I loved New Mexico the fist time I set foot in both Santa Fe and Taos. And hot springs. Fuggetaboutit! I’m a sucker for the bubbly water, beckoning me to sit and soak my cares away. So when you put these two together, and you give me New Mexico hot springs… I don’t want to be anywhere else.
A Childhood Memory
Not my memory as hot springs weren’t a thing my family did. But for Alex is was. He told me about this place he’d gone as a kid that was in the middle of nowhere and had all these natural pools that each came out of the ground as a single mineral. Apparently a pretty unique thing on the planet. Knowing that I love hot springs, he said we should go there after a trip we already had planned in February 2020 to snowboard New Mexico with NASJA, literally less than a month before the world shut down from Covid-19.
Of course I didn’t argue and booked a fancy Cliffside Suite at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. It was luxurious and the price matched. Since the tour we were on was a sponsored media trip, our expenses were low so we had extra budget at the time to splurge a little. And I’m also a sucker for fireplaces and each of these suites had its own kiva fireplace and a private back patio with its own outdoor soaking tub. Double score.
Stressful Soaking
The point of lounging in hot springs is to reduce stress not add to it. But if where you want to soak also sucks the life out of your wallet, the opposite effect of stress-free will consume your so called vacation. Our latest trip in March 2024 was different than last time we were in New Mexico. This time we set the agenda and the trip was all our own. Which also means it cost more, was longer, and budget mattered. The three-week itinerary started in Utah, skipped over to Colorado, and ended in New Mexico.
If you missed the lead up to New Mexico, check out the not-so-relaxing adrenaline of the beginning to our trip.
I Shall Prevail… or Gale? Powder Mountain Weather
How A Little Doggie Changed My Mind About Colorado – Wolf Creek Ski Area
Old Skool Is The New Chic
Unfortunately, I didn’t finalize our itinerary until just a couple weeks before we hit the road. That’s not like me but for many reasons, it happened this way. When I went online to book the most important part of the trip (to me, at least) at Ojo Caliente, my options were nil. I mean nothing! I quietly started panicking inside because we couldn’t just move the trip as we invited friends to meet us for the New Mexico leg, and they had plane tickets. Quietly closing my web browser, I’d have to come back to it later.
I checked back online day after day for over a week and the only room available was for two nights, and it was a Cliffside Suite again, like last time. Problem #1 is I couldn’t stomach the price for the room. Even being at my favorite New Mexico hot springs spot. And #2, I really wanted three nights so we could have two full days of not having to pack or move farther than pool to pool. I just couldn’t click the button.
I waited another few days and gave the website another go… and holy moly! Something came up. Wait… trailers? Ojo Caliente has trailers? Like Airstream-ish refurbished vintage trailers? That doesn’t even sound right.
A Stroll To Savings
Sure enough, Ojo Caliente Vintage Trailers are a thing. And not something you should think of as a second rate choice. My last ditch effort to find us a room anywhere at the resort miraculously popped up with a vintage trailer available for three nights. Exactly the time frame I wanted… and less than half the price of the previous room that was only available for two nights. I clicked the confirm button so fast, I almost broke my mouse.
Top Notch Side Hustle
The RV park is off to the side of the main Ojo Caliente grounds. No more than a couple hundred yards away and voila! You’re soaking just like you wanted. The whole point of being out there is to enjoy the fresh air, beautifully manicured landscapes, hiking trails, silent serenity and of course the mineral pools. I enjoyed the little stroll to and from the hot springs, in my robe and flip flops. The amount of money we saved in the trailer made the walk even sweeter. It also added a little money back into the budget for a nice dinner at their restaurant where they serve locally grown produce from their own farm as well as a few refreshing drinks with agave wine.
Everything You Want On Tires
These refurbished Spartan trailers aren’t going anywhere but you can still see the tires as a fun curb appeal accent. There’s a handful of them available to rent and each one is different. All the important parts are included with each one though. Your glamping trailer will be decorated in retro fashion and provides a comfy spot to sit and relax, both inside and outside, as well as a full sized bedroom, full bath, mini kitchen, potable running water, and hiking trails right out the front door. I sat outside and enjoyed my tea & coffee each morning, listening to the little birds flittering around. The wi-fi was strong, plugs were everywhere and it was quiet. Perhaps in the summer things get a bit more noisy, but we’ve only come in the winter and I’ve never had a loud moment.
It’s Not Where You Sleep
Visiting Ojo Caliente outside Taos, NM isn’t about where you sleep at night. Any of their accommodations are amazing because of the mineral pools and overall experience it gives you. If I had an unlimited budget, I would book one of the giant suites with private pool, fireplace, and stay for a week with spa treatments everyday. I would go crazy. But honestly, I don’t think it would mean as much to me. I go to Ojo Caliente to just sit and be still. To let my mind run until it stops making noise and sits quietly, taking in the natural world around me. I don’t need a fancy room or concierge service. What I need is a stress free break where I’m not worried about money, time, or tasks. Just me and some bubbly hot water. My New Mexico hot springs oasis. And a vintage trailer to lay my head is just what I needed to do that.
We All Have Favorites
I can’t end my ode to Ojo without mentioning my favorite pool. Yes, the whole resort is worthy of a soak. But out of the four minerals of Iron, Soda, Lithia, and Arsenic, I do crown a winner. In 2020, I was smitten with the Arsenic pool. When you submerge yourself in this pool, your entire body is covered in tiny bubbles that if you swipe your hand across your arm underwater, all the little bubbles float to the surface before covering you again. I spent more time in the Arsenic pool that trip than any of the others. But it no longer holds my #1 spot.
The Iron and Soda pools are also quite unique but not my pools of choice. The Iron pool fills my lungs with metallic-tasting steam and makes my breathing heavy. It’s probably good for me but I get too focused on it so the pool becomes more stressful than relaxing. Though I do enjoy the pebble bottom of the pool a lot. As far as the Soda pool, it’s in an enclosed building with a no talking rule but that part doesn’t bother me. It also has the same breathing effect on me as the Iron pool so I’m not very relaxed in there either.
Lithia Is Queen
The hands down winner, no questions about it for me, is the Lithia pool. I don’t remember anything about this one from the first trip, but I went to it every chance I could this time. When you step into the Lithia pool, your skin feels like it’s being slathered with body oil from a massage. My skin feels so luxurious like a baby’s perfect skin, never touched by pollutants or the sun. It’s as if the Lithia is moisturizing you to the point that you can sit in this pool for hours and your fingers will never wrinkle. The other pools make my finger tips and toes wrinkle (like when you were a kid swimming) but never the Lithia pool. And when I get out, my skin instantly dries in the New Mexico air but feels like I’m coated in the most expensive moisturizer money can buy.
Till we meet again, Queen Lithia.
