Fall 2011: A Romantic Weekend for Two

Back in October, my buddy Rachel and I were a little stressed. And by "a little," I mean "a lot." I was still trying to figure out the whole two-school thing, and Rachel was completing her comps for grad school. It was an exhausting time for both of us, so we decided some rest and relaxation was desperately needed. We made our way into the mountains for a girls' weekend at the Indian Hot Springs in Idaho Springs. To save a little money, we booked their monthly special, which was definitely marketed towards couples. The package included a room, entrance to the geothermal caves, a certificate towards dinner in town, and a discount on massages and a private bath. Because we are comfortable in our friendship, we decided we could handle the awkwardness of people thinking we were a lesbian couple, and we booked the trip (electing NOT to have the couples massage, of course).

The quaint (if a little rundown) facilities.

We began our weekend with massages, which helped release a little of the stress. Then we went to check out the geothermal caves. It was a very cool environment, as we were literally inside a cave. Unfortunately (or not?), I don't have any pictures. Clothing was optional, and everything was very wet, so cameras weren't very appropriate.

Women's caves. No peeking.

If you must know (nosy, much?), we remained in our swim suits the entire time. Anyway, the place was like a sauna with tons of hot tubs in the ground. The temperatures were so high that the experience was very intense. We had to take a couple of breaks to rehydrate and cool off, but we felt cleansed and refreshed after the whole thing.

We took a walk downtown to have dinner at the Buffalo Restaurant & Bar. We sat and talked for a couple hours, which is always fun.

Walking through Idaho Springs. Pretty fall colors.

The following morning, we had an appointment for a private bath. If you've never taken a private bath, let me tell you that it's weird. We went to a room of questionable cleanliness and sat in a large tub.

It's a bathtub.

It was warm, but not as hot as a hot tub, and without any jets. While we had the tub for an hour, we couldn't help thinking of the creepy things that may have happened in that room... Even if I was with Matt, I'm pretty sure that would have still been creepy - not romantic. Plus, it was really boring, so we left after 15 minutes and went to the hot springs pool instead.

Like the rest of the place, the pool area was a little old and run-down, but there were lots of tropical plants that made it prettier.

And then, too quickly, it was time to head back down. It didn't take long for us to settle back into the stress of life, but the trip was rejuvenating and much-needed for our sanity. And oh-so-romantic, of course.