Colorado Boasts a Rejuvenating Mix of Spas and Hot Springs

Ranging from rustic to refined, Colorado’s hot springs are geothermal treasures that offer visitors a year-round respite from the state’s high-energy adventure travel scene. In addition, the state’s hotels and resorts feature world-class spa facilities that consistently capture awards and accolades for their intelligent approach to wellness and rejuvenation.

HIGH MOUNTAIN HOT SPRINGS

Though not unique to Colorado (hot springs exist on every continent on earth), the state’s hot springs still hold a singular place among the world’s geo-thermally heated groundwater. For example, the world’s largest hot springs pool is located in Glenwood Springs (www.visitglenwood.com) and the world’s deepest hot mineral spring is in Pagosa Springs (www.pagosaspringschamber.com). Celebrated for their high mineral content and resulting therapeutic qualities, Colorado hot springs are a favorite stop on many visitors’ itineraries.

The majority of Colorado’s developed hot springs are located in the San Luis Valley, the San Juan Mountains, Clear Creek County, and the Arkansas, Yampa and Colorado River Valleys, affording visitors the opportunity to soak in the mineral-rich waters amid spectacular natural beauty. The state also boasts dozens of undeveloped hot springs.

The world’s largest hot springs pool is located on the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. Measuring two blocks, it is the state’s most popular hot springs complex, complete with pools, waterslides, diving boards and even a pool for little ones. Enjoyed by Northwest Colorado’s Ute Indians for centuries, the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge & Pool (www.hotspringspool.com) was officially founded in 1888. Nearby, visitors can enjoy a sauna-like experience in the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves (www.yampahspa.com), the only natural steam chambers in the country. Its three underground rock chambers are a centuries-old gathering place once used by the Utes for healing.

One of the state’s most interesting hot springs is also its least accessible – demanding a nine-mile hike into the Aspen area’s Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area (www.coloradowilderness.com/wildpages/maroon) to Conundrum Hot Springs, where visitors are rewarded by views of six 14,000+ foot Rocky Mountain peaks. Another hot springs worth the hike is Rainbow Hot Springs, a five-mile trek deep within the Weminuche Wilderness. Here, two hot spring pools are perched on the shore of the San Juan River’s West Fork.

Pagosa Hot Springs

In Pagosa Springs, the banks of the San Juan River afford a picturesque setting for 18 terraced hot springs pools in the heart of town. The Pagosa Hot Springs (www.pagosahotsprings.com) are open to the public for a fee; guests of the The Springs Resort & Spa have complimentary 24-hour access to the soaking tubs included in their stay. The Great Pagosa Aquifer, was named "The World's Deepest Geothermal Hot Spring" by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2011.

The Ouray Hot Springs Pool is owned and operated by the town of Ouray (www.ouraycolorado.com), making it a low-key, family-friendly option for hot springs goers. A fitness center welcomes those who want to work-out before their soak. Nearby, the Historic Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa & Lodge (www.wiesbadenhotsprings.com) is a more intimate retreat, offering visitors the opportunity to soak in several continually flowing hot springs pools against the backdrop of the San Juan Mountains. Therapeutic massage and reflexology sessions are available in the spa.

Dunton Hot Springs (pictured at top) is a small and exclusive resort nestled deep in the San Juan Mountains of the Colorado Rockies. This perfectly restored romantic old mining town features hand-hewn log cabins exquisitely furnished, a life-worn saloon serving food of startling quality, hiking trails followed by pampering massages, a tumbling waterfall, sensuous hot springs beneath stunning mountain peaks.

LUXE RESORT SPAS

In addition to its abundance of natural hot springs, Colorado boasts several “man made” spas within its collection of luxury hotel and resort spas. Many of the spas find inspiration in the state’s hot springs culture, introducing architectural water features and hydrotherapy treatments that reflect an awareness of and appreciation for water’s therapeutic qualities.

The Spa at The Broadmoor (www.broadmoor.com) in Colorado Springs is perhaps the state’s most celebrated spa. Renovated in 2003, it counts among its most distinguishing features a $100,000 Silver TAG shower with 18 showerheads customized to fit all body shapes and sizes. Developed by TAG Gaylean, the world-renowned spa architect and designer, it is a cutting-edge version of classic European hydrotherapy technique, allowing users to customize their experience through adjustments to water temperature, placement, and pressure. Outdoors, the historic property sits on 3,000 acres at the base of the Cheyenne Mountain.

The St. Regis Aspen Remede Spa relaxation room

In Aspen, The St. Regis Aspen (www.stregisaspen.com) features the signature Remède Spa, the town’s first resort spa. Its unique water feature, the Confluence, is reminiscent of the hot springs found throughout Colorado. The 15,000-square-foot facility offers spa treatments, a state-of-the-art fitness center and yoga/Pilates room.

The Spa at the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch (www.ritzcarlton.com/en/properties/bachelorgulch) in Avon garners sweet reviews for its Hot Chocolate Stone Massage and Rocky Mountain High Body Coffee treatment. In the spring, summer and fall months, the Spa taps the majesty of the Rocky Mountains to craft an unparalleled outdoor wellness experience. Called “Mountain Spa Mornings,” the program includes a guide hike through Bachelor Gulch, an outdoor yoga session and 60-minute outdoor massage. Indoors, a natural stone Grotto with lap pool evokes the atmosphere of Colorado’s underground caves.

Many spas tap Colorado’s indigenous botanicals to create unique and soothing body treatments. At Chipeta Sun Lodge and Spa (www.chipeta.com) in southwestern Colorado, native pine, fir and cedar oils distinguish an aromatic Alpine Herbal Steam Wrap. In Telluride (www.telluride.com), the acclaimed Golden Door Spa at The Peaks (www.thepeaksresort.com) specializes in treatments using natural ingredients found only in the alpine environment of the Rocky Mountains.

Set on a pristine lake in Evergreen, The TallGrass Aveda Spa & Salon (www.tallgrassspa.com) uses the Adeva line of plant-based products to create imaginative full- and half-day spa packages such as The Quencher. A three-hour program designed to combat the drying effects of Colorado’s climate and altitude, it includes a hydrating facial, body scrub, hair and scalp treatment and paraffin hand dip.

A sybaritic city spa experience is found at the Spa at the legendary Brown Palace Hotel (www.brownpalace.com) in Denver. Reconstructed in the space that once featured men's and women's Turkish baths at the turn of the century, the spa taps the healing powers of natural artesian waters that have flowed 750 feet beneath the hotel since before it opened in 1892. Specializing in custom treatments designed for Colorado’s climate, the Spa’s popular hydrotherapy treatments include the 20-minute Artesian Plunge Soak.