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By Root 810 0

you can’t beat the natural Montezuma Hot Spring Pool, about 7 miles northwest of Las Vegas (the original Sin City, popular with Billy the Kid, not the neon-lit metropolis that gangster rappers and pop stars now frequent) on Hwy 65. Besides their reputed curative and therapeutic powers, these admission-free soaking pools are especially alluring under the light of a full moon. Stay in Las Vegas afterwards, at the historic Plaza Hotel. Sleep in if you like, it’s only an hour’s drive south on I-25 to Santa Fe, your next stop. The oldest state capital in the USA doesn’t boast its own natural springs, but it is home to the most zen retreat in the state, Ten Thousand Waves Japanese Resort & Spa, the perfect place for pampering. Follow a long soak in the mountainside hot tubs (some private, others public) with a hot-stone massage or exfoliating body wrap. Spend the night in one of the 13 gorgeous free-standing guesthouses. It’s so relaxing here, you’ll never want to leave.

Except you should. Otherwise you’ll miss Ojo Caliente Hot Springs, the state’s most famous hot-springs resort (for good reason). The shabby chic place, about an hour’s drive north of Santa Fe, features five pools against a backdrop of crumbly, orangey sandstone monoliths and baby-blue New Mexico sky. Ojo Caliente’s most unique facet is its springs are each fed by an independent water source containing different mineral contents. The enclosed Soda Spring Pool, meant to help relieve digestion problems, is about as relaxing as it gets; it’s full of steam and perfect for floating in the mist. The al fresco cliffside Iron Pool has a floor made from natural pebbles that gently exfoliate your feet as you soak up the blood-cleansing and immunity-boosting waters. Don’t forget to fill up a water bottle from the fountain at the Lithium spring to swig on a day when your mood could use a little elevation!

South of Ojo Caliente, the road meanders past sculpted rock formations and ruins of abandoned pueblos into the heart of the Jemez Mountains, the world’s largest volcano. The gorgeous village of Jemez Springs is constructed around a cluster of hot mineral pools – the result of an underground lava flow – on the Jemez River. The rustic Jemez Springs Bath House, which also does great massages, is one of two places in town to experience the water’s healing magic. Nearby Giggling Springs is the other, and the choice of many locals who praise its superhot and therapeutic pools. The site of the state’s oldest bathhouse (c the late 1880s), Giggling Springs’ hot pool is right next to the Jemez River, which acts as a great cold plunge, should the heat become too much! The original bathhouse still stands at the end of the driveway, welcoming visitors to the stacked red-rock pool of hot, healing water. When your skin has turned reptilian from mineral-pool soaking, head to the Laughing Lizard Inn across the street from Giggling Springs to bed down in one of its funky rooms. The attached café serves a mean green chile and has live music on weekend nights.

It’s a 200-mile drive from the Jemez Mountains south to Truth or Consequences. But it’s worth the long slog along I-25 to reach this quirky city’s famous hot mineral pools where Native Americans, including Geronimo, have bathed for centuries. The water here ranges in temperature from 98°F to 115°F. Most of T or C’s hotels and motels double as spas. The swankiest place to take a hot dip by far is Sierra Grande Lodge & Spa, which added two new mineral baths and a holistic spa last year. The resort charges nonguests $25 for the first person, then $5 for each additional person, to use its mineral springs. For a more casual experience, Riverbend Hot Springs has six outdoor tubs by the river and a hippie-hostel vibe. It costs between $10 and $15 per person to soak.

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DETOUR

Take Hwy 522 north from Taos for 11 miles to reach the best free soaking in northern New Mexico: Black Rock Mesa Hot Springs. The series of pools bubble out of the Rio Grande River and form one large, natural soaking pool that’s well-maintained