Ojo Caliente
hot springs heaven!
Welcome to Postcards from New Mexico! Three Sundays a month, I share beauty, stories, and culture from this region that has been my home since 2008.
Imagine driving through the beautiful arid high desert of Northern New Mexico. You turn off on a side road that winds between the red rock hills of a canyon. To the north is an arroyo, a dry river bed. You meander on this road for about 17 miles, then you take another side road and arrive at a true oasis – an historic hot springs with legendary healing properties.
Welcome to Ojo Caliente, where your imagination has taken the form of reality!
For centuries, residents of this area and travelers have enjoyed the deep relaxation to be found at Ojo Caliente mineral springs. The springs have long been known to the Indigenous people of this area, the Tewa-speaking people and other Ancestral Pueblo tribes. The original name is Posi or P'oseuinge, "village at the place of the green bubbling hot springs." Diné, Comanche, and Ute people also used these springs.
In 1860, a bathhouse was constructed on the site by Antonio Joseph and his wife, of Taos. In 1868 they opened it as a natural health spa. By 1880 the resort could lodge 60 people, and was sought out by those suffering from various ailments. This was during a time when much of Northern New Mexico became a destination trip for East Coasters in search of clean air and better health. A hotel was built on the site in 1916, which still stands to this day.
Present-day travelers continue to enjoy these same healing waters, and what was once a rustic and funky resort has been transformed (for better or worse) into a pretty ritzy place to spend the day, or longer. You don’t need a reservation for a day pass, but you will need to plan ahead if you want to spend the night in the hotel or one of the other lodging options, or if you want to book one of the spa treatment packages. Lodging here is not inexpensive — the lowest price is for a room in the old hotel, which starts at $279 a night. But keep in mind that lodging includes access to the pools, and those staying on site get the benefit of entering the pools a couple of hours earlier than the general public.
You can easily make this a day trip from Santa Fe, it’s about an hour north. Check in at the front desk, pay your fee, and receive a towel and locker. After you’ve changed into your bathing suit (au naturel bathing isn’t a thing here like it is in California where I’m from), it’s up to you where to spend your time. You’ve got your choice of six pools, each with a different mineral composition, including lithium, iron, and arsenic (yes, it’s safe!). Soaking temperatures range from 97–102 degrees. There’s also a mud bath and a larger swimming pool which is kept at a wonderfully comfortable temperature.
If you want to add on to your soaking experience, you can book private spa treatments and there’s a really good restaurant on site that gets a lot of its produce from the resort’s own farm. And of course there’s a gift store! If you forgot a bathing suit, you can buy one here along with a lot of other spa wear and some surprisingly good healthy snacks.
Ojo, as it’s called for short, is a wonderful place to spend a day, a week, or even longer if you’ve got the time and the money. Every time I go there, I return home feeling like a wet noodle -- and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s one of the most deeply relaxing places I’ve ever been.
See “Local’s Tips” below for insider tips to make the most of your visit Ojo Caliente.
If you go / Local’s tips…
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