Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs has the longest continuously operated history of any mineral resort in the American West. The springs were used by ancestral Tewa peoples for thousands of years before Spanish contact; Tewa oral tradition records the hero P'oseyemu accessing the underworld through the sacred warm-water springs. In 1868, Antonio Joseph (New Mexico's first Territorial Representative to Congress) built the first bathhouse here, making Ojo Caliente one of the first commercial natural-health resorts in the United States.
What makes Ojo Caliente extraordinary geologically is the mineral chemistry. More than 100,000 gallons per day surface from a complex geothermal source, and the water emerges with four different mineral chemistries: arsenic, lithia (lithium), soda (sodium bicarbonate), and iron. All four are naturally sulfur-free, which is unusual for the region. The resort developed separate public soaking pools for each mineral; the Iron Pool has a pebble floor where the spring bubbles up between your toes, the Lithia water can be drunk from a dispenser on property, and arsenic is safe to soak in even though it is not safe to drink.
The operator describes nine public mineral soaking pools on the property, plus private soaking sessions for couples, solo soakers, or small groups. Beyond the four mineral waters (Iron, Lithia, Soda, Arsenic) there are Upper and Lower Cliffside Pools cut into the rock face, the Big Pool for long mild soaks, the Terrace Pool with mountain views, and the Mud Pool, where guests apply natural clay mud, dry it on, and rinse it off as a spa service. The operator currently notes the Arsenic Pool is temporarily closed for restoration, so check current status if that specific water is important to you.
Practically, Ojo Caliente sits on US-285 roughly halfway between Santa Fe (60 minutes south) and Taos (50 minutes north), in a small village 50 miles from either airport. Lodging is on-site in the Historic Hotel, modern suites, cottages, and the more recent Cliffside Suites built into the rock. Pool access is included with overnight stays. The Artesian Restaurant on-site handles dining, and the spa runs massage, facial, and mud-wrap treatments that are billed separately.
