Soakers in the Eastern United States may recall a famous spa town near New York, when hearing the name of a place, Saratoga.
Another Saratoga Hot Springs is located 1,800 miles in the west, in the State of Wyoming.
Like Saratoga in New York
The mineral spring used to be in a common area surrounded by inhabited areas of some American Indians (Cheyenne, Ute, and Arapaho), and known as magic water.
In 1877, the settlers' first spa facility was built pertaining to a post office, which was in the place where Saratoga Hot Springs Resort exists today.
As same as many other cases in the U.S., the name of the town used to be "Warm Springs" simply due to the geological character, but changed to Saratoga, in the hope of the prosperity like the famous spa town in New York State.
Through several owner's changes and improvement works, Saratoga Hot Springs Resort remains a nice vacation hotel.
Not only the lobby, but also bedrooms smell agreeably with new wood.
Even though there are few tourist spots other than hot springs, the stay itself is attractive enough.
They have golf courses, a spa, and brewery, so that Saratoga Springs Resort seems the perfect choice when lodging at Saratoga.
The restaurant has a good reputation.
I ate the nice eggs benedict for breakfast.
I enjoyed the sophisticated taste in the rural area that is three hours and a half's drive from Denver, Colorado.
Indian-style baths
Hobo Pool is on the other side of the North Platte River.
It is an excellent hot spring, and hard to believe it is free, while the same quality of water is piped to Saratoga.
In the courtyard of the hotel, you will see a large pool.
Tepid (97 degrees F) water is fed in the approximately 80 feet-pool.
Beside it, an oval tub has around 100 degrees F water.
Water in all pools and tubs is free-flowing, not chlorinated.
Except for spa guests, they do not accept walk-ins, which keep the area quiet and calm.
There are four round shape tubs on the wood deck next to the oval tub.
These are covered by tepees, which are traditional portable dwellings of some tribes of American Indians.
Each tepee is for private use on first-come basis.
You need to wear swimsuits, but it maintains privacy.
Due to the small size of tubs, water is relatively hot, around 108 degrees F.
Water outlet is at the bottom, and the drain is around the water surface.
The bad thing is the drain is too small to discharge dust effectively.
Due to the gas-contained liquid, sometimes you will notice bubbling from the outlet.
You can hardly smell sulfur that is apparent at Hobo Pool.
Indeed, the freshness of the water is inferior to Hobo Pool, through piped to the hotel, but it goes without saying that Saratoga Hot Springs in Wyoming provides better water than that in New York, which is cold.
Summary
Saratoga Hot Springs Resort, Saratoga, Wyoming, U.S.
My rating
Type: Lodging, Walk-in
Rule: Clothing required
Chlorination: Not detected
Water temp: Up to 108 degrees F