by
Wolf Schneider
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Ojo Caliente in winter. Photo by Maria Rychlicki.
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When
I arrived at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs & Spa with my friend Maria, I was
bundled in a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and ski parka. It was in the twenties! We
were shocked to find hardy souls in bathing suits and flip-flops. After our
massages and mineral soaks, we had almost joined the club, stripped down to
T-shirts and sweats. Here are the highlights as we both experienced them:
Wolf
says: For just an hour's drive north of Santa
Fe, Ojo Caliente made me feel like I'd gotten away
into the country. The snow-splashed mountains along U.S. 285 gave off an
expansive vibe. At lunch, the Green Chile Fries (potato-crusted Poblano chiles)
were a crunchy treat alongside the Ojo Fish Tacos (blackened mahi-mahi, mango
salsa, and jicama peanut slaw). Soaking in our private iron-arsenic pool with
our own kiva fireplace and mountains just steps away was memorable – – as well
as making us feel like we were in that fabulous western McCabe and Mrs. Miller.
Maria
says: I arrived from California
on New Year's Eve wearing fleece and fake fur to visit my friend Wolf. I was
looking forward to returning to Ojo Caliente after 20 years, yet when I got
there I didn’t recognize it due to its recent facelift. Lunch was created by
Culinary Institute of America-trained chef Neil Stuart, an ex-New Yorker (as
I). I was disappointed that my long-remembered Watsu treatment was no longer
available, but delighted we could share a private pool with minerals known for
improving circulation, immune systems, and arthritis, enhanced by our kiva
fireplace’s heat and wonderful aroma. As we drove home feeling reinvigorated, I
thought, what a great beginning to 2012 to warm up in the waters of New Mexico’s high
desert.
Wolf
Schneider has been editor in chief of the Santa Fean, editor of Living West,
consulting editor of Southwest Art, and also blogs at www.wolfschneiderusa.com.
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| Photographer: David Alfaya, Taken in Artist Studio: Gregory Lomayesva |
