When you’ve been around for 90 years, you’re bound to have a few makeovers, and Old Town Hot Springs has had more than a few. From condemned bathhouses to competition lap pool, from tennis courts to state-of-the-art fitness centers, the facility’s history is one of continual reinvention to serve the people of the Yampa Valley.
Here’s a look at how Old Town Hot Springs has transformed over the decades, always with the same goal: to provide a place for the community to connect, soak, and stay well.
1960s: A Much-Needed Overhaul
By the mid-1960s, the 1909 bathhouse had seen better days. The Board of Directors knew that heavy usage from a growing local population, and an increase in tourism meant the facility needed an upgrade.
In 1968, the city’s health department condemned the 1909 bathhouse, and shortly after that, the roof over the hot pool caved in. An ad in the Steamboat Pilot even joked about “stargazing while soaking” thanks to the open-air gap.
Funding the Future
Securing financing for a renovation wasn’t easy. After failed attempts with FHA loans, city funds, and conventional financing, SSHRA created the first-ever Lifetime Memberships (the ability to buy discounted memberships in perpetuity). At the time, memberships were $50 each (about $472 today). Selling 250 memberships proved community support and helped secure an FHA rural recreation loan.
The rebuild kept the same footprint as the original 1909 outdoor pool but replaced the indoor pool and private baths with two new buildings: one for the hot pool, another for the lobby and locker rooms, connected by a covered walkway, in addition to an outdoor sauna room.
Did You Know? The entrance featured a big, bold “Swim/Sauna” sign that became such a landmark that some locals still call the facility “The Pool” or “Swim Sauna” to this day.
The newly rebuilt 1968 Olympic-regulation pool was designed by Lincoln H. Jones, who also designed the original Colorado Mountain College.
Lincoln H. Jones also designed the building and served on our board for many years.
1970s: Serving Up More Than Swimming
The 1970s brought new additions other than water! Tennis courts were built (with a third added in the 1980s) and, in 1978, the legendary “Lunchbox” trailer was created and parked poolside in the summer. The Lunchbox was run by OTHS supporter and wife of 40-year board member Bud Romberg, Jane Romberg, and Cathy Borland. It served hot dogs, sandwiches, and orange creamsicle drinks. One year, they made enough money to buy two vacuums with their profits!
A busy day on the courts at Old Town Hot Springs, with the heart spring and slide in view, circa 1980s.
In the 60s, we had two tennis courts and by the lates 80s, we had three courts.
1980s: Full Facility Expansion
In 1981, SSHRA installed a 350-foot waterslide on the hillside and a slide pool next to the pools. The same year, SSHRA sold Strawberry Park Hot Springs to Chicago businessman Don Johnson, freeing the board from the challenges of managing the “hippie” population there, which included skinny-dipping and laundry in the pools. The sale allowed the board to seriously start planning for the ’83 expansion.
Did You Know? In the late ’70s, SSHRA leased Strawberry Park Hot Springs to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, but even they couldn’t control the “abuses.” Attempts to sell the property to local or federal agencies failed, leading to it eventually being listed for sale.
By 1983, expansion plans were in full swing. This included a 7,000-square-foot building with a large lobby, public locker rooms, second-floor offices, an exercise room, member locker rooms, saunas, and a second-floor deck. This was also the start of group fitness classes in the facility!
In 1988, the Heart Spring got a facelift. The Dorothy Wither Memorial Park project reopened public access to the Heart Pool for the first time in 30 years and added a new spa pool with jets and landscaping of the surrounding grounds.
1990s: Bigger and Better
Just as today, our community was expanding, and SSHRA had to evolve to meet the needs of our growing population. So, in 1991, the building underwent a $620,000 expansion, increasing from 10,000 to 16,000 square feet. The project added an enlarged weight room, versatile exercise spaces, and upgraded member locker rooms to the building’s upper level. On the lower level, it added offices for staff, an expanded day care, a snack bar, and convenient public locker facilities.
In 1998, the exterior was brightened up with a playful new kiddie splash pool area and the addition of an upper deck.
Construction happens rain (or snow) in a ski town.
2000s: A New Era of Aquatics
The divider between the lap pool and shallow pool was installed as part of several other renovations.
In 2002, the tennis courts were removed to make way for what is now the upper parking lot and were rebuilt on newly purchased land on Fish Creek Falls Road (until their removal in 2017 for more parking).
The real transformation came in 2007–2008, with a $5 million renovation of the hot spring pools. The project added five new pools, new water slides, an aquatic climbing wall, a remodeled lobby area, an enclosed slide tower, and natural-style landscaping. The thoughtful upgrade replaced the one spa pool with two spa pools, improved the heart spring, and replaced the one water slide with two, 225-foot water slides and a slide pool.
Construction had its surprises; workers discovered two new springs and a 100-year-old clay water pipe during excavation!
The stunning transformation still captivates members and visitors alike.
2010s: Meeting the Needs of Our Community
In the 2010s, the Board of Directors and leadership team recognized that space was becoming limited and saw the need for another expansion to better serve our members and community. They hired multiple consultants to help guide research into what the true needs were for the people in our valley. In 2019, OTHS completed its largest building expansion, adding 15,000 square feet to the facility. The new spaces included a cutting-edge gym, studios, a functional training room, an indoor climbing wall, massage suites, a spin studio, a walking track, a family changing room, and a community room.
Fitness space doubled, opening the door to more programs and wellness offerings than ever before.
A new era of fitness and wellness for every age at OTHS.
2020s: Into the Future
In October 2023, work began on an overdue replacement of the pump house and lap pool and kiddie play area, the first major update since the 1980s, with the same footprint as the 1960s. The project included a new pump house, competitive 8-lane lap pool with diving board, community pool, kiddie splash pool, and hot pool for swimming, soaking, programs, and recreation. We are so grateful to our supporters for making our most recent It’s in the Water Capital Campaign project a reality.
