks at the southern point of the beach.

Crashing

The car ditched, we continue on foot down the steep track to the beach. 

The beach is not deserted. A naked lady has set up shop in the center of the 500m or so long beach amply guarded by 3 barking dogs; no idea how she got here. 

From my info I know that the springs should be off the south cliff. Below is what the south cliff looks like.

  

Hmm, the seawater is still cold and the only way to explore is to jump in and wade oneself to the rock face. 
I am a little quicker in stripping and about 50m southwestwards, I gather some whiffs of sulphur. Close.

Exploring a little closer there's a sizable spring with water heading straight into the waves. 
Shifting some rocks here and there and there's a one person hot and cold soak: cold after a wave crashes the party every minute or so.

 

I explore more along the cliff face, the description does note 2 big rocks with a basin. The shore is a lot more steeper, so no more wading. And though I feel the temperature at some places to be higher than at others I have to conclude that, alas the basin is not to be found today. It will remain elusive.

Anyway we had a great day searching and finding another soakable spring.

Wrecked

As said, the area of eastern Milos is well-known for it's mines and is pretty desolate otherwise. 

Another great place to visit, not so far away from our soaking site, are the old sulphur mines which can be accessed more to the south than Tria Pigadia, which again entails a search for access (road), followed by a hike down (and back up!) thus avoiding ruining your rental car (if not already wrecked ....). 

Do note that finding this place is a lot easier than the above soakable beach.

It's locally known as Thiafes / Thiorychia (mymilos) or Paliorema (Tripadvisor). There's a lot of info about the mine on internet, the first already mentioned link is a good start as well as the Milos Mining Museum, their geowalk no. 3 heads this way.

Having completed the hike down, what waits is the eerily sight of a once vibrant mining community, now open to the elements of time and degradation.
Well worth the effort. 

The beach is also exceptionally nice and awaits the visitor willing to enjoy as naturally as one can / wishes ....

Meta

The island of Milos is oft mentioned as being of a highly volcanic nature with many a hot spring. Witness the official website:

'Milos thanks to the volcanic activity and the meta-volcanic hydrothermal action has a lot of hot springs, well-known in antiquity for their therapeutic powers. Characteristically, Hippocrates in his book E’ “On epidemics” refers to the therapy of an eminent Athenian who suffered from a skin disease and who was cured at the Hot Springs of Lakkos in Milos. Furthermore, the French professor  of Botanic Pitton de Tournefort refers to the island’s  hot springs in his “tour” texts in 1771'.

On the ground things are telling a different story.

I'll get to this in a later posting, there are mainly two failings: 

1. there's precious little info to go by,

2. other than the statement above there's little or no interest in soaking at all!

Wiggle

At least one of these statements does not apply for the hot springs of Aliki (or Alikes, Alykes, but sometimes referred to as Kanava): not only are they the most often cited, there's even a roadside signboard to indicate their existence.

But that's about all there is to these hot springs, a signboard. No telling exactly where they are.

Were it not for other additional info one would never have known where to search and / or what to expect.

Let's start with the most informative, Tripadvisor (forum):

'It is much easier to find the ones in Kanava. They are right opposite the power plant in the bay of Adamas. Driving from Adamas towards the airport, at the end of the of the power plant (right after the junction to Palaiochori, Agia Kyriaki) opposite there is small sign "Hot Springs".

There is a big flat rock on the beach at this point. The majority of the springs extend at the right of the rock as you face the sea. On a calm day you will see the pubbles on the surface of the sea and the sand.

Also the grandmothers and grandfathers swimming there will give you a good indication :'

Or this:

'More like a spa experience than a beach, this is one of the places on Milos where hot minerals springs gush out of the sea around the shore. In Greek Loutra Alikis means "baths of Aliki", as Aliki is the name of the area around the airport. The sign for the springs is hidden between the trees but you can easily find the beach which is right in front of the island`s electric power plant, near the crossroad for Zephyria. The beach and the plant are separated by the main road going to Achivadolimni and Empourio. There is no parking lot and you have to park along the road. The springs cannot be seen from the road but when you get closer you can see the water "boiling" at some spots. The water gushing out from the springs is hot on these spots but the coming cold waves mix with it, reaching a very pleasant temperature and allowing you to soak in the sea for a long period. It is considered that these springs cure skin and gynecological diseases'.

