This hot spring had been privately owned by Donald Judd, a leading minimalist artist.
Here, you can stay in cabins with hot spring water.
Detour required
Chinati Hot Springs is located in a hard-to-reach area on the western edge of Texas, near the border with Mexico.
The nearest large town is Marfa.
It is famous for its Chinati Foundation, a museum of contemporary art founded by Donald Judd.
As the official website of the hot springs states, Google Maps cannot be relied upon at all here.
Pinto Canyon Road, the shortest route from Marfa, is a rough road that cannot be driven by ordinary passenger cars.
Once south to the Presidio, return northwest along the Mexican border to the destinaition via Hot Springs Road in the desert.
The land containing the geothermal springs used by the indigenous people was acquired by the settlers in 1898.
In 1937, it was commercialized as Kingston Hot Springs.。
From 1990 to 1997, it was owned by Donald Judd, who is considered one of the most revolutionary artists in postwar American art.
After the current owners took over in 2005, it became an overnight facility that does not allow day use.
There are no eating places in or around the facility, so you will have to bring your own food and cook it in the community kitchen.
Fortunately, they had all kinds of cooking utensils and tableware.
The other half of the building was a common dining room.
These are cabins with hot tubs!
The seven cabins all have a rustic atmosphere that did not seem to have changed a bit since the Kingston days.
Four of them, El Corazón, Número Uno, El Patrón, and El Presidente, have tubs with thermal water.
Incidentally, this is the bath house located behind El Presidente, right next to the hot well.
It looked like you could use it even if you were not a guest of the cabin.
El Presidente's private bath is separate from this one and is a similarly tiled indoor bath.
This is the inner bath attached to El Corazón.
There was one small cast-iron tub.
It was unfortunate that the amount of spring water put in was sometimes very low, perhaps due to clogged pipes.
This is the inside of Número Uno's cabin.
The tubs at Número Uno and El Patrón are similar in that they are both located outdoors.
Two-person sized metal tub.
Water at 102 degrees F was then vigorously poured into it.
I liked the simple, yet soft scent of sulfur.
The mornings and evenings in the desert are cold, so leaving the water free-flowing helped to keep the body warm.
Two outdoor pools
The cold pool is located at the highest point of the property.
It is only available during the summer months, so it was empty and under maintenance when I visited.
The circular hot pool is available 24 hours a day.
removed the plastic thermal cover that floated on the surface of the water and propped it up on a nearby picnic table.
Since the water temp is not so high, I was glad to see this kind of device.
Clothing is required in this pool
Since walk-ins are not allowed, I was able to soak in a quiet environment.
Summary
Chinati Hot Springs, Presidio, Texas, U.S.
My rating
Type: Lodging
Rule: Room with thermal water, Clothing required
Chemical use: Not detected
Water temp: Up to 102 degrees F
