Ten Thousand Waves review: hot baths, snowy pines and a blissful massage above Santa Fe

Is Ten Thousand Waves worth the splurge? Here’s my review of Santa Fe’s Japanese-style mountain spa: what a visit is like, which bath to book, what the massages cost and how to get there from the Plaza.

After more than a week on the road, I needed a treat. Ten Thousand Waves, a Japanese-style spa tucked into the pine-covered foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains just above Santa Fe, turned out to be exactly that.

I visited in February, with snow on the ground all around the spa. I booked a private tub, soaked in the hot pool, sweated it out in a sauna that was hotter than hell, spent time in the spa area before an 80-minute CBD massage that was, well, blissful, and ate at Izanami, the spa’s restaurant. It’s a feeling I’d love to capture again.

The spa started life in 1981 as a small bathhouse with eight outdoor hot tubs and one massage room, built on the site of an old adobe ranch house about 3 miles from town. Today it’s a full Japanese mountain spa, with private hot tub suites, a big communal bath, an izakaya-style restaurant and its own ryokan-style lodging.

Here’s my honest review, plus everything you need to know to plan your own visit.

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Quick verdict

If you want one indulgent experience in Santa Fe, make it this. Hot outdoor baths, a fierce sauna and a really good massage in a peaceful, Japanese-style setting, ten minutes from the Plaza: it’s the perfect way to unwind after days of sightseeing or skiing, and it’s magical in the snow. It isn’t cheap, though, everything has to be booked ahead and under-16s can’t use the shared baths or book treatments.

My rating: 5/5

Ten Thousand Waves at a glance

• Where: 21 Ten Thousand Waves Way, off Hyde Park Road, about 3 miles (ten minutes’ drive) from the Plaza
• Hours: the spa is open from 9am to 9pm daily (from 8am for lodging guests), with shorter hours on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• Prices: private hot tub suites $89 per person and Reserved Community Soaking $64 per person, both for 90 minutes; 80-minute massages from $229; facials from $169; taxes are extra
• The Grand Bath: unlimited time is included with every massage, facial and treatment, and with lodging; it isn’t sold on its own
• Booking: reservations only, online or by phone on 505 982 9304; there are no day passes or walk-ins
• Ages: 16 and over for treatments, the Grand Bath and community soaking; children are welcome in the private tubs
• Time needed: allow at least three hours for a massage and time in the Grand Bath beforehand

What it’s like: a sauna hotter than hell, and snow outside

I didn’t take many photos at the spa, to protect other guests’ privacy, but this is what to expect.

Booking a massage gets you unlimited time in the Grand Bath, the spa’s shared bathing area, so I made sure I had time there before my treatment. Honestly, that part alone is pretty much worth the trip.

The spa calls the Grand Bath “the closest thing to a real Japanese onsen on the North American continent”. There’s a giant outdoor tiled pool kept at 104°F (40°C), a large wet and dry sauna, a cold plunge, a cold shower and sunning decks. The sauna runs at 175 to 185°F (about 80 to 85°C). Then I stepped outside to snow all around, and it was just perfect.

Then came the main event. I had the 80-minute CBD massage (the Cannabliss one), and it was, well, blissful. My masseuse was incredibly skilled, getting the pressure just right, working through the knots and checking in on the pressure throughout. The spa’s CBD massage uses organic broad-spectrum oil and balm, and the 80 minutes give the therapist time to work on problem areas as well as a full-body massage.

The massage was so good that I bought the CBD balm they used on the way out. It’s a fragrant blend of herbs, arnica and CBD.

What I loved

• The perfect treat: after more than a week on the road, it was exactly what I needed.
• Hot and cold: a sauna that’s hotter than hell, followed by snow all around outside.
• The massage: 80 minutes of pure bliss from an incredibly skilled masseuse who got the pressure just right and checked in throughout.
• The balm: I liked the CBD balm from my massage so much that I bought some to take home.
• The Grand Bath: unlimited time in it before my treatment, which is pretty much worth the trip alone.

The catches to know before you book

• It’s a splurge. Massages cost $229 to $259 for 80 minutes, plus tax and an optional gratuity, and even a 90-minute soak in a private tub is $89 each.
• No more walk-ins. The spa no longer sells day passes, and the Grand Bath is only open to lodging guests and people booked in for a treatment.
• The CBD massage I had isn’t on the current menu. The spa still has a page for an 80-minute CBD massage ($229), but it no longer appears on the main massage list or the price list, so ask when you book if you’d like it.
• Over-16s only in the shared areas. Families with younger children need a private tub.

Which bath should you book?

There are three ways to soak, depending on whether you’re booking a treatment and how much privacy you want.

The Grand Bath: free with any treatment

If you’re having a massage or facial, you don’t need to book a bath separately: unlimited Grand Bath time is included. Swimsuits are required, it holds up to 18 people and it’s the most onsen-like of the spa’s pools. This is where I spent time before my massage.

