Winter in Colorado doesn’t just mean powder days and après-ski hot toddies. The Centennial State also has endless opportunities for quiet moments, restorative escapes and playful ways to recharge when the snow starts to pile high.
Whether you’re craving a restorative spa treatment, a dance floor release or just a hot bowl of soup on a cold afternoon, nurture your body and mind with these nine unique and soul-soothing experiences.
Try Forest Bathing in the Snow
Forest bathing—known as shinrin-yoku in Japan—is a meditative practice of immersing oneself in nature to promote physical and mental wellbeing. In winter, the experience can be even more profound, with a quiet stillness that’s hard to find in other seasons. While you can forest bathe at your nearest park or trailhead, point toward a destination like Pagosa Springs, where guides at The Springs Resort lead snowy river contemplation walks, encouraging participants to slow their steps, deepen their breathing and awaken their senses to the beauty of the season. Afterward, you can slip into the area’s famous hot springs for an added dose of renewal. pagosahotsprings.com
Treat Yourself to an In-Room Altitude Restoration Treatment in Telluride
Perched at nearly 9,000 feet, Telluride is breathtaking in every sense of the word. Luckily, wellness is on the menu at Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection, which offers an in-room altitude restoration treatment to soothe sore muscles, calm the nervous system and help you acclimate to (or recover from) the alpine air. You and up to three friends can book a private therapy session featuring a stint in Therabody compression pants, a Theragun percussion massage, plus oxygen and electrolyte treatments—all of which leave you ready to savor whatever adventure comes next. aubergeresorts.com/madeline
Get Your (Motherly) Groove On with Moms Feeling Themselves
Sometimes self-care means getting out of your head and into your body. Moms Feeling Themselves is a Denver dance party created for women—especially mothers—who want to ease their stress, sweat it out and rediscover joy on the dance floor. There’s no choreography and no pressure; just music that makes you want to move and a supportive community of women busting a move alongside you. Winter can feel isolating, but here you’ll find warmth, laughter and freedom to shake off even the most intense winter blues. momsfeelinthemselves.com
Go on a Citywide Soup Crawl
Sometimes the simplest pleasures are the most restorative. Boulder’s restaurant scene is brimming with steaming bowls of comfort—from Tibetan thukpa noodle soup at Sherpa’s to spicy miso ramen at Osaka’s and Italian beef & vegetable soup at The Sink to homemade tomato soup at Blackbelly. Rally a few friends and design your own soup crawl, hopping from one spot to the next to sample flavors from around the globe. Slurp and repeat for any city you find yourself cozied up in this winter. sherparestaurantboulder.com; osakasrestaurant.com; thesink.com; blackbelly.com
Go Hot Springs Skinny Dipping Under the Stars in Steamboat
Few things are as liberating as soaking in natural hot springs on a crisp winter evening—especially if you have the chance to dip in the buff. At Strawberry Park Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs, the pools become clothing-optional after dark, inviting guests to shed not only their layers, but also their worries, and the mineral-rich water soothes body and soul. Plus, these springs are seven miles from Steamboat’s city lights, so the stars shine extra bright. strawberryhotsprings.com
Sip on Afternoon Tea at a Colorado Classic
When the cold creeps in, there’s no salve quite like a steaming pot of tea in one of Colorado’s iconic tea houses. At the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a gift from Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan, every corner is adorned with traditional art, such as hand-carved wood, painted ceilings and vibrant mosaics. In Denver, the Brown Palace has been pouring afternoon tea for more than 100 years, offering elegant tiers of scones, finger sandwiches and clotted cream in its grand atrium. Each experience invites you to slow down and savor the moment—a ritual that’s worth making time for. boulderteahouse.com; brownpalace.com
Take a Hot Air Balloon Tour over Grand County
Experience serenity with a view with Grand Adventures Balloon Tours, which offers year-round flights and sweeping views of Grand County’s snow-draped valleys, frozen lakes and jagged mountain ranges. Flights depart at sunrise, when the atmosphere is most stable and the peaks burn pink and purple with alpenglow. Since warm air rises, temperatures are 30 to 40 degrees warmer in flight than on the ground, so peel off a layer, let your worries drift away and head for coffee and breakfast afterward. grandadventureballoon.com
Take a Snowy Scenic Train Ride
Step into a living snow globe aboard the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad on the Cascade Canyon Winter Train, which runs from late November to early May. This stunning tour winds its way along the Animas River while offering views of the surrounding snow-clad peaks and the San Juan National Forest. Inside the heated cars, you can sip hot cocoa and watch the winter wonderland unfold at a leisurely pace. durangotrain.com
Have a Historic Staycation at Colorado Chautauqua
Nestled at the foot of the snowcapped Flatirons, the Colorado Chautauqua has been welcoming guests for more than a century to its historic cottages layered with rustic charm. Think: wooden floors, vintage details and screened-in porches perfect for sipping cocoa after a snowy hike. Booking a stay here means stepping into another time—quiet, simple and cozy, but updated with fully equipped kitchens and pet-friendly accommodations. From November to April, guests not only enjoy the property’s lowest rates of the year, but also experience a special winter concert series and a chance to explore the area’s surrounding trails at their most peaceful. chautauqua.com
This story originally appeared in Travel Boulder’s winter/spring 2025-26 print issue. Read the full magazine online.
