SPAS & WELLNESS
Indulge Yourself
San Francisco’s vibrant Japantown
district—the oldest and largest in the U.s.—is a hot spot for shopping and dining. Buses and bikes whiz by on the streets, teens congregate on corners, and tourists snap selfies in front of the Peace Pagoda. But inside Kabuki Springs & Spa, the city vanishes. All you’ll hear in the dimly lit, Japanese-style communal baths is the gentle splashing of water paired with soft, soothing music. Recline in the dry sauna with chilled cucumber slices for your eyes, then continue to the steam room and exfoliate with a lemon-sea salt scrub. Follow with a long, lazy soak in the hot tub and—if you’re brave—a cold plunge. When you’re finished, start all over again. In fact, linger all day: the communal baths costs only $30, or $15 with a treatment (or free with any two treatments, such as the 80-minute Javanese Lulur: a jasmine-scented massage followed by a turmeric and rice skin exfoliation, a yogurt application and an exotic flower bath).
For people around the globe, the name “California” evokes escape and conjures images of sunny beaches. But in today’s demanding, perpetually wired world, a true vacation requires more than just a break from the office; it takes unplugging, purifying and restoring. Luckily, this is practically the state motto.
California has been a resort destination since the early 20th century, beckoning travelers with its year-round temperate
weather, spectacular geography and mineral springs. The 1950s brought yoga to the state, and the 1960s ushered in a wave of young hippies passionate about all-natural food and intentional living. Today, California is the 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 experienced serenity seeker. Here are some of our favorite spots for the ultimate escape.
Taking the Waters
Home to numerous large geothermal areas, California has for centuries been a celebrated 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 The Good House. The Central Coast also boasts famous baths, such as Tassajara, the first Zen monastery built outside 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. Today the 17-acre property remains a refuge, featuring a 1913 Olympic-size mineral pool heated to 92-102 degrees depending on the season ($25 extra on weekdays, $50 extra on weekends and holidays), an adults-only pool with dining and beverage service, plus mud baths, eucalyptus-steeped steam rooms and a meditation pond.
Wine Country Wellness
Though Napa Valley and Sonoma are known for some of the world’s best grapes, you can soak up much more than wine in this beautiful region. Residents and visitors alike have long enjoyed the area’s natural mineral waters, and today’s spa menus overflow with therapeutic ingredients such as grape seeds and skins, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols.
For first-class accommodations, a three-star Michelin dinner and extreme pampering, visit the 14,000-square-foot all-suite Meadowood Resort. At the spa, choose a curated treatment package such as the three-and-a-half-hour “From the Vines,” vinotherapy using free-radical-fighting grape extracts, which includes a massage and facial. Located on a private, two-hundred-fifty-acre estate, Meadowood also offers golf, tennis, croquet, hiking and swimming.
Many spas offer vineyard views, but at Spa Terra at the Meritage Resort, treatments take place below the vineyard in an underground wine cave. Treat yourself to the fifty-minute “uncork”: a grape-seed scrub followed by a skin-regenerating wine and rosehip mud wrap (rich in minerals and antioxidants) and a sumptuous application of cabernet grape-seed lotion. (Add on foot and scalp treatments for an extra $25 each, or two for $40.) Use of the Jacuzzi and steam room is included with services.
But it’s not all about grapes in wine country. At Solage, a 20,000-square-foot Auberge spa, the signature treatment is “the mudslide,” which combines a lavish mud application with customized essential oils
from their “mud bar,” a soak in a private geo-thermal mineral pool and an optional snooze on one of their state-of-the-art vibrating sound chairs (think relaxing music meets gentle chair massage).
And at Sonoma’s innovative and eco-conscious Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, the house specialty is a cedar enzyme “bath.” You’ll immerse yourself to the chin in warm, finely ground cedar, rice bran and plant enzymes. Heated by natural fermentation, the treatment is said to aid digestion, improve circulation and relieve muscle pain.
Om Sweet Om
When yoga came to America, some of the first studios appeared in Hollywood and San Francisco. The practice has since become a way of life for countless Californians, and hundreds of top-notch centers, from ritzy to rustic, cater to beginners and gurus alike.
One of the world’s most renowned yoga retreats is tucked into the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara. At the White Lotus Foundation Center, guests spend their days doing sun salutations in a canyon with ocean views, hiking through old-growth oaks, meditating in an underground Hopi-style kiva temple and swimming in natural sandstone pools.
Massages are available, delicious plantbased fare is provided, and sleeping quarters include shared heated yurts, private cabins for an additional fee or creekside camping under the stars.
Health First
When the sublime Golden Door opened in Escondido in 1958, it was a pioneer among American spas. It’s since become one of the world’s finest health resorts, hosting Hollywood’s glitterati. Golden Door specializes in fitness, Eastern philosophy, relaxation and opulence. Guests pre-arrange completely customized five- or seven-day packages with fitness options as diverse as Pilates, fencing, tennis, dance, boxing and archery. Each stay includes healthy meals and a cooking lesson, facial treatments, herbal wraps, a mani-pedi, mindfulness sessions, daily in-room massages and much more. Plus, it’s a feel-good stay in a larger sense, because Golden Door pledges 100 percent of its net profits to charity.
Or for the total mind-body-soul en-richment experience (and a much lower cost of entry), head to 1440 Multiversity in the beautiful redwoods near Santa Cruz. Named for the 1440 minutes in every day, this new immersive learning center offers an ever-changing roster of courses in such disciplines as writing, art, music, spirituality, health, nutrition, lifestyle, movement—you name it. Between classes, join in daily meditation, yoga, qi gong and tai chi. Hike forest trails, treat yourself to a massage, and enjoy the infinity tub overlooking the redwoods. You can also sign up for (or add on) a few days of the R&R program, which includes nutritious meals, use of the campus and daily meditation and movement classes.
Ultimately, California’s wellness culture promises visitors far more than relaxation; it ensures that this time you won’t need a vacation from your vacation. You’ll return home recharged and rejuvenated—that is, if you can bring yourself to return home at all.