After all that holiday cheer (read: calories), your body might be ready for some love that doesn’t involve rich dishes and lots of sparkling wines. Rejuvenate and cleanse with these amazing new spa temptations.
With the new 14,000-square-foot Spa at Meadowood finally open after nearly two years of construction, there’s plenty of buzz about how fancy the Howard Backen-designed retreat is. Tibetan silk rugs, organic linens, leather, handmade silk wall hangings, handmade pottery from Napa Valley ceramic artist Emil Yanos, and all that.
But it’s the menu of spa services – including a 5.5 hour immersion for $1,235 – that’s really the draw. Treatments feature options such as body scrubs with black walnuts sourced from the resort property, grape and grape seed facials, rosemary-mint belly masks, seasonal garden harvest massages, and skin products from Glycelene, a California vegan line that uses resort-sourced ingredients such as poppy and bay laurel for its creams and balms.
And the ingredients don’t just go on guests’ bodies. Meadowood Grill chef Victoria Acosta has put together a café, offering healthy options for guests to enjoy in their suites (the entire spa is composed of eight suites, each including a private bathroom, steam shower, and lounge area) or in the relaxation gardens.
Some snacks are complimentary with that $235 facial, like house-dried grapes, beets and apples, or a trail mix of walnut, pecan, sunflower, cocoa nibs cardamom, chile and cinnamon.
Other bites come with a bill, such as the $26 smoked Ora King salmon with peas, ricotta, flax and seaweed, or $18 for sweet potato with Brussels sprouts, coconut and curry. There are elixirs like carrot with ginger, lime and coriander ($12), a salad of heirloom tomatoes with dandelion pesto, eggplant, couscous and cumin ($19), and a heartier plate of lemon thyme Mary’s chicken with bok choy and brown rice ($26).
Most of the spa packages include a meal, it should be noted, making that $595 massage and exfoliation (nearly) a bargain. // 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena, (707) 531-4788, meadowood.com.
Enjoy some spa time outdoors with al fresco boot camps, yoga, and healthy cooking classes at Hotel Healdsburg. Now through the final Rejuvenating Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga class on Sunday, Jan. 31, you can sign up for activities such as a Vineyard Workout at Quivira Winery followed by a cooking class on good-for-you winter soups and stews; pilates mat classes; tea tasting with Russian River Tea Co., and something we can all use: A seminar on creating life balance. Best of all, you don’t need to be a hotel guest to participate. // hotelhealdsburg.com.
This posh Paso Robles property wants you to warm up body and soul with its new spa special, offered through Feb. 11, 2016 and priced from $285 per couple. Yes, per couple, for a night in an executive king room, a 60-minute mineral spa soak and 60-minute massage for two people, plus a complimentary bottle of wine. Quite a deal for the open-air, private spa fed by natural springs.
And may we suggest adding in the Hearst Castle tour, to check out the over-the-top glamorous spa that William Randolph Hearst enjoyed, complete with a lavish outdoor Neptune pool lined with colonnades and statues, plus a sumptuous indoor pool and spa lined floor-to-ceiling with imported tiles and supervised by marble Roman god statues. Hotel-coordinated tour options include a deli lunch on a bluff overlooking San Simeon Cove, wine tasting and a round trip shuttle service. // 1215 Ysabel Street, Paso Robles, (805) 238-2770, adelaideinn.com.
