Colorado: Sulpher Springs

After the first day of skiing we put on swimwear, and YaYa drove us about 45 minutes down the north side of the mountains to visit Sulpher Springs, where you can soak in “pools” (think small hot tubs) of water that vary in temperature. The pools at the top of the little slope are hotter, and the pools at the bottom are cooler.

I had been looking forward to this quite a lot. I love soaking in hot water in cold air, and the hot tub where we were staying at the ski resort was disappointingly closed because of repairs.

YaYa warned Mr. TOF at the last minute that the water does indeed smell like sulphur, and that we ourselves would smell like sulphur for a few days.

This is when I started questioning if I should have been looking forward to visiting Hot Sulpher Springs Resort. I don’t love a lot of strong smells. I don’t particularly love sulphur.

But we were up for an adventure! So we went!

When we got out of the car, it did smell like sulphur. I could smell it clearly even though my nose was quite stuffy. We paid for our entrance, The Banana and Mr. TOF looking a little wide-eyed, apprehensive. We headed to the changing rooms, and came out. YaYa said it was best to start at the bottom in the coolest pool and work your way to the top. (In hindsight, I definitely think I should have just started at the top or near the top because I can handle hot, hot water and have no need for anything but hot).

The Banana and Mr. TOF were lucky to have slider sandals along to walk on the paths from one place to the next. YaYa and I did not, so we walked barefoot on the rock-salt covering the walking area. This was crunchy, and the salt stuck to our feet until we got to each little pool.

Let’s just say I was grateful that it was dark. The water was murky and milky, and The Banana felt very squeamish about things floating around. I did not actually see things floating around, but I believe it. The water was also very slimy. Again, I was thankful for the darkness! And the smell! Oh my goodness, the smell. It was truly something nauseating. But we forged ahead into that first pool for about 15 seconds.

I had just enough time to ask YaYa, “You thought this would be a good idea????” We were out in a flash and skipped a couple of pools for something warmer. The next pool was kind of by a rock cave and had a little smelly waterfall of sulphur water. There were quite a few people in this pool. In fact, YaYa loves the sulphur springs. She was relishing the sulphur water from the little waterfall pouring over her hair, and floating around. She talked about how she also went on a big hike in the mountains to a natural hot springs where she could go swimming a few months ago. The Banana. Mr. TOF and I sat squeamishly near one edge and tried not to breathe through our noses.

The Banana said, “Mom, can you believe you just paid $100 dollars for us to sit in this disgusting and smelly water?????”

I said I needed hotter water still, and we hastily trucked as quickly as possible up the slope again. The air temperature was well below freezing, so you really chilled in between pools. We actually ended up in the hottest little pool, which was kind of like a tiny little tub. It was the right hotness for me, but crowded, and little two hot for all the kidlets. This pool had clearer water, which eased my anxiety a little, but it was still smelly. So, so smelly.

We headed down to two not quite as hot pools which were a better temperature for the majority of us and we met some interesting people who were quite entertaining.

In fact, people watching might have been the best part of the experience! There were a lot of people speaking foreign languages, especially European languages. There were two guys who were having a trip away from their wives and needed something to do. They didn’t know what to make of the experience either! There were crunchy looking people who were there for the health benefits of the mineral water. There were a few people who looked like they were barely surviving the experience, like The Banana and Mr. TOF.

By the end, all of us did agree that our bodies did feel relaxed from the water, and our skin was very soft.

Eventually we decided we were done and rinsed off in the changing room before putting our winter clothes back on. We did indeed still smell like sulphur. The car smelled like sulphur. Our clothes smelled like sulphur. When we got back to the place we were staying and showered with lots of soap and shampoo, we still smelled like sulphur. The sulphur seemed deeply embedded in our flesh. Keep in mind, this was all smelled through my very stuffy nose!

What an experience! Even though they had terrific attitudes about trying something way out of our comfort box, The Banana and Mr. TOF hastily declared they never need to go back! We were glad we did it once, though! We kept saying how much Papa Richard would have absolutely loved it and have been on board 100 percent with every part of the experience. The resort was not fancy. In fact, it kind of reminded us of Papa’s not fancy cabin, and he would have been all about the health benefits of those minerals in the water!

I have the feeling that not all hot springs are quite as smelly and murky as these were. After we were back for the night, I did a little internet research.

It was definitely an experience we will all remember and talk about for years to come, I am sure!