Policies

Cancellation

If you cancel your reservation you will receive a house credit for a future visit. House credits are good for one year and match the dollar amount from your original reservation.

Once we issue your house credit, you will receive an email from us. If you do not receive an email confirming your house credit, get in touch with us right away.

Age requirement

Blackstone is a retreat for adults. The reservation holder must be 21 years of age or older.

Children under 12 are not allowed. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times while on the property.

Smoke, scents, products

Cigarettes, vape pens, incense, weed or anything else that emits smoke — including portable cookers — is forbidden property-wide. We ask that all smokers stand at least 50 feet from any entrance.

Blackstone is fragrance-free. Please do not apply strong perfumes or heavily-scented products during your stay. If we can’t immediately re-rent a room or bath due to lingering odors of any kind, we may charge a cleaning fee of $150 to your card.

Adding any product to the hotsprings — bubble bath, bath salts, Epsom salts, essential or herbal oils, soaps, disinfectants, cleaning products, or anything else that is not water — is prohibited.

Pets

We welcome qualified service animals. Please call to discuss ahead of time. We do not allow other types of pets, including comfort animals or therapy animals.

Accessibility

The Twilight Zone is our fully ADA room. The shower, doorways, sink and all paths of travel are wheelchair accessible, and there are hand rails by the toilet. If you have questions about the Twilight Zone in advance of your stay, please let us know.

Blackstone’s lobby and lobby bathroom are also fully ADA accessible. The Wet Room is partially accessible; attendants are available if a bather needs assistance.

All the baths are accessible by using handrails at the entry points. Shower heads in the Wet Room and guest rooms are handheld; the outdoor baths use regular shower heads.

The entire property is on the ground floor with a barrier-free, accessible path of travel via the main entrance on Austin.

Noise

Our baths, patios and rooms are private, but not sound-proof. You are often within hearing range of hotel guests and other bathers.

Blackstone does not enforce a “whisper policy.” Instead, we ask that you keep other guests in mind as you go about the business of relaxation. Do not use your phone on speaker unless you are in your room with the door closed.

You may use your phone to take photos or to listen to music with headphones when using our outdoor luxury baths. Loud phone conversations and playing music without headphones are prohibited in the baths, on the patios, and in the courtyard.

We are located in the downtown district. In addition to noise from street traffic, sounds from neighboring businesses are audible during the day and into the evening, usually wrapping by 11pm.

Photos

We love seeing photos of your soaks and stays at Blackstone, but if any of your publicly posted photos fall into the “TMI” category, you risk a permanent ban. Shared photos should be rated G or PG-13, please.

No-shows

If you cannot make your appointment or reservation, please let us know right away. When you cancel, we open the booking up to other guests.

If you fail to cancel and then do not show up, we lose the opportunity to rebook — therefore refunds are not available and you will not receive a house credit.

Banned guests

When you book your reservation you agree to our policies, and it is your responsibility to read them. Violating policies may result in a permanent ban from Blackstone.

If you are on our banned guest list, reserving under a friend’s name could get the friend banned as well.

Know before you soak

• The natural environment here brings hazards: low light, hidden obstacles, uneven surfaces, and wet, slippery or icy walking surfaces.
• Our geothermal water may present special health considerations for people with heart, respiratory or circulatory conditions, for pregnant women, and for diabetics. Certain medications intensify the water’s effect. If you have chronic conditions or risk factors, consult your health care provider before using our facilities.
• Bathing in hot water can lower blood sugar. If many hours have passed since your last meal you may overheat and feel dizzy. Hydration is essential — drink plenty of water during and after your soak, and cool down completely before getting dressed.
• Alcohol is strongly discouraged before or during a soak. It increases the effect of these hazards, impairs judgement, and can cause light-headedness.
• Please remove loose jewelry before entering any bath. Our baths drain into a municipal drain designated for hotspring water only — anything that goes down it is headed to Texas via the Rio Grande and cannot be retrieved.
• Blackstone assumes no responsibility for damage or theft of personal property, or for the acts of third parties, and reserves the right to refuse service.

Water temperatures

Some of our baths fill directly from the hot mineral spring and are by far our hottest — usually around 110–112°F, so you may need to add cold water from the shower to cool your bathing water. Commercial hot tubs are standardly 104°F.

Hotspring baths should never be endurance contests. Once your bath is at a comfortable and safe temperature, soak for five to fifteen minutes, then wear a robe and sit outside to cool — spend as much time cooling in the dry desert air as you spent in the water.

Geothermal water in the Wet Room circulates through water features, which lowers it to a moderate 103–106°F. The steam room is the exception: it runs much warmer than the pool, so use it with caution.

