Hippy Time

Chris and I have been accused of turning into hippies once we made our move to the ABQ mountains, and perhaps in some aspects it is true, but the most hippy experience I've had thus far had to be this Sunday. We hadn't been to the Jemez mountains for almost a year, my parents wanted to try out the bath house, and it seemed like a unique experience, so we accompanied them. After a short hike and lunch (I had a veggie burrito with sweet potato; it was very odd), we headed for the Jemez Springs Hot Springs. For a mere $10 you can soak in their individual tubs for 30 minutes. I guess I expected something similar to a sauna, but no, these were tubs that were stained brown on the bottom and had huge faucets where it took all my strength to pull the hot and cold water on. The hot water is a nice toasty 154-185 degrees. You could boil a lobster with you in the tub. There are curtains all around so if you choose (I did not), clothing is optional. The hot water is full of minerals (calcium, sodium, etc.) which is supposed to be very good for you. But it also stinks. The place looked like it needed a thorough cleaning, although with water that hot, I guess you don't need bleach. But, I would have appreciated it. I'm sure it has the potential to be a nice, relaxing leisure activity...as long as you're not focusing on the bacteria one can catch from a brown tub.