Reserved Community Soaking: the budget option

This replaced the spa’s old walk-in communal and women’s tubs. You book a 90-minute slot in Shin Kobuta, a 12-foot-square outdoor pool at 104°F (40°C) with an underwater bench, a 165 to 175°F sauna and a cold plunge, shared with no more than ten people. It costs $64 per person, sessions run from Sunday to Thursday at 11.15am and 6.45pm (not on holidays), and you can only book up to 72 hours ahead. Swimsuits are required and it’s over-16s only.

Private hot tub suites: for couples, friends and families

I booked a private tub as well as my massage. Each private suite is a self-contained bathing space open to the sky, with its own hot tub, sauna, changing room and shower, and swimsuits are optional. They cost $89 per person for 90 minutes. The suites include Ichiban (an indoor and outdoor Japanese bath), Ofuro (the most luxurious, with a covered roof), Waterfall, New Wave, Shoji and Shin Kobuta, with two more, Oyu and Kojiro, coming soon. They’re the only tubs open to under-16s, and up to two children under 4 feet tall go free with each adult. The public can book up to 45 days ahead (lodging guests 60 days).

Massages and facials: what they cost

All the massages last 80 minutes and include unlimited time in the Grand Bath, plus the hot foot bath, the Relax Room, the firepit and private showers and changing areas:

• Hot Stone Massage: $239
• Targeted Therapeutic Bodywork: $239
• Signature Japanese Shiatsu: $259 (done in loose clothing)
• Body and Sole: $229, with an Ashi Anma foot treatment
• Relax & Unwind: $229
• Prenatal Massage: $229

The two 50-minute facials, the Signature Japanese Facial ($169) and the Myofascial Facial ($179), also come with Grand Bath time. Massages are one to one: couples massages are no longer offered.

How booking works, and the house rules

• Reservations only: book online or by phone (the spa doesn’t take bookings by email). Cancel or change at least 24 hours ahead, or you’ll be charged 50% of the cost.
• What’s provided: kimonos, sandals, towels, lockers, toiletries and a private changing room. Bring a swimsuit for the Grand Bath or community soaking, or rent one at the front desk for $4.
• Drinks: you can take drinks (not food) into the tub areas, but no glass, and the spa recommends saving any alcohol until after your soak.
• Accessibility: the Grand Bath and the restaurant are fully accessible, a lift serves the spa’s three levels and some private tubs and treatment rooms suit guests with mobility needs; mention it when you book.
• Pregnancy: check with your doctor before bathing; the Prenatal, Targeted Therapeutic Bodywork and Relax & Unwind massages are available throughout pregnancy, and the Shoji tub can be set to 99°F with notice.

Eat at Izanami

I ate at the spa’s restaurant, Izanami, on my visit. It’s a Japanese izakaya serving small plates and sake. Lunch is from noon to 3pm (Wednesday to Monday), dinner from 5pm to 9pm daily, and there are happy hours from 3pm to 4pm (Wednesday to Monday) and 9pm to 10pm daily. Reserve a table ahead; cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice cost $25 per person. If you’d like to stay over, the spa’s own Houses of the Moon has 16 ryokan-style rooms, and lodging guests get unlimited Grand Bath time from 8am.

How to get to Ten Thousand Waves

By car: it’s about ten minutes’ drive from downtown, heading up Hyde Park Road (NM 475) towards Ski Santa Fe. There’s plenty of parking at street level, with limited parking at spa level about 60 vertical feet higher; a shuttle runs up from the lower car park for guests with limited mobility, and drivers can drop passengers at the spa or Izanami entrances. In winter, the road climbs into the mountains, so check conditions after snow.

By bus: the RTD Mountain Trail bus runs up Hyde Park Road from downtown several times a day; check the timetable before you go.

By taxi or rideshare: Uber and Lyft both run door to door.

From Albuquerque: the spa is about an hour and a half’s drive from Albuquerque airport, and NMShuttle runs a few trips a day between the airport and Santa Fe.

The same road leads to the Dale Ball Trails, where I hiked in the snowy foothills on the afternoon I arrived, and on to Ski Santa Fe, 16 miles from the Plaza, so it’s easy to pair a morning on the trails or the slopes with an afternoon soak. My guide to the best hikes in New Mexico has the details.

Tips for your visit

• Book early for weekends and winter: private tubs open for booking 45 days ahead and community soaking just 72 hours ahead, so plan around them.
• Go in winter if you can: steaming pools with snow all around are the whole point of a Japanese mountain spa, and that’s how I saw it in February.
• Drink plenty of water: Santa Fe sits at about 7,000 feet and the saunas are seriously hot, so keep a water bottle filled.
• Switch off: phone signal is patchy here, though there’s free Wi-Fi in the spa lobby.
• Make a weekend of it: see my Santa Fe weekend itinerary for how to fit a soak around the city’s other highlights.

My verdict: is Ten Thousand Waves worth it?

Yes. After more than a week on the road, a private tub, time in the spa beforehand, a blissful massage and a meal at Izanami were exactly what I needed, and stepping out of that hotter-than-hell sauna into the snow is a memory I’d happily repeat. Book a treatment, arrive early and give yourself at least three hours.

My rating: 5/5

Map

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