By Kate Meadows, for Pigeon605
It was the property in Hot Springs that haunted her – the nudge that just wouldn’t give up.
The warm, naturally spring-fed mineral waters, the red rock, the moccasin-shaped pool.
Legend was that people would find the pool by looking for a little moccasin shoe on a post. That shoe would direct weary travelers to the natural hot springs, which ranged from 88 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
But when real estate investor Kara Hagen first saw the property in 2001, all she saw was ruins – crumbling rock, remnants of an old bathhouse. Trees were growing out of the middle of the pools.
She was curious about the property then but also overwhelmed. What would it take to purchase and restore the place? And what would she do with it?
She purchased the historic FlatIron Inn across the street instead –– and continued to think about the legendary property with the naturally warm pools and crumbling infrastructure.
The property sat vacant for 11 more years. Still, it spoke to her.
Finally, on a whim, Hagen walked into a real estate office and asked if the property was still available.
It was.
She made an offer, and in December 2014, the deal came through.
It would be 4 1/2 years before Moccasin Springs opened to the public in May 2019.
Hagen said she has always had an interest in real estate and fixing up properties. Moccasin Springs is her most ambitious project yet.
Visitors can soak in the natural hot springs, receive spa treatments such as facials and massages, take yoga classes and participate in retreats.
An on-site eatery, The Dragonfly Restaurant, is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and accepts dinner reservations.
“I knew I was going to need to start small,” said Hagen, who grew up in eastern South Dakota and lived in Denver for years before coming to Hot Springs. “I had a clean slate to start with whatever I wanted to. … There was a lot of planning that went into it.”
Hagen learned through research that the bathhouse had closed in 1963 – the year she was born. She also learned that Indigenous people had been coming to the springs since the 1800s. She knew she wanted to bring that history back to life somehow. A modern-day spa modeled after some of the top spas in the nation but with a “modern rustic feel” was the vision that came to life with the help of local contractors and excavators.
“I had to really reel in the logistics and planning,” Hagen said. The process took years. “It was just this chess game of what to do and when.”
When Moccasin Springs opened to the public on May 1, 2019, it was snowing. Business was good that first year, and the springs closed as planned during the winter season.
But people called throughout the winter, asking when the springs would be open again.
The following year – 2020 – Moccasin Springs opened later than planned because of COVID, but it opened. And people came.
“They were excited to come to South Dakota, excited to be outside,” Hagen said.
Knowing there was a community appetite for the pools to stay open longer, Hagen and her team figured out how to keep the pools operating even in the winter months. Since early 2021, Moccasin Springs has been open year-round.
Amy Watters teaches yoga at Moccasin Springs.
“Moccasin Springs has always called to me,” she said. “The land, the water and the history hold a wisdom you can feel the moment you arrive. I’m honored to be part of a team that offers guests such meaningful, restorative experiences. It’s a privilege to support people during such a unique and sacred time in their journey here.”
Hagen knows it was no accident that she was drawn to the land all those years.
“There’s just a lot of character. I was always fascinated with the old buildings with the wood floors and the exposed brick,” she said. “I was meant to be the steward of that land and develop that property.”
