One of my few friends in Taos County is moving out of state, so we've been taking in a lot of what makes this place unique before she goes. Today she took me to Ojo Caliente hot springs and spa.
This is the first time I ever went to a hot springs. There was one near where I lived in Northern CA called Harbin Hot Springs that my friends went to a lot, but I never did. Then it burned down.
I can now see the draw. It was a very rejuvenating and relaxing day, and that's surrounded completely by tourists.
I can only imagine how much more healing and restoring the experience would be if it could happen weekend after weekend, year after year, in the company of mostly friends from the area. It would be a real community focused around rejuvenation in nature. And that's what Harbin was more like, because people in that area can afford treats like this. Taos is a poor place, so mostly it's tourists at the paid hot springs.
I was surprised to find a couple of hot springs there featuring arsenic. Supposedly it's quite good for you! Well in small enough doses anyway.
I wound up soaking in about 5 different pools, plus the wet sauna (very short stay, because I could hardly breathe and way too hot!) and dry sauna, my favorite. I also got a massage that was 50 minutes that honestly felt like a full 90 minute massage.
Then I treated my friend to lunch, which for me was fish tacos and truffle fries with lemonade. For her was a watermelon gazpacho she sent back (had roasted tomatoes in it!) and a chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. It was delicious and our waiter was divine. I left him a hefty tip for his being so entertaining, informative, and accommodating, though he might have mentioned the roasted ingredients in the gazpacho. Very different taste than what "watermelon" brings to mind.
I loved looking up at these cliffs (I forget the exact word for them) from the natural pools.
It was also fun chatting with other visitors in one of the pools (the really hot one). We had all traveled a lot and had interesting stories to tell. Very friendly people. Other pools were filled with people who seemed to be meditating. So in those I pretty much just focused on the feeling of the water and beauty of the surroundings.
On the way out we came across a few nests of baby birds, including this one.
Then on the drive back I finally got to go across the Rio Grande Gorge bridge and stop for photos. Here are a couple of the terrain and one of me. (That's a dashiki I'm wearing, so very loose. I'm not nearly that big LOL.)
All in all it was an incredibly healthy, relaxing day. It was a long ride to get there, but few cars were on the road. It is definitely someplace I will go back to.
I also learned of a number of other great hot springs from the tourists there. So I may be entering a hot springs life phase!
Are there any natural hot springs where you live? If so, do you tend to go to the "wild" ones or the ones that have been made a part of a spa?
Would you ever go to one alone (particularly part of a spa) or only with a companion?
