The river is pretty cold this time of year, a temp Polar Bears might like
The organism gets in the pours around the hair follicles causing irritation there. Some people think if you rinse off after being in the pools that doing this is a partial help, but I don't think so. Its about exposure time in the hot/warm pools. The Phoenix Hot Pool, furthest one upstream is the best one for avoiding this problem. Its source is right near the pool so it stays cleaner than the rest of them