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.