That was well before "spa" implied facials, pedicures, and body wraps. Now there's a spiffy new spa adjacent to the pool, Spa of the Rockies, and others scattered throughout town.
These days, a good soak is only one reason a million or so visitors yearly descend on this town of 9,000 three hours west of Denver and less than an hour from Vail and Aspen. In winter, they come to ski at Sunlight Mountain Resort. In summer they raft, kayak, fly fish, and bicycle. There are caves to explore up at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, reached by a bus or gondola ride 4,300 feet to Iron Mountain, and down in town, where "vapor caves" produce a natural steam bath.
We arrived late morning from Denver and made a quick tour of the oddly shaped city, which has grown up around the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers and an interstate. Two arteries jut from the core, one filled with newer big-box stores and an upscale outdoor mall and the other with older businesses and fast-food stops. In between is the historic downtown. Streets are lined with Victorian buildings, from fantastic to fixer-uppers. With a mix of upscale and basic shops, cafes, and restaurants, downtown is inviting to tourists and locals. Overall, Glenwood Springs' down-to-earth, working-class atmosphere is a welcome antidote to the frou-frou feel of Aspen and Vail.
My aching shoulders got a nice workout during an hourlong massage at Spa of the Rockies, housed in the historic bathhouse. The tony spa, which opened in October after a $6 million overhaul, offers massage, bodywork, hydrotherapy, and beauty treatments. Included are plant and herbal treatments used by the Ute Indians, who first settled the area and discovered the hot springs.
While the spa attracts well-heeled adults in a fragrant, hush-hush setting, the pool is a noisy, slightly sulfurous-smelling melting pot of young, old, white collar and blue, singles, families, and couples. We loved it.
