Healing Waters Resort & Spa

What to expect

Healing Waters Resort & Spa is the low-key option among Pagosa Springs’ three hot spring businesses. It is a family-owned motel and pool complex on Hot Springs Boulevard that has been welcoming guests since 1950, and it still feels like it: a modest set of motel rooms and small cabins around a big outdoor pool, rather than a terraced resort.

The soaking options are simple. There is a large outdoor mineral water swimming pool, an outdoor hot tub, and separate indoor hot baths for men and women. The family’s selling point is the water itself. They fill every pool with straight spring water and add no chemicals and no fresh water, which is unusual for a public pool in Colorado. The local tourism office notes that Pagosa’s commercial springs, including this one, draw on the same geothermal system as the town’s Mother Spring, which holds a Guinness World Records certification as the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring at more than 1,002 feet.

The operator does not publish temperatures for its pools, so this page leaves them out. The outdoor pool is a swimming pool and the hot tub and indoor baths are for soaking; test each one with a hand before you settle in.

If you want dozens of pools and river views, The Springs Resort down the road has them, at a much higher price. Healing Waters is for people who want a plain, unhurried soak and a cheap room.

Getting there

Healing Waters is at 140 Hot Springs Boulevard, Pagosa Springs, a short distance off US 160 in the middle of town. Pagosa Springs sits on US 160 between Durango to the west and Wolf Creek Pass to the east, so any route into southwest Colorado on 160 brings you through town.

• From Durango: Take US 160 east to Pagosa Springs, then turn onto Hot Springs Boulevard in the downtown area.
• From the San Luis Valley: Come west on US 160 over Wolf Creek Pass and down into town.
• From New Mexico: US 84 north from Chama joins US 160 just east of downtown Pagosa Springs.

Parking is on site, and the pools are a few steps from the lot. The roads are paved the whole way, though Wolf Creek Pass can be slow or closed in winter storms.

When to go

The pools are open every day of the year, with one catch: they close for maintenance roughly every other Wednesday. The resort posts the dates on a calendar on its hot springs page, so check it before a midweek trip.

Winter is when Pagosa Springs is busiest for soaking, especially on weekends during ski season at Wolf Creek. Snowy evenings in the outdoor pool are the best time to be here. Summer brings road-trippers and river tubers, and afternoons in the outdoor pool can feel warm rather than hot. Weekday afternoons in spring and fall are quietest.

Prices and booking

Daily general admission:

• Teens and adults (13-54): $25
• Seniors (55+, with ID): $20
• Children (3-12): $18
• Children 2 and under: free, swim diapers required
• Military and first responders (police, EMT, firefighters, active or retired, with ID): $18

Discounts cannot be combined. A same-day leave and return costs $5 extra and you need to keep your wristband on. Towel rental is $3, swimsuit rental is $3, and a shower alone is $10.

Frequent visitors can buy a Local Frequency Card ($39, 25% off admission and $8 entry on Mondays, for people living within 60 miles), a General Frequency Card ($39, 15% off), a 10-punch pass ($150, valid six months) or an annual adult pass ($475, with 8am access). No reservations are needed to soak. Everyone signs a liability waiver before entering.

Massages are booked separately through the resort’s massage page.

Rules and etiquette

• No lifeguard on duty. Anyone 16 or under must be with an adult.
• Swim diapers are required for small children.
• No smoking anywhere on the property, and no pets in the lodging.
• Pick the right pool for your mood. Kids play in the big outdoor pool; the hot tub and indoor baths are for quiet soaking.
• Shower before you soak. Because the water is untreated, keeping soap, lotion and sunscreen out of it matters more here than at a chlorinated pool.

Where to stay nearby

The simplest choice is to stay on site. Healing Waters has motel rooms and suites (several with kitchenettes, plus a two-bedroom Bunk House Suite for up to six) and three park-model cabins with full kitchens that sleep up to four. Every lodging guest soaks free and gets the pools to themselves from 8am to 11am before the public opens. Cancellations need 48 hours’ notice, or 72 hours over peak holidays and some summer weekends, and must be made by phone.

Downtown Pagosa Springs, on both sides of the San Juan River, has more hotels, including the two larger hot spring resorts. The Overlook Hot Springs Spa is right in town on the main street, and The Springs Resort is also on Hot Springs Boulevard.

Safety notes

• Heat: keep soaks in the hot tub and indoor baths short, drink water, and get out if you feel lightheaded.
• No lifeguard: watch children closely, especially in the bigger outdoor pool.
• Altitude: Pagosa Springs is high enough to make you short of breath if you have just arrived from sea level. Take it easy on your first soak and avoid alcohol before getting in.
• Winter driving: Wolf Creek Pass and US 160 can be icy. Check Colorado road conditions before driving in from the east.

Nearby stops worth adding

The San Juan River runs through the middle of town, with a riverwalk and summer tubing. Wolf Creek Ski Area, known for its heavy snowfall, is east on US 160. Many visitors base themselves here and try a different Pagosa spring each day.