Desert Reef Hot Springs' upcoming Ballroom of Mars event, on Sunday, July 30, might just be all that and a bag of chips.
In April, Chris McLaughlin, owner of the hot springs outside of Florence, threw a watch party for The Hills Have Eyes, teaming up with Theresa Mercado, founder of local horror-watch series Scream Screen. Now he's created another unique relaxation opportunity with some equally innovative collaborators, pairing the Reef's secluded beauty and soaking pools with the Japanese kissa-inspired textures of Denver's all-analog listening bar ESP HiFi, a cold-plunge setup engineered by mobile group Bathe Sauna, and a yakitori menu from Michael Diaz de Leon, head chef at Brutø.
"We're looking to create really special experiences," says McLaughlin, who assumed ownership of the Reef in 2021 and has been gently transitioning the business from the private club it had operated as since 1985. Semi-regular events with local partners are part of his vision, but so is preserving the magic the area's provided for decades. "We just like keeping stuff small, intimate and special," he continues. "That's what we're looking to do with this one."
The hot springs was called the Desert Reef Beach Club during its original incarnation, and Ballroom of Mars will lean into those roots with a poolside listening hangout session, albeit one with an international flavor and very deep crates. If the event sounds as though some of your hippest friends combined their interests for an unforgettable cool-kids party, you're not far off. It came together organically after the teams behind the Reef, ESP and Bathe Sauna heard about each others' businesses through word of mouth and became friendly.
"We were all talking together, like, 'Let's do something together, let's create a whole experience. We all love music and want to be able to experience it; we all love hot springs and saunas and cold plunges. Let's just put it all together and create one cohesive experience,'" McLaughlin explains. "We've been talking together for a while, and then we just pulled the trigger to do it." The event takes its name from a mutual appreciation for Marc Bolan, founder of glam-rock band T. Rex, who wrote "Ballroom of Mars."
"And it kind of sometimes feels like Mars out here," says McLaughlin.
The party playlist is in good hands with ESP, which opened at 1029 Santa Fe Drive in 2021. Led by general manager Jordan Hubner and owners Mitchell Foster and William Minter, the vinyl listening bar intends to reflect kissaten culture, which holds listening to music in the highest regard, with a spiritual balance between sound and environment. Kissaten, or Japanese-style cafes, are known for using all-analog, high-fidelity sound systems to explore jazz and other genres in pristine audio quality. "We learned of the jazz kissaten concepts of Japan and were inspired to create one ourselves," says Foster. "A two-week research trip to Tokyo in 2019 provided us with tons of inspiration and fueled our passion to build one of our own."
ESP HiFi has an impressive sound system that includes restored Garrard 401 turntables, vintage Klipschorn speakers and a Condesa Carmen rotary mixer. Its selections embrace an international range of jazz, dub, roots reggae and ’80s Japanese staples, and it endeavors to add twenty to thirty albums to its collection each month.
"Perhaps the most important thing we learned is the importance of music choice and sound quality on the overall feeling,"
says Foster. The bar's name is a reference to a "sixth sense," which he describes as "something you can't quite put your finger on, but you know it's there. For us, it feels weightless and effortless. The passing of time and everyday obligations and worries falls away. All the other five senses must be at ease in order to achieve this." "With our off-premises events, we aim to bring the ESP experience to new environments," Hubner adds. He'll be selecting music for the Ballroom of Mars with Minter, who doubles as music director.
"Our focused listening session will be an exploration of movements in a setting that will allow for ultimate relaxation, unwinding and healing," he continues. "We hope our offering will be a guided reset of self-awareness and connectivity, leaving people with open minds and melting hearts...and pruney hands."
The ESP guys also reached out to their friend and James Beard finalist chef Michael Diaz de Leon, who will be stepping outside of his Brutø role for a night to tantalize tastebuds with yakitori fare. The skewered-chicken street food is extremely popular in Japan and frequently found at festivals and pubs, making it an ideal pairing with ESP's liquid refreshments. The resort is also BYOB and has added car-camping permits for the event.
The final piece is Bathe Sauna's large wood-burning mobile spa, parked next a pool that has been cooled off with a generous application of ice by the Reef's staff. Participants will be able to head straight from the steamy spa into the pool for a cold plunge. The sauna and its owner, Rachel Daly, will be making the trip down from Denver, and it's a big rig, because it was originally intended to be a tiny house pandemic project. When her husband began working on it in 2020, Daly asked, "Hey...what about a sauna?"
Daly rounds out a trio of new local businesses committed to working the kinks out of mind, body and soul.
"They're so on the level, and are doing something very special down there," says Hubner. "My experience at Desert Reef has felt free, serene and sometimes otherworldly. It's a gem for Colorado."
Ballroom of Mars, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 30, Desert Reef Hot Springs, 1194 County Road 110, Florence. Admission is $55, van camping add-on is $40.
