My husband and I recently spent a night in Truth or Consequences in order to experience the famous hot springs. We chose Blackstone Hotsprings for our accommodation, and we were very impressed with it.
The first thing you should know is that it can be very difficult to obtain a weekend reservation at Blackstone. My husband and I live in Albuquerque, about 2.5 hours away, and it took us nearly a year to score a stay that worked with our schedule. So don't view it as a place where you can just swing off the interstate and stay overnight. Experiencing Blackstone requires advance planning.
That said, the planning is worth the effort. I'm not sure of the history of Blackstone, but the place looks brand new. Each of its seven rooms/suites boasts a Hollywood theme, from the Babaloo Suite (Lucy & Desi) to The Jetsons. What really makes Blackstone Hotsprings unique, however, is the fact that each room (except The Twilight Zone) contains its own, private hot springs soaking tub. All of the other "hot springs" lodgings in town only offer public soaking pools. I can't overstate the luxury of having your very own hot springs pool within your hotel room. It's truly fantastic!
The Golden Girl suite, in which we stayed, is Blackstone's largest suite. The king-sized bed was appointed with fluffy down-alternative duvet and pillows, while the other end of the room contained a small sofa and chair. A separate kitchen included coffee maker with canister of coffee (so you can make as many pots as you like -- another great luxury!), loft-sized refrigerator/freezer, sink, and small table and chairs. A small desk in the bedroom area, a wardrobe, wall-mounted TV, and a luggage rack round out the suite's appointments.
But what's of real interest here is the soaking tub, and it's a whopper. Easily five feet long by three feet wide, the tub must have been over two feet deep. When it was full, my husband and I (both of us tall folks) were nearly up to our chins in water. The hot springs mineral water bubbles into the tub through a hand-mortared stone fountain in the corner, which is charming. There's also a regular shower head, as showering is recommended before soaking.
Fluffy white towels and robes are provided for convenience, and I admire those who can soak and then still muster enough energy to lounge around in a Blackstone Hotsprings robe. Personally, I was so completely relaxed after my soak that I tumbled into bed and passed out.
From the soaking room, sliding glass doors lead out onto a semi-private patio, and this presented something of a "situation." You see, the toilet is located just inside the sliding glass door, and the curtains were not wide enough to completely cover all the glass. Hence, creative arranging of the curtain was necessary to block the view of the toilet from someone lounging on an adjacent patio. I would suggest the lodge add an extra panel to these curtains so that it's possible to use the throne with complete confidence.
We had no other complaints about our stay, however. The suite was immaculately clean. The bed was very comfortable. We enjoyed the charming vintage touches, such as an old "Truth or Consequences" board game on the side table, and vintage barware (under lock and key) in a cabinet. Blackstone Hotsprings would be a great place to get together with friends in the spring or fall to sip some wine on the patio, do some soaking, and then retire.
If only T or C had more things to do and see. As tourists, we felt we had seen and done it all in a mere 3 hours. We visited the local museum (which we highly recommend), toured a few art galleries, shopped the very few thrift stores we could find (couldn't find a single antique store), and scored a great buy on some vintage magazines at a local used bookstore. But otherwise, the town seemed very rundown, with little to recommend it for repeat visits. If T or C took a page from Ruidoso's book and created a better tourism base, I would consider returning again and again.
The one thing that would lure us back to T or C is, in fact, Blackstone Hotsprings Lodge and Spa. If you love soaking in mineral hot springs, Blackstone is a destination unto itself. read more