STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Once again, visitors to Steamboat Springs can soak in the pool at Old Town Hot Springs. The facility opened back up to members June 5 in an effort to keep capacity down while navigating the new protocols and safety standards brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After two and a half weeks of observation, Old Town Hot Springs is confident it can bring in nonmembers and visitors while still following state and county health orders. 

“We wanted to make sure we felt like we were really dialed in on all of our safety protocols before we took the next step of welcoming visitors back,” said Old Town Hot Springs Marketing Director Vanessa Cory. “The last few weeks, we’ve learned a ton. … We feel confident that we can increase our capacity numbers, which would still stay within the state guidelines, and welcome visitors back.”

Cory said it’s been hard to turn away visitors, as Old Town Hot Springs has never been a members-only facility. The health and recreation center only reached capacity a handful of times, so reservations are no longer required. Instead, admission is good for a two-hour window between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Nothing else is changing at Old Town Hot Springs, though. There are no classes at the moment, no rentals and the waterslides are closed. 

While monitoring use over the past few weeks, it’s become clear that more people are using the pool than the fitness center, which is understandable, since the pools are outside and the virus cannot be transmitted in properly maintained chlorinated water. The facility has seen less use on the weekends, which is when visitors will likely fill it. Following trends from years passed, most visitors will opt to use the pool over the fitness center. 

“We think a lot of our members are just used to not coming here on the weekends because, in the past, there are so many visitors,” Cory said. “The weekends have been noticeably slower for sure. … When a majority of our visitors are coming for the weekend, it makes a ton of sense to welcome them back.”

To reach Shelby Reardon, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.