Ten Thousand Waves - A Japanese Mountain Spa Transplanted to the New Mexico Desert

Four miles up from Santa Fe, where piñon pines and junipers blanket the Sangre de Cristo foothills, sits something that shouldn't really exist: a faithful recreation of a Japanese mountain onsen, complete with cedar-scented hot tubs, sake bars, and guests padding about in yukata robes.

You can soak under falling snow in winter, book a shiatsu massage, eat wagyu beef cooked on volcanic rock, and never change out of your casual kimono for days. It's the sort of place where you arrive in street clothes, stash them in a drawer, and genuinely forget about the outside world until checkout.

The spa offers eight private bath suites with hot tubs, saunas, and cold plunges, plus a large communal bath for overnight guests. There's lodging in 14 uniquely designed rooms spread across 20 acres of high desert forest, a James Beard-nominated izakaya restaurant, and 23 massage rooms tucked into buildings that look like they were airlifted from Hokkaido.

You're ten minutes from downtown Santa Fe but feel utterly removed, surrounded by nature at 8,000 feet above sea level with the Santa Fe National Forest next door.

From Bathhouse to Ryokan

Ten Thousand Waves started small in 1981: one bathhouse, eight outdoor hot tubs, one massage room. The concept was simple then and remains so now – transplant the Japanese tradition of communal hot water bathing to New Mexico, where the landscape differs wildly but the beauty holds its own.

Over 45 years, that modest beginning evolved through constant refinement into something more ambitious: a full-scale ryokan experience with lodging, fine dining, and an aesthetic the owners call "Japanese-adobe."

The philosophy borrows directly from Japan's onsen culture, where bathing is less about health benefits (though those exist) and more about unwinding, socializing, spending time with family, and simply relaxing. State-of-the-art filtration systems run alongside traditional design elements – imported timbers, tiles, and fabrics meet southwestern adobe in a surprisingly seamless fusion. The commitment to kaizen, or continuous improvement, is evident in the on-site woodworking and metal shops that keep the property looking fresh.

Izanami: Small Plates, Big Flavors

The restaurant at Ten Thousand Waves serves izakaya-style food – Japanese pub fare elevated several notches. Chef Kiko's small plates arrive meticulously arranged, meant for sharing, built around locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce. Most of the beef is wagyu, stone-cooked ishiyaki-style on 500-degree rocks that arrive sizzling at your table, letting you control the doneness yourself.

The sake selection is exceptional – reportedly the best collection of artisanal microbrew cold sake in North America – accompanied by Japanese whisky, craft beer from Japan, cocktails featuring Japanese spirits, and green teas from Shizuoka. There are non-alcoholic options too, and the casual atmosphere welcomes spa guests still wrapped in their bathhouse robes.

You can eat indoors at the sake bar, at table seating, on tatami floor mats, or outside in a year-round pavilion. The deck claims the best restaurant views in Santa Fe. Dishes lean rich – miso glazes, fresh sashimi, matcha tiramisu – with careful attention to presentation that matches the architectural detail in the handmade building itself. Service is courteous and knowledgeable, walking you through what amounts to a gastro-cultural experience.

Emperor's Rooms – Bessou

Bessou means "holiday house" in Japanese, which tracks for what is essentially a small luxury apartment. You get a separate bedroom with a king bed by Sachi Organics and a traditional tokonoma picture recess, plus a living area with a queen sofa bed, a giant bathroom with dual rain shower heads, and a private deck overlooking a meadow. The bathroom alone is enormous.

A glass-front wood-burning stove provides warmth and atmosphere. The kitchenette includes a sink, microwave, and fridge. There's a smart TV, radiant floor heating beneath natural fiber rugs, and Japanese cabinetry stocked with a French drip coffee maker, grinder, beans, and tea supplies. The room is accessible and connects via walkway to another unit called Half Moon, making it suitable for groups.

Like all rooms here, you enter through your own courtyard, reinforcing the sense of a Japanese village rather than standard hotel corridors. Organic bedding, throws and pillows with Japanese designs, and the ever-present yukata robes complete the aesthetic. The level of finish and detailing is noticeably high – this is the top tier of accommodation at the property.

Townsman Rooms – Hangetsu

Hangetsu occupies part of an 80-year-old adobe ranch house that's been transformed through Japanese minimalist principles. The result feels both spacious and simple – a King bed by Sachi Organics, a bathroom with double rain shower, radiant heated floors, and a smart TV balanced against clean lines and uncluttered surfaces.

The standout feature is the giant private courtyard and garden, which is dog-proof (the property welcomes pets for a flat fee and provides beds and bowls). A glass-front wood stove adds warmth. The same Japanese cabinetry and coffee setup found in pricier rooms appears here, along with the usual yukata robes, organic bedding, and complimentary snacks.

All the Townsman rooms – Hangetsu, Sailor Moon, Suigetsu, Rising Moon, and Blue Moon – share this aesthetic of elegant roominess within the renovated adobe structure. You also get the standard lodging perks: high-speed wifi, access to the Grand Bath from 8am to 9pm, locally roasted coffee and tea, non-dairy milk, Buddha chocolates on arrival, and no hidden fees. There's a two-night minimum stay and a 20% discount on private spa suites during your visit.

The bathing setup mimics Japan's mountain onsen through eight completely self-contained private suites, each with its own hot tub, sauna, changing room, shower, and bathroom. Some include cooling berths with mattresses. Between sessions, staff perform thorough cleanings while the entire water volume cycles through filtration and sanitation systems – the water quality is genuinely excellent.

Sessions run 90 minutes. You can book one of the named suites like Kojiro, each slightly different in layout and amenities. The traditional bathing sequence starts with the hot tub, moves to the dry sauna, then a cold shower, and finishes with a plunge in the cold pool. The outdoor sections let you soak while snow falls in winter or under clear mountain skies in summer, surrounded by juniper and piñon.

If you book a massage (treatments start at 80 minutes), you get unlimited time in the Grand Bath, which is the largest pool on the property and open to overnight guests and treatment clients. The 23 massage rooms feature natural light, private showers, and changing areas. Therapists train for a minimum of 650 hours at accredited schools. The signature Japanese shiatsu treatment targets tension release and circulation.

Reserved Community Soaking replaced the old communal tubs, limiting sessions to ten people during two 90-minute windows from Sunday through Thursday. It's quieter and more meditative than typical communal bathing while remaining affordable and available on shorter notice.

Grounds include terraced walkways lit by lanterns at night, water features with upright boulders, koi ponds, wooden bridges, and clear signage. You're encouraged to linger after your session – walk the property, soak your feet by the waterfall-fed pond, or simply sit. The property sprawls across 20 acres, providing genuine seclusion despite being a quick drive from Santa Fe Plaza.

The fragrance of cedar and the sound of running water establish the mood from arrival, maintaining that other-worldly atmosphere that's equal parts Japanese precision and New Mexican high desert calm.