Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa

We passed through hear 20 years ago and thought it was overpriced, filthy, unfriendly and awful pools. We had heard they had improved so stopped on our way to Santa Fe. They have added rooms, yurts, conference area, but the staff were still unfriendly, the same old filthy locker rooms, Luke warm, dirty pools, loud guests in pools even though quiet signs were posted (staff told us to be more patient when we complained) and $75 to park our little camper next to a broken down water spigot and electrical post that blew our camper’s surge protector - in an open dirt lot! Dog feces everywhere. Ugh.

We were concerned after reading the only review, but stayed anyway on our way to Twin Lakes Colorado.
They were working under stressful conditions due to the COVID Virus, but were welcomed, guided to our spot by friendly staff.
The grounds were well taken care of, the simple meals ( included) were nicely prepared and healthy. The pool area was clean and the water was hot. You have choices of temperature and a couple different locations.

You are close to a number of excursion destinations; Salina Co, Great Sands and Crestone Co

We are headed back for a 3 night stay this week to meet our kids, they are staying in the sweet motel adjacent to the RV area ( really just a parking lot). They have yurts also but they were all booked

The views from everywhere on the property are spectacular

We plan on going back often, it relatively close to our home in Taos NM

Note there are also ample non-electric sites in overflow area, about $10 less. It’s really just a large level parking lot with electric hookups, so can accommodate any size rig. I really enjoyed my overnight and thought it was a good value given what was included. They drain the 3 outdoor pools each night to clean and refresh the water. If you are an overnight guest you are given a key to a separate shower/bathhouse that is much much nicer (and with better hot water) than the day use locker room. They take COVID precautions seriously with one exception that I made management aware of - their private contractor massage therapist took their mask off once in the room, which I did not see until late in the process (because I was face down). Bad! Due to this I would advise against getting services there until straightened out. The overnight rate includes a light dinner with dessert and an ample breakfast - at this time you are required to mask and go in to pick up a tray (there are a few options on the whiteboard) and either eat at outdoor table or you are welcome to take it back to your RV and return the dishes later. Note I do not recall exact cell coverage but I did have decent VZ and ATT, and they have WiFi which I did not try.

This is my second visit to Joyful Journeys Hot Springs. I visited last spring and then this spring as well. The reason you want to camp here is because you want to use the hot springs. Their hot springs are reported to have incredible healing powers. Though I can’t attest to that i can say you feel very relaxed after a good soak in these waters. This place is a very low key, but clean and well cared for. For overnight quests they offer two meals( delicious and healthy) and then access to their hot springs. soak your troubles away with a beautiful view of the Sanger de Cristo mtns. Great break if you’ve been on the road for awhile. Campers have access to a very nice bath and shower room, as well as a clean shared kitchen. It’s true that you park your vehicle on wide open parking lot( that’s the geography of this area), but it includes a view of the mountains, dark sky viewing of stars and access to the hot springs trees yard. Definitely worth the stop…. We’re coming back

We stayed here for two nights in an RV. The cost was a whopping $172 per night plus tax! We knew that it was expensive but were persuaded in that soaking and Breakfast and Dinner were included. Their web site made the meals look excellent, so we went for it. What a disappointment. The RV sites are side by side and have no ambiance. There is no water available for using or for filling a tank. There is no sanitary dump station. Then there were the meals. If you were fond of your high school cafeteria meals, then you will love this. Breakfast was similar to the free meals in cheap motels. Dinner the first night was a simple chicken breast sprinkled with Italian seasoning. (They called this Italian inspired!) There were some soggy pre-fried potatoes. The salad was a few leaves of lettuce with squeeze bottle dressings of your choice. Dessert was two tablespoons of chocolate pudding with a single raspberry on top. There was a group that had booked the interior space, so our dining venue was folding tables on the grass outside, with ample gnats. In order to avoid this charming venue, we chose to get our second night’s dinner to-go. We were told that the meal would be a grain bowl with lots of vegetables. What a joke. The meat was last nights chicken cut into smaller sizes. There was a small scoop of plain, unflavored rice. They had opened a can of beans, black and garbanzo. Dessert was custard. That was it. Some of the staff were nice, others seemed to work at being rude, so a mixed bag. The hot springs were nice. The locker rooms were in poor shape.. To use a locker, you had to bring your own lock. The towels they provided were about as big as a hand towel. This will be our last visit.