Page 65 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

FOUR SEASONS AVIARA RESORT AND SPA
in Carlsbad, near San Diego, right; there’s
nothing quite like a natural hot spring in
winter in Mammoth Lakes, below.
nation’s vortex of personal health and self-
improvement, with spas and wellness
centers almost as ubiquitous as scenic
views. From five-star luxury resorts and
posh day spas to holistic healing programs
and “hippie hot springs,” the array of
retreats will dazzle even the most experi-
enced serenity seeker. Here are some of our
favorite spots for the new R&R: Retreat &
Reinvigorate.
Wine Country Wellness
Californians are known to soak up a lot
more than wine in Napa Valley and
Sonoma. Residents have long enjoyed the
area’s natural mineral waters, and today’s
spa menus overflow with treatments using
grape seeds and skins, rich in antioxidants
and polyphenols. For first-class pam-
pering, lavish accommodations and a
three-star Michelin dinner, visit the spa at
Meadowood and order the Cabernet Crush,
a warm grape-seed body wrap, followed by
a grape-seed oil massage or facial.
But it’s not all about grapes in wine
country. At Sonoma’s Osmosis, an innovative,
Taking the Waters
Home to numerous large geothermal areas,
California has for centuries been a cele-
brated mineral springs destination, with
myriad spas statewide. Two hours inland
from Los Angeles, Desert Hot Springs offers
dozens of options, from the glamorous,
sprawling Two Bunch Palms (featured in
the movie The Player) to cozy boutique inns
like Hacienda Hot Springs. The Central
Coast also boasts famous baths, such as
Esalen (equally known for its extensive list
of alternative-education workshops) and
Tassajara, the first Zen monastery built out-
side of Asia. But small, funky Calistoga in
the north is the state’s oldest spa town,
renowned not only for hot springs but also
abundant volcanic ash used for therapeutic
mud treatments. Eight thousand years ago,
the Wappo Indians named the area “Ta La
Ha Lu Si,” meaning “Beautiful Land” or
“Oven Place,” and today spa facilities run
the gamut from luxurious to laid-back. The
oldest in Calistoga—and likely California—
is Indian Springs, opened in 1862 by Sam
Brannan, the first gold rush millionaire.
The property features an Olympic-size
mineral pool, steam rooms steeped with
eucalyptus and a meditation pond. (Tip: if
you arrive Sunday through Wednesday,
and want to stay for a second night, save 25
percent off regular room rates for the
second night, excluding holiday periods.)
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