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The Best Spas to Visit in Santa Fe for Wellness & Healing 

Do you need a reset for your body but aren’t sure where you should go? Well, if you haven’t been to Santa Fe, New Mexico yet you will definitively want to go after reading this! Ojo Santa Fe and Ojo Caliente are definitely the spas to book for that magical spring water healing experience. They have the best spas to visit in Santa Fe for wellness & healing.

Interestingly, my family and I lived in Santa Fe when I was a kid for a few years but I had not heard of this spa before. Then again when you’re a 5th grader moving to a new city you’re only thinking about fitting in and making new friends. You’re certainly not thinking that you need a getaway to a Spa, at least not for a few more years!  

Did you know that the name Santa Fe means Holy Faith in Spanish and it is New Mexico’s fourth largest city? Residents are primarily Hispanic, Anglo and Native American people. It is situated at an elevation of 7,000 feet in the foothills of the southern Rocky Mountains and, can you believe that it is the highest and oldest capital in the U.S. founded between 1607 and 1610, it’s America’s second oldest city. It sure has a rich history! 

When we first moved to Santa Fe the elevation really bothered me. I used to get bad nosebleeds that would sometimes last over an hour! I remember the first time I went skiing in the nearby Mountains and I had to be brought back down because I got sick. It was quite embarrassing back then and to this day I continue to experience altitude sickness when I hike to high altitudes. Such as, when I did a 4 day trek in the Andes of Peru years ago to see Machu Picchu. The summit of one of those hikes was upward of 16,000 feet. Whew, now that was a great adventure!  Anyway, I digress.

There are two different locations for the spas so don’t get confused when you book your stay like we did. Ojo Caliente is just over an hour away from Ojo Santa Fe. Ojo Caliente was the first one built in 1868 and was also the first health spa in the country back then.

People have traveled from many places to experience the spa and hot springs over the years. The mental and physical health  benefits of soaking in the pools rich in healing minerals can’t be beat. The landscape is amazing as well with rich and beautiful colors of reds, orange and browns. Each of the hot springs is naturally sulfur-free and rich in four elements: iron, arsenic, soda and lithia.

Each pool has its own unique design with views of the beautiful landscape that surrounds the grounds. The waters are warm with temperatures of 80-105 degrees. It’s very peaceful and at certain times of the year you might actually be the only one in a pool. I imagine that would be a great time of year for silent meditation and solitude to connect deeper.

We ended up staying at Ojo Santa Fe because Ojo Caliente was under construction. We did however end up going to Ojo Caliente for a day to enjoy the 4 elemental waters that are not at Ojo Santa Fe. It was amazing too and I highly recommend it!

Ojo Santa Fe has the thermal spring waters to lounge in and are surrounded by beautiful lush trees. Both spas are incredible just in different ways. It is definitely a good idea to visit each of them for the additional healing benefits of all elements. 

How soaking helps heal you

Soaking is an ancient ritual that, to this day, continues to be a respected healing practice. It is believed that the springs’ healing powers ease aches, opens the heart, and soothes the mind. The different mineral waters each have unique healing properties. For example: Iron is vital for blood health and increases resistance to disease, Lithium elevates the mood and produces a sense of calm, and Sodium is an electrolyte that plays a pivotal role in enzyme operations and nerve and muscle function. 

Soaking up these healing waters is amazing but also if you were to do some exercising is even better. The body is meant for movement, so while you’re in the bigger pools add in swimming or stretching too. Other exercises like marching in place, lateral leg lifts or kicking off the side is good as well. 

Another benefit of staying at Ojo Santa Fe was the delicious foods at the onsite restaurant there. Although, I have to admit that the first meal we had there wasn’t great and we worried that every meal after that would be subpar. Fortunately, we were wrong and all our subsequent meals after that one were delicious. We were very impressed and really enjoyed them immensely. Perhaps, the Chef just had an off night that first meal we had. ‍♀️

Why you should stay a night in downtown Santa Fe as well 

Another must see is the downtown plaza area of Santa Fe. I would suggest going there before going out to stay at the Spas. Santa Fe is a quaint little town with great restaurants, historical Churches & sites. They also have some very interesting folklore and superstitions you might be curious to learn about.

At the plaza area you can shop the custom made jewelry that the local Native Americans sell. Their beautiful silver handcrafted jewelry is incredible. There is also live music that can be heard nearby. 

We stayed at the Inn and Spa at Loretto Hotel where the General Manager, Hal Leonard was very hospitable. He is a really delightful man who showed us all around. He gave us free passes to tour the Loretto Chapel next-door too. It turns out that my mom used to perform there! She is a concert pianist and they still have a beautiful piano near the historical staircase known as the Miraculous Stair.”  Another must see!

Hal the GM also made us reservations at a nearby restaurant where we were introduced to the Chef. The Chef made sure we got served the most deliciously unique foods. He was so nice and really made our night. We ate so much that our stomachs almost exploded!  

Now I don’t want you to think that all we did was eat and relax on this trip. Anyone who knows me well, knows that at some point they will have to do something extremely active too. 

So, on to the hiking part of our trip! If you like doing physically challenging things in nature then you will love hiking in Santa Fe. We inquired about the  trails around the area as well as checked the Alltrails app, (great app to download if you haven’t already). I tend  to go for the harder trails and was grateful that my friend agreed. Although, I think she was regretting it after a couple of miles!

We ended up going on one that was more challenging in distance than we had anticipated. Ah, but the views were incredible! The peaceful silence amazing, the breeze like a soothing touch from mother nature, the trees so tall and lush. There is also a noise that is not man made but just what nature is that is hard to describe that surrounds you with its love. Nature is so majestic as well as healing for the mind/body and soul!

Highly recommend hiking before you hit the healing spring waters so that you can recover at the Spas. Your legs will thank you for it! 

It was such an incredible (seriously, how many incredibles can I say ) day with beautiful weather. We started out super early and there were very few people on this trail. I love that! It’s great because you get the feel of it all to yourself. It’s mediative and spiritual in a way that can elude you if there are a lot of people distracting. Not to mention, depending on the time of year the heat from the sun can be too hot later in the day. 

This was a wonderful trip for me in many different ways. I was able to put to rest some negative things I had held onto from my youth. I was also able to find a deeper appreciation for Santa Fe’s beautiful nature. 

Well, I hope that I have now convinced you all to take that nice relaxing trip you may have been putting off for way too long. Now that you know the best hot springs and spas to visit in Santa Fe for wellness & healing you can book your flight.

You will feel yourself come back to life and let go of anything you’ve been holding onto. Mind/body/spirit connection and healing in nature is after all, THE best medicine!

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