Wood Heated Wooden Hot Tub

Something I never knew about, nor have done, is get into a hot tub that was made out of wood, and was heated by fire wood...
Yeah.

It's called a "chan".
We found this place in a special hide away up on the neighboring mountain.
It's kind of a mix between steam room/hot tub.
And there's always a cold pool for you to dunk into nearby.
It's also not for the weak of heart (literally, people who have weak hearts or experience high blood pressure, this is not for you).

But I loved it!
Definitely don't need more than 1-2 hours if you're with a group of friends and this your first time in one of these.

We walked back and made it RIGHT before a huge rain storm!

And spent the evening relaxing and listening to the crickets singing through the foggy wood.

A Hot Tub Overlooking the Mountains

What could be better than having your own private hot tub overlooking the river and mountains? I can't think of much so Onsen Pools has to be one of my favorite relaxation activities, ever.
It's about a 15-20 minute drive from Queenstown; they can also pick you up in town for free if you don't have a car. You get to this place in the mountains where the staff are friendly and the atmosphere relaxed and are taken to your own private room (you get it for an hour and can extend for longer). There's a private shower inside, a wooden hot tub with jets that massage and relax the muscles, a glass wall that you can leave closed or open up, and views of the mountains and roaring river below.
  

 

The above is from their website.

The above is from their website. 

Chris and I went in the wintertime when the air was crisp and the hot tub was the perfect temperature to keep you warm even with the rooftop opened.

And again in the summertime when everything was green and in bloom. You can also add a jet of cold water if you start overheating which we used a few times. I much prefer going in the summer because I think the views are better, but then again if you go during a snow storm I'm sure the winter views would be just as beautiful.

If you're a Queenstown local you can get a pass allowing your 1 hour of relaxation to come to $32pp with 2 people. Or you can see the prices on their website. It might be a little lonely going alone (unless you really need to get away from the world, then it's perfect), but it's really a perfect activity for a group of people (a going away party? or a date night?). I highly recommend it.