Editor’s note: SunWater Spa has not yet started negotiations with the city of Manitou Springs on use of spring water at the Palmer Lake location, according to co-owner Don Goede.

The abandoned swimming pool on the Elephant Rock property in Palmer Lake, covered in graffiti and long-since emptied, looks more at home on a horror movie set than in plans for a relaxing spa getaway.

But that exact vision has motivated a group of designers involved with SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs. Like SunWater, Palmer Lake’s spa hopes to incorporate Manitou Springs mineral water in an indoor and outdoor experience planned to open in December.

The project has been in the works for years after the unexpected donation of Elephant Rock to the town of Palmer Lake. Long the home of a sect of the Living Word Fellowship, a group headquartered in Iowa and widely labeled a cult, the property was abandoned in 2021 after the organization collapsed amid sexual assault allegations.

“This is a chance for this land and this place to regain some of its integrity,” said Kat Tudor, who runs the Manitou Springs spa and is a partner on the Palmer Lake project.

Most of the 28-acre compound remains boarded up, including its main worship hall and dormitory. The “ecospa” will occupy a corner of the property that holds the old swimming pool, amphitheater, recreation center and other outbuildings.

Living Word built some of the structures, while others are remnants from the property’s use as a Salvation Army camp.

Developers Lindsay and Richard Willan negotiated a lease-to-own contract on the property with the town of Palmer Lake.

Last week, work was already progressing to refurbish the oval concrete swimming pool, which Richard Willan said would significantly cut the overall project costs. The plan calls for a circulating water cascade into the pool from a water tower, recalling those used on railroads, such as the one that put Palmer Lake on the map.

“I’ve always wanted it to have the flavor of a Victorian railroad,” said Lindsay Willan.

The hope is that the spa’s water will come shipped from the same mineral spring in Manitou Springs that supplies SunWater Spa, which has not yet started negotiations with the city of Manitou Springs on use of spring water at the Palmer Lake location, according to co-owner Don Goede.

The old pool house will be modernized and expanded with space for spa amenities and classes. Up the hill, the Willans are putting finishing touches to the refurbished amphitheater, which they hope to use for local performances starting this summer.

While Palmer Lake’s recreation volunteers have already installed trails on the Elephant Rock property, the fates of the rest of the buildings are still up in the air. The town has received multiple offers on the larger buildings from nonprofits to wedding venues, but no plans have been solidified.

“Whatever goes in has to coexist with us and be the right thing,” said Lindsay Willan.

Tudor said the spa would be open to hosting community events, especially at the outdoor amphitheater.

“I’m hoping we’ll bring all kinds of things here,” she said.