The most scenic of T or C's hot spring soaking spots, Riverbend sits on the west bank of the Rio Grande and lets you soak in open-air tubs with the river running a few feet below. The mineral water comes out of the ground at around 107°F and is cooled to soaking temperature in the tubs, which range from about 100°F to 104°F. Book ahead — the outdoor riverside pools fill up, especially on weekends.
The setting is the draw: cottonwood trees overhead, the wide brown Rio Grande in front, and the Caballo Mountains on the far bank. At night the sky is genuinely dark and the stars come out in force. Several of the soaking tubs are perched right above the water's edge, making this one of the more pleasant hot spring experiences in New Mexico.
story: "The Rio Grande at Truth or Consequences is dammed upstream at Elephant Butte, so the river runs slow and steady here year-round — the perfect backdrop for a long soak in water that has been rising from deep geothermal aquifers since before the town had a name."