Indian Hot Springs

 Idaho Springs, CO

We went to Historic Indian Hot Springs!

A Drive and a Soak

This morning we used an alarm clock for the first time in a few weeks.  Donna booked us a "private" outdoor jacuzzi for 8:45am (to avoid the crowds) at Indian Hot Springs in Idaho Springs, CO.  It's about a 45 minute drive West on I-70.  We made coffee, had toast, packed a lunch, and hit the road.  It's a straight shot through the foothills and halfway up The Rockies once you hit I-70.  

We arrived at around 8am and asked to add the mineral water pool and geo-thermal caves to our booked jacuzzi package.  The attendant asked if we had been there before and we said no so she explained that the jacuzzi and caves are VERY HOT and we should do the jacuzzi first and then add the caves and poll if we wanted.  They are really trying to avoid bad online reviews from people who aren't aware that a) this is an historic hot springs with beginnings going back to 1866 and not Glen Ivy Hot Springs (which is also great for different reasons) b) the hot water baths in the caves, Jacuzzis, and indoor private baths are VERY HOT, like 108 to 112°F. c) the caves are clothing optional and gender separated, so they are very up front about everything and give you many opportunities to change your mind so you don't create an unpleasant situation for yourself and then complain because you think it isn't your fault.  When we were getting the key to our jacuzzi they said multiple times, "if in the first 10 minutes the jacuzzi isn't what you expected please come back and we can work with you on changing your experience or refunding your money.  After 10 minutes there are no refunds".  We assured her that we were committed without really knowing what we were getting into.

The place is vintage and cool but we hear the hotel rooms are just vintage (we can not confirm)

They take the Indian theme seriously

Our first warning that It's Hot

We opted for the outdoor jacuzzi and were glad we did

We chose the one on the end

Thunderbird!

Donna getting into the spirit

 

Our jacuzzi awaits

We walked to our jacuzzi and there was a changing room that was private but the fence around the jacuzzi wasn't high enough for privacy so we figured we should wear our bathing suites. I was the first to test the waters.  I stuck my feet in on the shallowest step on the far end of the tub from the photo and within seconds I felt like my toes were burning.  Holy crap it's hot!  I warned Donna and she confirmed, it's hot!  We spent the next half and hour slowly getting in and getting out and splashing scalding water on us in the cool air.  If this hadn't been a curated experience and was a hot springs in the wild I would assumed it was so hot it was burning me and not tried to acclimate and get in, but I figured this place has been around since the 1800s so it is probably not detrimental for our health so I pressed on.

After about a half and hour I was able to sit on a lower step for a few minutes at a time as long as I pulled my feet and legs out every so often.  We booked the jacuzzi for an hour, and by the 45 minute marker I was able to get in all the way and really enjoy it for a few minutes at a time.

The mind is willing but the legs are BURNING

A first person view of the acclimation process

I tried to show the bright red line the hot water was causing but my camera just couldn't do it.  You can kind of see it

I made sure Donna captured the full relaxation

After our jacuzzi experience we decided we were light headed enough and the caves probably weren't a good idea so we booked the mineral pool.  I didn't take any photos because it was a public area and people where in their swim suits but here are some images I took from their site.

The mineral pool is in a greenhouse (because it's in a snowy area)

If you go, do the pool for sure.  It's awesome!

There are plants in the greenhouse that really make the experience special.  They have a FAQ and the list of plants is at the bottom.

After our time in the pool we dried off, changed, and took our packed lunch to their dining room.  When I first saw it I thought they served food but no, it's just a really cool dining area so you can eat the food you brought.

I captured genuine happiness in this photo.

I think I was trying to play it cool for my photo

Our pool purchase allowed us to visit the pool until 10pm but by the time we were done eating our lunch the place was filling up.  It was worth waking up with an alarm to enjoy a quieter, less crowded experience.  On the way home we stopped by Safeway to pickup a few essentials and then we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep the relaxation going.  

I didn't buy any, but I found the economy beer section funny

We took this shot of a cool bridge on our way home.

Yesterday we went to a museum overrun with children.  Check it out here.