Wiesbaden Hot Springs Hotel & Spa

What to expect

Wiesbaden is the odd one out among Ouray’s hot springs. Instead of a big open pool, the main event is a cave. A passage runs from below the lodge back into the mountain, and the spring water that flows through it fills the rock chambers with warm, damp air. In the first chamber a spring trickles over mineral-crusted rock. The main chamber holds a shallow soaking pool, about 18 inches deep, that the operator puts at 106-108°F41-42°C. You sit low in the water with rock close overhead, and it is quiet and dim.

Outside, there is a second option: an outdoor mineral pool fed by continuously flowing spring water at about 100-106°F38-41°C, with the red cliffs and peaks above Ouray all around. The third soak is the Lorelei, a private outdoor pool with a small waterfall, screened from view and booked by the session for your own group. It runs at about 100-105°F38-41°C.

The operator says the water is never recirculated and nothing is added to it. Wikipedia’s entry on the springs counts three thermal springs on the site, with water emerging at about 118°F48°C and cooling to 99-108°F37-42°C in the pools. The dissolved minerals are mostly calcium sulfate.

This is a small place. Access to the springs is capped at about 15 people at a time, and with no children under 12 allowed, the mood is quiet and adult.

History

The springs were used by the Ute long before Ouray existed. According to Wikipedia, Chief Ouray had an adobe home here, and the Utes were forced out of the region in 1881. The property’s own website dates the first building to 1879, when it opened as Mother Buchanan’s Bath House for miners. Gold miners are said to have found the vapor cave in the mid-1800s, and in the 1920s Dr. C.V. Bates built the Bates Hospital and Sanitarium on the site and enlarged the caves. The current business grew out of that building. The website now brands it Wiesbaden Hot Springs Hotel & Spa, though you will still see the older name Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa & Lodgings in guidebooks and on maps.

Getting there

Ouray sits on US Highway 550 in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. The spa is at 625 5th Street, a couple of blocks east of Main Street on the hillside side of town, at roughly 7,760 feet.

• From Montrose: Drive south on US 550 through Ridgway and into Ouray. In town, turn east off Main Street and go a couple of blocks uphill to 5th Street.
• From Durango and Silverton: Head north on US 550 over Red Mountain Pass and drop into Ouray at the south end of town.
• From Telluride: Take Colorado 62 over the Dallas Divide to Ridgway, then US 550 south.

Most of Ouray is within walking distance. Ask about parking when you book a room. US 550 south of Ouray, the Million Dollar Highway, is steep, narrow and often without guardrails. In winter it can close for snow or avalanche work, so check Colorado Department of Transportation conditions before driving the passes.

When to go

The spa is open all year. Winter is when a hot cave makes the most sense: Ouray fills with ice climbers for the Ouray Ice Park, and the outdoor pool steams in the cold. Summer and early fall bring jeep traffic, hikers and fall color crowds, and the town’s lodging gets tight on weekends.

Because day soaks are first come, first served with a 15-person cap, timing matters more here than at a big pool. Arriving early in the day, or calling ahead to ask about the guest count, gives you the best chance of walking straight in.

Prices and booking

• Day Soak Pass: $55 per person for two hours, covering the vapor cave and the outdoor pool. It is sold at the door only, not in advance. Day guest hours are 8am to 9pm.
• Lorelei: private sessions cost extra and are reserved online through the spa’s booking link. The Lorelei is the only clothing-optional soak on the property. It is open 8am to 9pm.
• Massages: booked separately by contacting the spa.
• Overnight stays: soaking is included. Lodge guests can use the outdoor pool from 6am to 11pm and the vapor cave from 8am to 9:45pm.
• Rooms: the website lists 16 numbered rooms in the main building, from $199 a night for some queen and double rooms up to $349 for the larger rooms and the Honeymoon Sun Room. The Penthouse Suite is listed from $599. Separate units include the House Across the Way and the Hill Cottage (each sleeps 2) and the House on the Hill, which sleeps 8 and starts at $524. Rates are for double occupancy, with $75 per extra guest where allowed.
• Check-in and check-out: 2pm and 10:30am. Early check-in from 1pm or late check-out to 11:30am costs $35.
• Cancellations: refundable bookings can be changed or cancelled up to 72 hours before check-in, by email only. Non-refundable rates cannot be changed.

Contact the spa on 970-729-1779 or at [email protected].

Rules and etiquette

• Ages 12 and up only. Children under 12 are not permitted on the property.
• Shower before you soak. It is required, and the water is not treated.
• Swimsuits in the vapor cave and outdoor pool. Clothing is optional only in the private Lorelei.
• Keep your voice down in the cave. It is a small, echoing space shared with strangers.
• Pets are allowed only in the Hill Cottage, at $35 per pet per night.

Where to stay nearby

Staying at Wiesbaden gets you the most cave time. If it is full, Ouray has other hot spring lodging. Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs, at the quiet south end of town, has cedar soaking tubs for its guests, and Twin Peaks Lodge & Hot Springs is also in town. For a day soak with kids, the city-run Ouray Hot Springs Pool on Main Street sells admission without a room. North of town near Ridgway, Orvis Hot Springs is a clothing-optional spring with rooms and camping.

Safety notes

• Heat in a closed space: the cave pool is 106-108°F41-42°C and the air is humid. Keep sessions short, step outside to cool down, and drink water.
• Altitude: at about 7,760 feet, hot water and exertion hit harder than at sea level. Visitors from low elevations should take it slowly on the first day.
• Footing: wet rock and steps in and around the cave are slippery. Walk carefully and wear sandals between pools.
• Health: if you are pregnant or have heart or blood pressure problems, check with a doctor before soaking in water this hot.
• Mountain roads: carry chains or use good snow tires on US 550 in winter.

Nearby stops worth adding

Box Canyon Falls, at the south end of town, is a short walk into a narrow quartzite slot with a roaring waterfall. In winter the Ouray Ice Park in the Uncompahgre Gorge is worth watching even if you do not climb. Main Street has the Ouray County Historical Museum in an old miners’ hospital. In summer, jeep roads lead from town toward Yankee Boy Basin and Imogene Pass.