Joe Holley takes a time travel trip to Hot Wells Hotel and Spa south of downtown San Antonio
Joe HolleySAN ANTONIO — One of my favorite just-for-fun novels is Jack Finney’s “Time and Again,” published in 1970 and now something of a cult classic.
That magnificent resort burned in 1925 and never recovered its opulence, despite staying in business in one form or another for several more decades. Today, though, after nearly a century of neglect, a modest, albeit imaginative reuse of the property is drawing visitors back. Newspaper ads promised perfect weather year-round, perfect for golf and tennis on the grounds, although the main attraction was, of course, the spa. The octagonal bathhouse featured three 34-foot by 90-foot pools, one for “ladies,” one for “gents” , as well as one for those with “skin diseases.”
She turns her blue eyes toward me, smiles, and asks in a delightful French accent if I will place a bet for her with the Hot Wells Jockey Club bookie. She’s gotten a tip on a bird named Ozzie. Alas, the legend has lasted much longer than the hotel itself. After the 1925 fire — Koehler was no longer the owner — the property struggled along, first as a tourist court and later as a motel and woebegone little trailer park. The Flame Room, a bar and grill in the former bathhouse lobby, was a longtime Southside hot spot. Literally. It went up in flames three times until closing for good in 1977. The old well was capped in 2013.
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