It’s a long-forgotten place in San Antonio that’s now being used in a very unusual way. It's the old Hot Wells luxury resort of yesteryear. You may not know the place, but according to Hanna Oberhofer, some very notable people knew it well.
“Teddy Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille. A lot of famous actors used to ride into San Antonio on the train, hop off at Hot Wells, spend a couple of days at the spas, and then make their way back to wherever they came from.”
Oberhofer says it’s not quite the spa it once was.
“No, unfortunately not. The Hot Wells Hotel has been riddled by a series of fires over the span of about 120 years.”
Ms. Oberhofer has devised an interesting re-use of the the Hot Wells Spa, but it's not a real estate development.
“We practice Yoga together every Saturday.”
The program there is called Yoga in the Ruins and Instructor Oberhofer teaches the class. It's meant for all levels of yoga ability.
“Yoga in the Ruins is a donation-based class that takes place once a week at the Hot Wells Hotel every Saturday at 10AM. We have a space on the second floor of one of the ruins, and that’s where we practice.”
She says the place's characteristics are surprising, but they fit interestingly with yoga practice.
“It’s a bit of peace and quiet in the city. You really just hear the sounds of nature. You hear the birds chirping, you hear the leaves rustling, you hear the wind blowing. It’s just a nice time out from the busy lives that we lead. So even though you’re still within the city limits, you’re still very serene.”
For more on Yoga in the Ruins go here.
