Pelican Spa

What to expect

Pelican Spa is a motel first and a bathhouse second, and it leans into both with a lot of personality. It sits on South Pershing Street in the old downtown bathhouse district of Truth or Consequences, one street north of the Rio Grande, and its rooms are spread across several buildings around a courtyard and nearby lots. The look is mid-century and a bit eccentric, with bright colors and local art rather than spa minimalism.

The baths are the reason most people stop. Pelican runs private indoor tub rooms, each with a deep Japanese-style concrete tub. You fill the tub yourself from a red-handled tap that runs straight from the geothermal well. The spa says the water is not heated, treated or changed in any way, comes out clear with no smell, and usually runs between about 102°F and 112°F39°C and 44°C. Once the tub is full you can add city water, hot or cold, to set the temperature where you want it. When your time is up you drain the tub completely, so the next person starts with fresh water.

Most tubs suit one or two people. There is also a larger group tub, which a 2025 travel article says holds four. The spa’s own policies note that the tub rooms have a shower, which matters if your motel room is one of the few without one.

One thing to know before you go: despite the name, this is not a day spa. There are no facials, wraps or nail services. The front desk can recommend independent massage therapists in town.

Prices and booking

Pelican sells soaks to anyone, not just motel guests. Prices on the website in 2026:

• One guest: $16.26
• Two guests sharing one tub: $27.09
• Group tub: $43.35
• Soak cards: $54.19 for six one-hour punches, $97.54 for twelve

Each punch on a soak card covers one one-hour session. Cards do not buy unlimited time or a guaranteed tub.

There are no tub reservations. You sign in at the front desk, leave contact details in case of an emergency or forgotten belongings, and wait in the courtyard. You have to stay in the courtyard while you wait or you may lose your place. Rooms go first come, first served.

Hours:

• Sunday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., last soak at 9 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., last soak at 10 p.m.

The spa warns that evenings are its busiest time and that late arrivals may find no tub or not enough time left. Come in the morning or early afternoon if you can.

Staying overnight: registered motel guests can use the baths during posted hours as part of their stay. The county tourism site lists 34 rooms spread over several downtown properties. Check-in runs from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and checkout is 11 a.m. The office is not staffed around the clock, so call ahead if you will arrive late. Monthly stays start around $1,200 for one adult without pets, with bath access included. The Aqua Room is the only room with its own mineral tub inside, and it sits off the spa lobby, so light sleepers may hear activity.

Rules and etiquette

The house rules are short and practical:

• No soaps, glass, candles, bath bombs, oils or salts in the tubs.
• No smoking, vaping, incense or sage in the soaking rooms. There is a smoking area in the courtyard.
• Clothing is required in all common areas. What you wear inside your private tub room is up to you.
• Minors must be with an adult at all times, and children and pets must be supervised in the tub rooms.
• Pets may join you in the tub room if they are quiet and leashed, but they are not allowed in the water.
• Keep your voice down. Rooms and soaking areas share walls, and quiet hours run from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.
• Clean up after yourself. Drain and unplug the tub, put used towels in the baskets and spa cups in the sink. Flooding a room can cost you your soaking privileges.

One towel per guest is provided. Drinking water is available for bathers, but the spa asks you not to fill large jugs.

Getting there

Truth or Consequences sits right off Interstate 25, about two hours from both Albuquerque and El Paso. Take I-25 Exit 79 and follow Date Street into the downtown district. Pelican Spa is at 306 South Pershing Street, about 0.2 mile from the T or C visitor center, in the small grid of streets near the river. The motel has free on-site parking for registered guests.

When to go

The bathhouse district works year-round, but the hot tubs make the most sense from October to April, when days are mild and nights are cold. Summer afternoons in Sierra County are often well over 90°F32°C, and a 110°F43°C tub in a small indoor room can feel like a lot. If you visit in summer, go early in the morning.

Weekday mornings are the easiest time to walk straight into a tub. Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest, especially during local events and on holiday weekends.

Where to stay nearby

Staying at Pelican gets you free baths during posted hours. If you want a different style of lodging in the same few blocks:

• Riverbend Hot Springs, one street south on the Rio Grande, has outdoor pools, rooms and a few RV spaces. It does not admit children under 12.
• Sierra Grande on McAdoo Street is a quieter 17-room lodge with private soaking tubs and a full spa menu.
• Elephant Butte Lake, about 5 miles away, has state park campgrounds on the reservoir if you would rather sleep outside.

Safety notes

• Heat: Water up to 112°F44°C is too hot for a long soak. The spa advises talking to a doctor first if you are pregnant or have heart problems, blood pressure issues, a pacemaker or diabetes. Do not soak after drinking or on drowsy medication. Drink water, and get out at once if you feel dizzy.
• Footing: There is no lifeguard and decks can be slippery. Step in and out of the deep tubs slowly.
• Kids: Children feel heat faster than adults. Cool the tub with city water and keep their sessions short.
• Allergies: The whole motel is pet-friendly and there are no pet-free rooms, so people with animal allergies should plan accordingly.

About the water

The springs under downtown Truth or Consequences have drawn bathers since long before the town existed. Sierra County’s tourism office says the area was known as Palomas Hot Springs in the late 1800s, became the town of Hot Springs, and took its game-show name in 1950. The same source describes the water as pH neutral, odorless, and carrying about 2,700 ppm of dissolved minerals, mostly chloride. Pelican pumps its supply straight from that aquifer, which is why the water in each tub is as hot as it comes out of the ground.