Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa — Local services in Durango

I am writing this review at 9am. The time of my appointment. this morning my husband and I woke up to our car not starting. It is a 2019 MB sprinter that we have never had a problem with. We are 50 something year olds who pride ourselves on being on time and very rarely have to cancel any appointment. After the van wouldn't start, we immediately called the spa to let them know we were having trouble and trying to remedy the situation. It was 8:12 and our appointment was 9am. We left a message to let them know the situation. They called back at 8:28 and we were told that we would be charged the full amount of the appointment and they couldn't reschedule us. My husband got upset and said we are trying to get there as he was walking to the nearest mechanic a mile away to pick up a battery charger. The person was adamant about their policy and what he described as very snotty or holier than thou. My husband was clearly upset. The person would not work with him at all even after he said he was working on getting there. We got the car to start finally at 8:45. I called back to say we could be there but would be a few minutes late and was told the front desk person, "didn't feel comfortable" having us come in. She "didn't feel safe" because my husband was upset about the car not starting and this woman telling him we would have to pay even though we were trying to get there. Turns out we don't have a card on file and they will not be able to charge us so they end up being out money when we could have been there enjoy our appointment. I'm writing this because I can't believe what this world has come to with a bunch of overly-sensitive people that are completely unwilling to work with individuals who clearly are having a bad morning. People who would rather lose money than admit they were too rigid and too quick to cry "policy" when we were just giving a courtesy call to let them know we were having trouble but trying to remedy the situation well ahead of our appointment time. She should have said the appointment is yours no matter when you show up but the appointment time cannot be extended. That would have been the professional thing to do. This place may give great massages and that is not what I'm complaining about. Customer service is terrible if you have an unexpected issue even if you are trying to rectify it. If you are a person that believes sometimes things can unexpectedly go wrong, do not book at this place because if something does go wrong, they will not work with you and they will say you were being mean when you were just exasperated about the situation. Update: I emailed the manager to tell them of our experience a week ago yesterday and never received an email back. Again, poor...

Looking over pricing, I was a little skeptical about the hot springs here. We live in Colorado and have explored many other springs that do not have a reservation time slot and have lower pricing. Due to proximity though and with family in town, we decided to spend the money and figured the kiddos would only last a few hours anyway. After our experience here, I was pleasantly surprised all around and would happily spend the money again.

My husband booked me a pre-natal massage at the spa which included a 2 hour soak. While I headed to the spa, the rest of my family went to enjoy the pools. The spa area was very nice and provided a robe, towel, beverages, and both a shower room and changing space. I was quickly introduced to Kristin, my massage therapist, and she was absolutely amazing! The left side of my neck had been sore for 2 days without any relief and Kristin listened to what I needed, made sure I was comfortable, and used deep pressure (my preference) to really work out the tight muscles throughout my body. Not only did this massage sooth my muscles but at one point I felt my neck finally release which opened my sinus’s as well - I left feeling better than I’ve felt my entire pregnancy!

After a quick rinse I went and joined my family in the hot springs. Each pool had varying temperatures and there were pools everywhere! Some built up with concrete, others more natural. It was fun to explore and you never felt crowded. It was very family friendly (again pleasantly surprised by this as we had a 2, 8, and 10 year old in tow) and there were also designated adult only areas for more peace and quiet. Neither area was difficult to get a spring to yourself to relax in.

Lastly, although they do not allow outside food/drinks, they have several food trucks and a watering shed that have delicious options from burgers to smoothies and alcohol beverages. Many other places that do not allow food and drinks gouge their customers as your only option for refreshment - not so here and that was really appreciated with hungry kiddos. Well done!

The Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa is now one of our favorites and provided hands down one of the best massages of my life (thank you Kristin!) We will be back to...

I’ve had good experiences at Durango Hot Springs and Spa before, which is why I chose it for something really meaningful. My mom’s birthday was coming up just a month after my dad passed away from cancer. She had been his full-time caretaker for five tough years, and this was the first time in a long while she was doing anything for herself. It was also her first birthday in almost 40 years without him. I booked her an 80-minute massage hoping it would be a peaceful, healing experience.

We arrived early, just like we were instructed to, and were waiting in the lobby to check in. The receptionist was still on the phone, so we were standing off to the side when the massage therapist came out. She said she had back-to-back appointments and if my mom was okay with it, she’d just take her right then. My mom wasn’t in her robe yet, we hadn’t signed any paperwork, and the whole thing felt rushed and unwelcoming. My mom looked a little nervous, but said it was fine and followed her in.

Her massage was supposed to be 80 minutes starting at 10 a.m. I had a facial scheduled for 11, and my mom was already back in the waiting area, fully dressed and done, right at 11, before my appointment even started. She told me afterwards that it was an uncomfortable experience, and that the massage therapist didn’t ask her any questions and it felt very rushed and like she was an inconvenience. It really doesn’t seem like she got the full service she was promised. It felt like she was squeezed into a busy schedule, rather than given the care and attention she deserved.

The facial I had was wonderful, and that’s part of why this whole thing was so disappointing. I’ve always liked this place, and expected better, especially for how expensive their services are. I’ve tried reaching out to the spa to talk about what happened, and haven’t gotten a call back.

I understand that weekends get busy, but this wasn’t just any spa day. Sometimes a massage is more than a treat. In this case, it was someone finally taking a breath after years of caregiving and grief. I hope the spa takes this kind of feedback seriously and puts more focus on treating each guest like their...