By:
Submission
Just left Cottonwood Spings Hot Tub and Spa. We arrived after a 2 hr drive from CO springs, where there were plenty of options for mineral hot springs but we had decided to go to Cottonwood as it looked genuinely natural and down to earth. Upon arrival, we observed that patrons couldn’t go 2 feet in the pools without touching another person, and decided to ask about the private hot tubs available. They were the same price for 2 people as it would have been for the pools, and we were told it was right by the beautiful stream next to the building. We thought, what a steal! And immediately booked. Paid $60 for a plastic hot tub that seemingly hadn’t been cleaned in a while. The knobs for the jets were broken. What we thought was maybe some rust on the bottom turned out to be nasty bacteria, half of which was floating around in the tub. I thought, okay, if we were floating in a river there would probably be some natural bacteria. But after about 60 seconds (we booked a 60min soak) I could not justify it any longer. Got out, attempted to dry off in the “sauna” which was a heater in a room adjoining two changing rooms, and gtfo of there as soon as we could.
TLDR; Cottonwood obviously is not concerned about providing a sanitary, clean, pleasant experience for guests. Maybe worth it to go on a day that it’s not busy to the natural pools. But after seeing the lack of cleanliness and literal bacteria they are willing to subject patrons to, I do not recommend this hot springs.
Great place for locals. Not fancy, but friendly. They take care of those of us who are frequent visitors. This is not a trendy hot springs. It is small and a little rough, intentionally.
I really want them to get rid of the lights along the cubbies. The lights kill the vibe at night. They need to dampen, shade, or remove the lights altogether.
Otherwise, good spot!
Didn't stay. Only did a day in the springs. The spa/massage was wonderful, the hot springs are very refreshing and clean. And the cold plunge was so invigorating. I love natural cold plunges.
A unique experience to view mountains and snow swirling around on the coldest day of the year while being warm in a hot spring. The staff is friendly and informative about their facilities. You can rent towels and bathers, they have gendered and non-gendered change rooms. They also allow access for most of the day so you can eat and come back to soak some more later
Great place out of the way, to decompress and disconnect. the pools were amazing! it was nice to have a variety of temperatures to choose from and the sauna was a nice option too.
The service at the front desk was good, and the employees are helpful and friendly. Our room was clean and comfortable.
One suggestion i would make is for management to actually enforce the no alcohol/ no drugs/ no phones in the pool area rules, as well as "no children after dark" I saw all of these things happening on the one night that we were there and there really wasn't anything said or done about it. closer attention to the cleanliness of the changing rooms near the pools on a regular basis.would also be an improvement.
all in all, it was a good experience, and I'll definitely be returning. I love the location, and also that there are campsites available.
