The Poor Man’s Spa Getaway: New Mexico

New Mexico has been
a medical cannabis state since 2007, and perhaps there’s no better place to
medicate in the Land of Enchantment than in the small town of Truth or
Consequences, which is known as “the poor man’s spa vacation” for its quirky
and affordable motels and bathhouses.

Located along New
Mexico’s main north-south Highway 85, Truth or Consequences (called T or C by
locals) makes for an affordable central locale for any New Mexico road trip
getaway as it sits 150 miles south of Albuquerque and 75 miles north of La
Cruces.

In T or C, life is
chill and the only thing anyone asks you is: “Have you soaked today?” That’s
because this one-light town named after the popular ’50s-era TV show is all
about taking a daily dip in its famed 110-degree mineral waters at about a
dozen “day spa” bathhouses. For around $10, visitors can spend hours “soaking”
in clean tubs, getting wrapped in heated blankets and then sleeping it off in a
dark and quiet “womb” room.

Some cheap, yet
thoroughly modernized T or C motels are even equipped with large soaking tubs
in your own room including Blackstone Baths & Beds, Firewater Lodge Bed
& Breakfast, La Paloma Hot Springs, Pelican Spa, Riverbend Hot Springs and
at the town’s most luxurious lodgings, Sierra Grande Lodge & Spa. Or, for
just $40 a night, stay at ’40s-esque Charles Motel & Spa.

In the end, a T or
C getaway is all about your overall health. Life in this funky desert town
makes visitors slow down so as to thoroughly enjoy medicating amongst a
populace full of “soakers” who believe physical, mental and spiritual health is
more important than financial success.

Fun-Filled
Facts

–Visitors are
encouraged to soak their feet at the town’s famous fountain, which is located
across from the post office and next door to the Geronimo Springs Museum.

–Elephant Butte
Lake State Park is just a few miles from downtown T or C and is a mecca for
water sports such as swimming, fishing, boating, kayaking and water skiing.

–Spaceport
America, which is the world’s first commercial “spaceport” (including a base
for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic), is located about 20 miles northeast of
T or C.

If
You Go

A medical cannabis
state since 2007, New Mexico’s MMJ laws were just strengthened in May 2015 when
a judge ruled the New Mexico Department of Health cannot discriminate against
PTSD patients. Cannabis patients in New Mexico can possess 6 ounces of usable
medical cannabis and grow 16 plants (four mature and 12 immature), but cannabis
laws in the state have always been rather lax (a $50-$100 fine for possession
of up to one ounce and 15 days max in jail for the first offense). However, car
loads of New Mexicans head to border town Pueblo, Colorado, to purchase their
medication as only valid identification (from any state) is needed to buy up to
one ounce at a time. While Colorado law prohibits anyone from taking
legally-purchased cannabis out of the state, New Mexico’s authorities have a
lax attitude towards over-the-state-lines drivers unless they notice any
erratic or dangerous driving behaviors. As in Colorado, medical cannabis
patients cannot medicate in public places. That could pose a problem for
medicating while visiting New Mexico, so you may want to consider your motel’s
smoking policy.

Time
to Go: Year
round

Weather:
Warm and sunny

Budget: $$$$$