The new cold-water pool at the top of the hill now makes even a visit in midsummer heat appealing.

by Marlys Hersey

“This is a magic place.

Relax.

Breathe.

Soak.

Repeat.”

So commands a past visitor from the pages of a guestbook at Chinati Hot Springs. ‘Nough said: that’s pretty much all we did.

“Opened in the 1930’s by the Kingston family the natural spring has provided healing waters to the indigenous people of the area for thousands of years,” claims the website.

“Said to be beneficial for relieving arthritis, stomach ulcers and healing a variety of skin conditions, the waters of the springs are a great way to regenerate your body and mind. Flowing from the ground at approximately 110 degrees, the waters contain lithium, arsenic, and a variety of other natural healing minerals...”

The resort has changed hands several times; under the ownership of famous New Yorker-cum-Marfan minimalist artist Donald Judd, it was closed to the public and fell into disrepair. The major renovation of the entire low-key resort during the past year, says caretaker David Sines, is the result of “our ideas, a whole lot of help from others, and the owner,  JEF [Fort]” who acquired the place about a year ago. “He’s the reason all this stuff is happening.”

“Soaking in the hot springs pool under the stars was absolute heaven,” a guest from Wimberely, TX wrote. “We were blessed with a new moon, so more stars than I ever knew existed out there in this vast universe - wow! Sweet sleep, romantic energy....Thank you.”
The pool, which replaced a round metal stock tank that served as the outside tub, runs constantly, spilling over the top, keeping the water a constant 109º F and feeding into a man-made creek which irrigates the whole lower portion of the grounds.

“Busy morning,” scrawled one visitor into the guestbook. “Major crisis: low on ice. After coffee at the new cook shack, it’s off in search of ice.” Now guests no longer have to drive 25 minutes to buy ice at the one little store in Ruidosa (if they’re lucky): the new communal kitchen (above) is fully equipped, including ice machine.

“Relaxing?” begins another entry in the guestbook. “When was the last time I took a nap at 10:30 am? And then again at 3 pm? A much needed escape. And just the place to do it...” declared “another satisfied Austin couple and their pup!”

David and Krissy Sines have been the caretakers of Chianti Hot Springs since March 2003. Their close friends in Marfa, Buck & Camp Bosworth, found out about this opportunity and called the couple, saying “We have a life-changing offer for you....”
The Sineses, artists then living in inner-city Dallas, had “no background in this whatsoever,” says David. They came out to Marfa anyway, to take a vacation, see their friends, and check the place out. Sitting in the outdoor hot tub (then a big metal tank) during a sleet storm cinched the deal. “We fell in love with the place….Having clumps of ice fall on us while sitting in the hot water? It was amazing,” says David.
“We knew it was one of those opportunities we’d never have again. So we took it. And we haven’t been sorry.” Neither are their dogs, Jubilation T. Cornpone and Hominy.
Besides the obvious benefits of running a hot springs resort in the quietude of the Chihuahuan Desert (replete with multiple hot mineral baths, a cold pool, guest cabins, bunkhouse, and campsites) , other rewards include “the incredible people we’ve met...out here in the middle of nowhere. More interesting people than we would meet in downtown Dallas.” Plus, in order to communicate with Spanish-speaking laborers, David has quickly learned to speak the language, semi-fluently.  Although, he muses, “We’re still not used to the 100-mile roundtrip to get groceries.”  

Besides remodeling and repainting every room and adding bathrooms, “We sculpted views,” says Sines. “We cut back the brush. Before that, you couldn’t see canyons or mountains…. We cut brush, all along the creek bed – it used to be covered in high grass and mesquite. It looks natural, but it was a lot of work getting it to look that way…. and good ideas. Mark Goff helped us a lot. He was our gardening guru.”

Though Krissy has not had time to paint or sculpt since the renovations began, she does get to share her Elvis memorabilia, in El Presidente suite.

Chinati Hot Springs is in a remote area, even by Terlingua standards: more or less north of Ruidosa and south of Marfa.Getting there is a lot of fun, driving on high dirt roads where horses and burros roam, framed by the backdrop of mountains in northern Chihuahua, Mexico.

“This place has been blessed,” wrote a guest from Menard, TX. “If you are here to read this, you are one of the few. Gaze at the beauty, listen to the silence, and boil your bones in the heat of the earth.
Come back as often as possible, and bring your friends.
But not too many.”

For more information about Chinati Hot Springs, call David & Krissy at 432/229-4165, or visit the website. Oh, hell, never mind all that, just take yourself there. Right now.