Equipped with this info, we drive over to the site mentioned and park the car. Beyond the sign is a shrub or two and then the coastline. An opening  between the shrubs gives access to the beach, though it's a larger rock onto which it opens up to.

Anyway to the right are two what I believe English dames who might have experienced the soak. Oddly enough they point to a place just before the tide line where (that days prevailing) winds have stacked up as of yet uncertain sea vegetation.

"You have to wiggle a bit".

Wiggle we do and a foot bath is to be had. But that's about that. No grandparents around who might elude. Was this it?

This is it: a nice mess!

Best
Though it's easy enough to stumble onto these hot springs, what better way than to get (more) info than from the Adamas located Milos Mining Museum: a legacy to the geological origins of Milos island and ways to exploit it. 

In itself it's quite interesting, especially if into geology: there's a floor with all kinds of stones all originating from the island. And there's some original mining equipment. 

It would also be a handy as a source of information especially as the visitors information office (of the island) is not functioning (at all or just seasonally?).

The lady behind the desk at the museum however has little knowledge on the subject (of soaking) and straightaway starts to frantically dial a number on her mobile phone. Oddly enough, just three seconds later the man she was calling steps into the office, not having answered his phone. 

After being explained what the question is, he responds and explains the best place to see hot springs on the island is at Alikes.

"You will see the signboard opposite the power plant".

Ok, passed that part. He then expands that the soaking source is actually 10m off the tide line. Hmmmm, that's more info. 

However, average seawater temp at the time of my visit to Milos is 16 /17 °C, if being optimistic. Neither a temperature to swim for a longer time in.

Fast forward a few days, air temperatures have risen and I am still curious. The day is fantastic: warm with little wind. 
We park once more, this time round there's no other visitors (in the course of a week, we have passed this place maybe 10 times; other than on the occasion above the place has been deserted, no grandpa's nor grandma's!).

Winds and tides have pushed the vegetation above the tide line (or maybe it's low tide) and just beyond one can see bubbles. 

Quite hot standing there. 

Looking more intently I see more bubbles a meter or so away and wade that way.  Ahh, that's nice and hot. 
The sea is very flat and I am contemplating swimming out the ten meters mentioned just to confirm the non-existence. 

It's then that I notice a part of the bay with movement on it, contrasting to the flat waters around. 

That's not even 10m, so I dive in. 

Roughly 5m or so (see lead photo), with a depth of a meter, there are huge amounts of hot water flowing into the sea from the sea bottom, thus giving the sea surface a little ripple. It's nice and warm, hot flashes intermittent with the much colder sea.

The waters are also a lot more saline here. Temperatures are supposed to be 50°C (source).

Well, that was a great discovery. And it leaves me wondering why nothing has been done to say make a sea pool, hem in the hot water, get guests in for the winter, so much to do.

Fallen
Closeby are other springs with the same name (Alikes / Alykes; but not Kanava) but they seem to be in need of a spring cleaning. Miloterreanean:

'Cave with thermal mineral water with a temperature of 29ºC and a chlorine content that indicates a mix of fresh to sea water in a ratio of 2 to 1 [measurements of 1985 - M. Stamatakis]. In a text from 1835 (Xavier Landerer, “On the Hot Springs of Milos”, 1835) it is stated that the spring is "at the foot of the small hill coming from the old city (Zephyria) at the port where the salt marsh is today…”. The same source states that the entrance was low, so someone needed to crouch down to get into the cave, one that could accommodate 60 to 70 people and where the water temperature reached 25°C. Today the cave cannot be visited, because the roof has fallen in near the entrance'.

Another source:

'Another source, known as "Loutra Alikìs", was recommended for women's diseases and infertility. Today the cave is walled and does not work. (Baths of Aliki, opposite to Milos power plant, near the sea, seems to generate the same water type)'.