Camp Hot Wells

What to expect

Camp Hot Wells is a small outdoor soaking garden and bar on the South Side of San Antonio, built on land next to the ruins of the old Hot Wells Hotel and Spa. It is not near Big Bend. Some lists group it with West Texas springs, but it sits on the east side of the San Antonio River, across South Presa Street from the San Antonio State Hospital and within sight of Mission San José.

The setup is simple and relaxed. A bar sells wine, beer, cider, sake and seltzers, with a short food menu of charcuterie, hummus and pickles. On the front porch, long troughs of warm mineral water let you sit with your feet in while you drink, and that part is free as long as you buy something at the bar. Picnic tables look across to the brick ruins of the old hotel.

The full-body soaks happen in private outdoor suites in a fenced garden. When the Austin Chronicle visited in 2023, one suite had a wooden tub big enough for two and another had two clawfoot tubs side by side. Tubs are filled with warm well water that has a faint but persistent smell of hydrogen sulfide. The Chronicle reported the water comes out of the ground at about 105°F41°C. The temperature in your tub depends on how it is filled and how long it sits, so ask staff when you check in.

This is a bar and soaking garden, not a full spa. There are no big communal pools, and the site lists no lodging.

The water and the well

San Antonio’s hot sulfur water was found by accident. In 1892 the Southwestern Lunatic Asylum, now the San Antonio State Hospital, drilled a well about 1,750 feet deep for drinking water. It hit water at 103 to 104°F39 to 40°C that smelled strongly of sulfur, which was no use to the hospital, so the water was leased out for bathing.

That well was permanently plugged by the Edwards Aquifer Authority in 2013. When Bexar County opened the Hot Wells historic park in 2019, a new, permitted well was being drilled on the adjacent private land, and the San Antonio Current reports that this newer well now feeds the tubs at Camp Hot Wells.

Getting there

Camp Hot Wells is at 5423 Hot Wells Way, San Antonio, TX 78214, beside the Bexar County Hot Wells park off South Presa Street. From downtown San Antonio it is a short drive south. You can also reach the area on foot or by bike from the Mission Reach trails along the San Antonio River, which link the city’s Spanish colonial missions.

Ask about parking when you book; the tubs are in a garden behind the bar.

When to go

Cool months, November to March, are the best time for a hot tub soak in San Antonio. Summer evenings are still warm and humid after dark, so a hot tub can feel like a lot.

The site keeps evening hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday 5 to 11 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 2 to 11 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. Hours have changed several times since opening, and earlier press listed different schedules, so check the website or call before going.

Weekend evenings are the busiest. If you want a particular tub suite, book ahead.

Prices and booking

Camp Hot Wells does not post a price list on its home page, and the figures below come from press coverage, so treat them as a guide:

• Private tub suites: the Austin Chronicle reported $100 an hour in 2023. Later coverage in Texas Highways listed one hour in the clawfoot suite at $75 for one guest and $100 for two, and one hour in the cedar tub for two at $100.
• Groups: Texas Highways also listed a two-hour group soak or private party for 10 people at $300.
• What is included: Texas Monthly reported that towels and drinking water come with a tub booking.
• Foot soaks: free on the porch with a purchase at the bar.

The San Antonio Current describes the tubs as members- and reservation-only. Book through the “Book a Soak” page at camphotwells.com, call 210-922-1927, or email [email protected]. The venue also rents its space for private events.

Rules and etiquette

The site does not publish a detailed rule list. A few things to know before you go:

• Reserve the tubs. Walk-ins are for the bar and foot soaks.
• Age limits are not posted. Because it is a bar, ask before bringing children.
• Swimwear: the suites are private, but ask staff what they expect when you book.
• Shower afterward if the sulfur smell bothers you; it lingers on skin and swimsuits.
• Alcohol and hot water do not mix well. Keep drinks modest while you soak.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging at Camp Hot Wells. Downtown San Antonio and the River Walk, a short drive north, have the widest choice of hotels.

Safety notes

• Heat: water near 105°F41°C is hot. Limit soaks to short sessions, drink water, and get out if you feel lightheaded.
• Sulfur: the hydrogen sulfide smell is normal. It is faint in the tubs but can be strong right at the water.
• Drinking: combining alcohol with a hot soak raises the risk of dizziness and dehydration.
• Night visits: the site is open late. Use well-lit parking and keep valuables out of sight.

History

Charles Scheuermeyer opened the first bathing business on the asylum water, and in 1893 McClellan Shacklett won the lease and built a resort modeled on Hot Springs, Arkansas. The first bathhouse burned and was replaced in 1894, and a grand hotel followed. Hot Wells became one of the city’s best-known resorts, and early silent films were shot in the area. The hotel closed in 1923 and burned at least four times afterward, the last in 1977 when it was a supper club called the Flame Room.

Bexar County opened the Hot Wells historic park, its first cultural historical park, on April 30, 2019, with the reinforced ruins of the hotel and bathhouse as its centerpiece. The Hot Wells Interpretive Center opened next door in 2020.

Nearby stops worth adding

Bexar County Hot Wells park is right next door and free to walk. Mission San José, part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, is just across the river, and the other missions are linked by the Mission Reach trail.