Announcing the 2026 Love Letters contest winners
For the sixth year, hot springs fans, Athletic Club members, visitors and locals were invited to submit love letters to Glenwood Hot Springs Resort as part of our celebration of Valentine’s Day.
A valentine “mailbox” was placed in the pool and Athletic Club lobbies—much like the decorated shoeboxes and paper sacks we all enjoyed as kids—and we waited hopefully for pool pass holders, Athletic Club members and visitors to drop in sweet notes to the world’s largest hot springs pool. Being beautifully historic yet current with the times, love letters could also be submitted online.
The response? Incredible.
A record 371 love letters (up from 266 last year) were submitted between Feb. 1–16, 2026. Many shared fond memories built with family and friends over the years, along with appreciation for the 15 minerals and soothing properties of our geothermal waters.
From five generations of family tradition to healing moments and winter swims under falling snow, your words reminded us why we’ve proudly served guests since 1888.
Fourteen Lucky Winners Announced
This year’s prizes included:
- Grand Prize: One overnight stay for two guests
- Second Place: One annual pool pass
- Third & Fourth Place: $50 resort gift cards
- Ten Additional Winners: One-day pool passes or $25 resort gift cards
- And now, we are honored to share the top four winning entries.
Grand Prize Winner: Victoria R., Overnight Stay
Glenwood Hot Springs Resort has been the warm thread running through my life for more than seven decades. Every time I slip into the water, memories rise with the steam—bright, tender and impossibly alive.
As a child, my grandparents would drive me from Eagle, the canyon opening around us like a promise. I’d spot the big pool and feel joy spark through me. They sat on the side watching me splash as if the whole world has slowed just for us. My mom floated by my side, talking about life or drifting into comfortable silence, the sun warming our faces. I didn’t know then how deeply I’d treasure those moments.
Then came the years with my own children. Their laughter filled the air, their cannonballs sending up waves of pure happiness. I remember thinking, “This is what love looks like.” Loud, joyful and sun-soaked. I returned last summer with my grandchildren. Watching them run toward the water, time folded on itself. I saw my younger self in their excitement. I felt my grandparents in the way I reached out to steady little hands. I felt my mother in the warmth on my shoulders.
Five generations, all held in the same place. Glenwood Hot Springs isn’t just a resort to me. It’s a living memory—a place where love has gathered across decades, layering itself like sunlight on the water, a reminder that the people we’ve loved never truly leave us. They stay in the places we return, in the joy we pass on, in the warmth that greets us again and again. Every time I come back, I feel them all with me.
Second Place: Nico H., Annual Pool Pass
My dearest Hot Springs Pool:
You are where I first learned to float, where fear turned into freedom in your warm, steady arms. Now you hold my children the way you once held me, teaching them the same brave rhythm of breath.
You are our summer, laughter, winter steam beneath falling snow, our quiet date nights, our healing place when bodies ache and spirits need lifting.
When I am low, you raise me.
When I am joyful, you shine with me.
Season after season, you are warmth, memory, and home.
Noteworthy Runner-Up Entries
Steam rises like a held breath at dawn, Minerals whispering to tired bones. In your warm mineral silence, time loosens. Mountains lean closer, hearts slow down. Glenwood Hot Springs, you hold us gently, And we forget the cold world waiting outside.
— Katherine K.
This is a love story about my mom.
In May 2023, my brother and I decided to surprise her with something she had always talked about but never done; a trip to Glenwood Hot Springs, where she had dreamed of going for years. Full of excitement, we packed up the car and hit the road. On the way, we stopped at Sweet Coloradough for Croughnuts. That became part of the magic, her new favorite treat.
When we finally arrived at the hot springs, it felt like we had given her a small piece of heaven. The warm mineral water wrapped around her like a gentle hug. Cancer had already begin taking its toll on her body, but that day, floating in those healing waters, she looked lighter. Relaxed. Relieved. She kept saying how good it felt on her achy back. We laughed and soaked.
Afterward, in the dressing room, I found myself stuck in my swimsuit. No matter how much I tried, it wouldn’t budge. So there I was—a grown adult—asking my mom for help with my swimsuit. She came to the rescue and we laughed. It was such a simple, silly moment. Like life had circled back and given us on more chance to take care of each other.
My mom loved the hot springs.
She passed in May of 2024. When I think of her, I try not to remember her sick. I see her floating peacefully in warm water, eating Croughnuts and laughing in the dressing room. I see joy, I see love. That trip wasn’t just a getaway. It was a gift as much as for her as for me, getting to spend a fun-filled day with my precious mom.
— Carla S.
A Place Where Love Returns Again and Again
“Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2026 Love Letters contest,” says Resort Sales Manager Aly Ackley. “This year’s winning letters beautifully reflect what makes Glenwood Hot Springs so special: five generations gathered in one place, parents teaching children to float, winter swims under falling snow, quiet healing moments, and even laughter shared in a dressing room as a cherished moment between loved ones.”
“From lifelong family traditions to once-in-a-lifetime visits that became cherished final memories. Your stories show that our geothermal mineral waters do more than soothe the body; they allow connection, courage, joy and love to flow through our guests,” she says. “We are deeply honored to be part of your family stories, milestones and memories that last far beyond a single visit.”
A small business with a big heart, Glenwood Hot Springs Resort has been welcoming locals and visitors from across the United States and around the world since 1888. To everyone who submitted a love letter this year: thank you for reminding us why we do what we do.
Warmth is in more than just our water. It’s in the hearts of all who visit here.
