Like any aging millennial, I had discovered Desert Reef, a recently updated hot spring destination in southern Colorado, while endlessly scrolling.
After a massive renovation beginning in 2021, the locally beloved springs in Florence, 45 minutes outside of Colorado Springs, had just reopened with overnight accommodations and a new, enticing offer: Tuesday night soaks with the pools only open to overnight visitors.
Depending on the timing, that could mean just two of us in the pools or, at most, 20 people scattered around the vast property (there are 10 available rooms for booking).
So with a month to go until our wedding, I asked my fiance to pack a bag one Tuesday after work and drive south with me. The plan was to soak in the hot springs after nightfall and then sleep under the stars before driving back the next day.
Oh, the romance!
Only on this particular evening, my fiance, Sam, had already made plans to play in his weekly virtual game meetup with friends across the country. Thankfully, part of Desert Reef’s appeal to a new clientele is its strong Wi-Fi for the work-from-home (or game-from-anywhere) dippers.
“You can just do that at the hot spring,” I assured him vaguely while packing for my own overdone version of a romantic nature excursion — with essentials like a robe, slippers and a bottle of nice wine. Like any almost-married couple, Sam and I maintain our individuality, and we know how to compromise.
By dusk, we had made it two hours southwest to Fremont County, where the groundwater at Desert Reef springs from an artesian well that was tapped half a century ago, accidentally, by oil drillers. The hot water was later diverted for steel manufacturing, and finally it was retired to its current position cycling through natural hot tubs that are enjoyed by locals and visitors.
Back in the ‘80s, when the hot springs’ first private developer, LJ Conrad, started remaking his land into a local attraction, it was a community effort.
“In the early days, they just put some gravel in the bottom of a ditch and hung out there,” explained the springs’ current owner, Chris McLaughlin.
Two years ago, at the behest of a group of fellow Reef regulars, McLaughlin took over the 77-acre parcel from the late Conrad to ensure its future. The springs sit less than 10 miles from Colorado’s Supermax prison and around 5 miles from downtown Florence, the state’s antiquing capital.
“It’s kind of southern Colorado, kind of another dimension,” McLaughlin says of the hot springs and the county that he calls home. He plans to maintain the Conrads’ original vision for Desert Reef — part sanctuary, part community gathering space — while letting it advance to its next level.
Four more pools, plus private concrete soaking tubs; five fully outfitted tiny houses and as many refurbished Airstreams; a minimalist desert design and organic landscaping; and the addition of new local artists’ work, from murals to concerts, all bring Desert Reef well into the 2020s while keeping it as offbeat as ever.
“I think people have had spiritual and/or super-terrestrial experiences here,” McLaughlin said. “Personally I like it (here) from an artistic perspective; you can power down and become the best version of yourself. So people come and just start to turn their brains down, and that’s when the creative stuff happens.”
Back at the Reef, in my fiance’s and my spontaneous weeknight romance, Sam looked as if he was about to teleport, with his headset on and laptop screen glowing. He sat in our converted Airstream, the walls curving around him, covered entirely in reflective metal.
Figuring he had another hour or so of gaming, I motioned that I’d be down at the springs, grabbing my suit, slippers and wine. And as I walked from the Airstream down a dark path, the only sound the power lines overhead buzzing, I registered that I was alone just for a moment.
Never one to leave my anxiety behind, I stepped very carefully into the dark tub, sinking down to my shoulders and taking my bathing suit off only once I had calculated the likelihood of needing to run from untimely death (from something, of course, unknown and wild).
And just as I was indeed starting to power down, a figure appeared from the corner of my eye, naked and gliding across the water.
He was radiating energy just off of game night (they stopped playing so he could join me), and I was supremely relaxed, having my own version of a great early spring evening. Just two hours away from home, I had disconnected my mind and connected with Sam on our own perfectly strange level.
We would have so many nights like this, of quiet appreciation, going our own ways and then finding each other. And I was glad to have made it to the desert for a few special hours of gaming and dipping before crossing over to that next dimension together.
If you go
Desert Reef is open to the public Wednesday-Sunday and on Tuesday to overnight guests only. This season, rates start at $175 and go up to $350 per night (for a tiny house with a private hot tub). Overnight rates include the equivalent of three soaking sessions (from 4-7 p.m., 7-10 p.m. and 10 a.m.-1 p.m.).
The five main pools are otherwise closed to day visitors on Tuesdays but reopen from 10 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Hot springs are clothing optional, and the owners maintain a policy that prevents single men and groups of men from entering the springs during public, clothing-optional hours.
Day soaking without overnight accommodation costs $25 on weekdays and $35 on weekends for a three-hour session. For more information on availability and upcoming events, including movie nights and live music performances, visit desertreefhotspring.com.
