Wender·Vista
Saratoga Hot Springs
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWyoming
on the North Platte in south-central Wyoming

Saratoga Hot Springs

— — a hot pool that never closes.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A free public hot spring at the edge of Saratoga, Wyoming, on the bank of the North Platte River. The locals call it the Hobo Pool. It runs around 110 °F, has no gate and no fee, and stays open every hour of every day. In winter, ranchers and river guides sit shoulder to shoulder while steam climbs off the snow. — from the studio

from the studio
Saratoga Hot Springs
— bring it home

Saratoga Hot Springs, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Saratoga Hot Springs

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Saratoga sits in the Upper North Platte River valley in Carbon County, Wyoming, between the Snowy Range to the east and the Sierra Madre to the west. The town's free public hot spring, locally the Hobo Pool, sits at the eastern edge of town on the river bank, fed by a mineral source that the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone used long before the town was platted in 1878. Town population is around 1,700 and the spring is run by the municipality. A separate teepee-shaped soaking pool and a cold river plunge sit next to the main basin.

— the water

The main pool runs roughly 106 to 119 °F depending on flow and season, and the source is high in sulphur and sodium chloride. The water surfaces near boiling and is mixed for the soaking basin. The pool drains downslope into the North Platte, one of the West's premier trout rivers, so a winter soaker can step from 110 °F mineral water into a 40 °F blue-ribbon stream. The smell of sulphur carries on the wind in town when the air is still, and locals talk about it the way Maine towns talk about low tide.

— the visit

Free, open 24 hours, every day of the year. There is a small parking lot off East Walnut Street, a changing shed, and no staff on duty. Swimsuits are required. The main pool is open-air; the smaller teepee pool is covered and slightly hotter. Winter is the most photographed season, when steam pours off the surface against snow and the river runs black at the far edge of the lawn. Saratoga also has a paid mineral pool at the Saratoga Resort and Spa for guests who want privacy and a hot tub setting.

— where
United States · Carbon County, Wyoming
— elevation
2,073 m · 6,801 ft
— position
41.4544° N · 106.8061° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
North Platte River
trout river
45 km E
Snowy Range
mountain range
35 km W
Sierra Madre
mountain range
30 km S
Encampment
frontier town
N
Saratoga Hot Springs
North Platte River
Snowy Range
Sierra Madre
Encampment
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Saratoga Hot Springs — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Yes. The main town pool, locally called the Hobo Pool, is free to the public, open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. There is no gate, no fee, and no reservation system.

The soaking basin runs roughly 106 to 119 °F depending on season and flow. The source water surfaces near boiling and is mixed down for the pool. The smaller teepee-covered pool runs slightly hotter.

In Carbon County, south-central Wyoming, on the Upper North Platte River between the Snowy Range to the east and the Sierra Madre to the west. The town population is around 1,700.

Yes, and locals do, especially in winter. The pool drains downslope toward the North Platte, so a soaker can step from 110 °F mineral water into a 40 °F blue-ribbon trout stream a few yards away.

Yes. The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone used the spring long before the town was platted in 1878. The town has kept the main pool open to the public continuously since the late 19th century.

High in sulphur and sodium chloride. The sulphur smell carries on still days and is part of the town's character. Bathers with silver jewelry usually take it off before soaking.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Saratoga is a working base for guides and wade fishermen on the Upper North Platte. A Coaster or Small with a handwritten note from the studio reads as a place-marker rather than a souvenir.

The piece sits well in Mountain-modern, Western Heritage, and quiet Rustic rooms. The palette of steam-white, river-slate, and aspen-gold reads as a working Wyoming room rather than a themed one.

Yes. The current cabin and lodge direction favors named places over generic mountain imagery. A specific Wyoming hot spring grounds the room in a real address rather than an aesthetic.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly. For a long wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the steam and the river together. Above a console or in an entryway, a Medium is usually right.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. A hot-spring scene reads naturally in a bathroom installation, and both finishes hold up cleanly to humidity, soap film, and routine wiping.

A soft microfibre cloth with plain water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based sprays. The color lives in the surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so routine wiping does not affect it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, by Reid Wender. We do not license artwork in or out. The painting and the tile both come from one room.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.