Monday, June 25, 2007

Ojo's Healing Waters

One copper circle inside another decorates a gushing stone-faced fountain at the entrance to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, in rural northern New Mexico. Ojo offers a unique collection of four geothermal mineral springs in a single location. The logo represents this ‘hot eye,’ as it mirrors a petroglyph found in nearby ruins.

From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., guests enjoy high desert beauty as they escape from the rat race and to the quiet, natural world that is Ojo. Cell phones don’t work here, so birds flying overhead, flowing and lapping water and muted conversation provide a gentle sound track.

Bathe in the 105-degree arsenic pool to heal a variety of skin conditions and decrease arthritis and stomach ulcers. At 109 degrees, the iron pool improves blood flow. A dip in the steamy, enclosed, soda pool improves your digestion, while a cup of 104-degree water from the Lithia spring improves digestion and boosts your mood.

Guests also may reserve a private outdoor mineral pool. After dark, each one becomes a grotto with an otherworldly quality. Brilliant stars sprinkle across the deep black sky and a blazing piñon-wood fire burns in the small adobe fireplace. Back-lit cliffs send shimmers across the water. Dash through the chilly night air, feed the blaze, and return to enveloping warmth.