Water only

If your bath is too hot, you may add city water to cool it. Adding anything else — bubble bath, bath salts, Epsom salts, essential or herbal oils, soaps, or anything that is not water — is strictly prohibited. The minerals in our water contain a natural disinfectant and we clean your bath thoroughly before check-in; adding a cleaning product or disinfectant of your own is not allowed.

Valves and overflow

Hotspring valves and their operation vary from room to room. Staff will show you at check-in — ask at the front desk if you need more.

Guests should never touch the valves in our outdoor baths. Staff fill your bath in time for your arrival, and it begins draining just before your soak ends. Anyone in violation will be charged $150.

Never leave a bath unattended while the water valves are open. In-room water pressure changes dramatically as baths across the property ebb and flow, and unattended water can quickly overflow. An overflowing bath is subject to a $150 damage and cleaning fee.

How the baths are cleaned

Each private in-room bath is thoroughly cleaned and sprayed with a hydrogen peroxide solution before you check in. On a multiple-night stay, ask a staff member if you would like it cleaned again during your stay.

Outdoor pools are drained completely at the end of each appointment, the tile or concrete interiors are sprayed with a sanitizing solution, rinsed, and left to air-dry until the next guests arrive.

The Wet Room has a constant flow of fresh thermal mineral water in and out to hold its level and temperature. As the water circulates, an ozonator oxidizes organic matter, and the ultraviolet light in the ozone filtration system causes particulate matter to stick to the stones in the waterfalls, which are power-washed like any other filtering medium.

Appointments

Please arrive on time. Our baths book on the hour, and late arrivals will not enjoy their entire 45-minute appointment. Ask in the lobby about booking the next hour if you would like to soak longer.

Lodgers are welcome to book discounted soaks on the day of check-out, as long as the soak is at 9am — that leaves plenty of time to meet the 11am checkout.

Bath payments are not refundable. You can change your reservation online until 24 hours before your appointment, or by calling the front desk.

Birthday & anniversary soaks

Lodging guests are invited to join our birthday and anniversary soak list. Members enjoy one free soak per year, booked during a return stay in the same month as the birthday or anniversary.

This is for lodgers only, and complimentary soaks must be booked in the Red, Yellow or Turquoise bath. If your birthday and anniversary fall in the same month, you are eligible for one free soak during the stay.

The fine print

• Rooms are prepaid in full when you reserve, regardless of the date of your arrival.
• Single-night stays are allowed Sunday through Thursday. Two or more consecutive nights must be booked on weekends and on New Year’s Eve and Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Check-in begins at 3pm; check-out ends at 11am. Exceptions are not possible, due to occupancy and staffing.
• No outside visitors — anyone who is not a lodging guest.
• No pets, including comfort and therapy animals. Qualified service animals are welcome; please call to discuss ahead of time.
• No smoking or grilling anywhere on the property. If we detect odors or residue from smoking or grilling, a minimum $150 cleaning fee is charged to the card on file.
• Lodging guests may book any of our three outdoor luxury baths for $25 per 45-minute session, or the Wet Room for $50 per 45-minute session. Prices are for 1–2 people; longer appointments are available.
• Blackstone is an adult retreat and is not suited to families with young children. Anyone 18 or younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times; no children under 12.
• Occupancy is 2 for all rooms except The Jetsons and The Golden Girls, which take 3 (add $20 per night for a third person). Groups may reserve up to 3 rooms, for a maximum of 6 people.
• Do not leave in-room baths unattended with the water valves open. An overflowing bath is subject to a $150 damage and cleaning fee.

In-room amenities and extras

Each room has a fridge, so you can pick up wine, beer, liquor or ice at Bullocks, three blocks west on Broadway. All rooms have custom dark roast coffee with sugar and creamer.

Beyond two filled ice cube trays per room, ice is not available on the premises — it is a few blocks away at Bullocks, at the ice vendor at Date & 4th, and at the Circle K on N. Date Street.

Tableware for two and a microwave are in every room. Grilling and barbecuing are not allowed anywhere on the property.

Each room includes two monogrammed bath robes for your use during your stay. Robes ($75) and other spa items are for sale in the bathhouse lobby.

Housekeeping

We prioritise privacy during multiple-night stays and do not enter rooms for daily housekeeping. Staff are on duty every day from 9am to 9pm for fresh towels, coffee, paper goods or any other assistance.

Unless you ask, we do not change the bedding during your stay. Request a change in the lobby any time.

Noise, honestly

The east units — Babaloo, Roy Rogers, Wonder Woman and Star Trek — sit close to Sierra Auto Parts next door, which receives a delivery each night Monday through Friday at around 10:45pm. It can take ten minutes or an hour. We regret the inconvenience; it is one of those things that happens when a business district is built on top of a hot spring.

Hotel upkeep is ongoing, so you may occasionally hear hammering or drilling. We limit that work to daytime hours.