Boulder Hot Springs — Hotel in Boulder

Boulder Hot Springs has some of the highest-quality soaking water of Montana hot springs, in a tranquil, healing environment. When the indoor pools are not co-ed (only the men's side goes co-ed, see picture in this post for co-ed hours as of 6/16/19 or check the website), they are clothing-optional. Outdoor pool is always co-ed and always bathing suit required. The outdoor pool is about 101F, maybe a bit warmer than the big Chico open-sky pool, and maybe 20x50 feet (my approximate guess). It is lightly chlorinated, which is perhaps wise due to its popularity with playing kids. The indoor pools are drained nightly (I think, they certainly have ample water flow for a daily refill) and thus are not required to be chlorinated (pools in MT that are drained/refilled every 72 hours or less are exempt from chlorination requirements). The hot pools in the ladies' and men's locker rooms are as hot as legally allowed in MT, 105 I think (106? hot as any Korean spa I've ever visited, certainly). The 120+ degree water that flows out of the natural spring is cooled most wonderfully and ingeniously by falling out of hundreds of little holes under the smooth wooden benches in the adjoining steam rooms before flowing into the hot pools, which creates probably the steamiest most delightful humdity baths I have ever experienced. The ladies' side has slightly larger pool (15'x20'?) and steam room (8'x10'?) than the men's, and a cold plunge pool (8'x10'?). (Sorry boys, you can run outside to cool off.) You will likely be greeted by the robust, gregarious and thick-coated black cat Jasper when you arrive at the parking lot, I have seen him out even when it was in the single digits Fahrenheit. There is at least one other friendly but slightly more shy kitty (an orange tabby I think) roaming the grounds. In accordance with their commitment to providing a restorative, even meditative soaking experience, Boulder Hot Springs are alcohol- and tobacco-free. Filtered water is available free of charge. Soft-serve frozen yogurt and chips are available for snacks, just please don't bring them...

No review for rooms, as we've just visited the hot springs facilities. Great facilities, but they're not family friendly and cater more to adults, particularly women. They don't allow a mother to bring her son into the female dressing rooms and pools because they want women to be able to walk/swim naked freely. They do have a coed area you can take your children into and they seem to be okay if a female child sees a naked man. So basically if you're a mother with children of both sexes, there's no place for you. I took my grandchildren and didn't feel comfortable sending my 9 year old grandson in a dressing room by himself, and had three grandaughters. Thankfully there was a restroom I could take them too. It's definitely more affordable than the other hot springs in Montana, but just doesn't have a family friendly vibe. A patron said women need a space with no children, so basically the attitude towards children is not good and I found that despicable. Mothers with children are more valuable than single women who want to swim naked. The staff was friendly and I'd love to take my grandkids on an overnight trip at the hotel in the winter, but the dressing room set up isn't family friendly and I get the feeling if a man wanted to say he was a woman, they'd let him go in the women's area. So basically children are not going to be protected there so you need to stay right by them! Also only the women have a cold pool, but only women with no children or female children will...

Used to be a 5 Star.....Now it's just overrun and woke-weird. I've been going for 35+ years and recently had the most negative experience there. I'm terribly sad. Truly, very sad. I never thought I'd see it just.....Detached from any care of my experience or peace. Or any care of making things right. It's been like watching your Mother acquire a grave illness and all you can do is sit beside and watch her die. Traffic drives through all the time now as they allowed an easement for a subdivision thru there. The horses and native caretaking can no longer be seen. There's these weird long horn furniture type things as soon as you walk in now, and they took out the men's private plunge and made it open to all. This was strange because there's an outside pool for that use. It stopped being a place of humble, quiet healing and has transformed into a place of.....revenue by any means. God I miss her. I miss the fireplace and soft chairs. Midnight soaks and quiet company gathered with coffee and the newspaper or books in the morning. No wifi. I miss the plants in the women's plunge and only women in the women's plunge....you used to be able to go naked and people wouldn't disturb each other's peace by talking loudly and incessantly. It's an enclosed space that echos terribly. Anyway....hopefully new ownership will restore her to her humble and healing roots someday. i cannot return, nor want to until that happens as it just...