The standard spa is engineered to dispense pure physical luxury, of course. But what happens when every self-care destination starts to look and feel the same; when each treatment becomes a regurgitation of the last?
For spa regulars who crave more memorable experiences—quirky, offbeat ones, even—here’s a crop of distinctive wellness destinations from southern California to Mendocino.
We Care Spa
(Courtesy of We Care Spa)
Susana Belen started We Care Spa in Desert Hot Springs 40 years ago after four children and a divorce, offering her liquid fasting program to anyone that was interested. Now 88, Belen still runs the spa with her daughter, and its 20 acres have evolved into a well-staffed theme park for self care. A day at this arid wildlife oasis might involve reiki, cupping, hypnosis, lymphatic stimulation, red-light therapy, shamanic healing, a castor oil body wrap, or a group fire ceremony.
The price for entry is a two-night minimum stay, and guestrooms are modern and luxurious. Notably, you won’t eat any solids here—only fresh juices, smoothies, and vegan soups—but you will have a colonic, since We Care’s goal is for its clientele (70 percent of whom return, many of them celebrities) to depart cleansed, in every possible way.
// 18000 Long Canyon Rd. (Desert Hot Springs), wecarespa.com
Osmosis Day Spa + Farmhouse Inn, Russian River Valley
(Courtesy of Farmhouse Inn)
Osmosis Day Spa’s signature offering since 1985 has been its invigorating cedar enzyme “bath,” which submerses you not in liquid, but in a proprietary mixture of ground-up wood (fermented white cedar), rice bran, and plant enzymes. It’s a fragrant ritual that makes you sweat, softens skin, relieves pain, and purifies body and mind. The treatment menu also contains world-class massages, organic facials, and vibroacoustic therapy. Surrounded by Sonoma County forest, this eco-minded property is strongly Japan-influenced, from its Kyoto-style meditation gardens to the diuretic tea ritual to the kimono-style robes.
For a bougie add-on 12 miles from Osmosis, Forestville’s Farmhouse Inn (7871 River Rd.) gives astrology-rooted “moon milk baths,” flower readings, and guided forest bathings. If you’re willing to travel farther for a superb Japanese spa experience, consider Ten Thousand Waves in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
// 209 Bohemian Hwy (Freestone), osmosis.com
Rush Creek Lodge, Yosemite
(Courtesy of Rush Creek Spa)
Spas at national parks are rare, which is part of what makes the one at Yosemite’s Rush Creek Lodge so singular. Its elements reflect the majestic nature that surrounds it: granite waterfall coves, smooth river rock baths, and the sounds of wildlife. A day pass grants access to all of that, plus a sensory meditation room (think lights, audio, scent), an aromatherapy steam room, a Himalayan salt sauna, a mineral hot tub, swinging daybeds, and magnesium foot soaks.
The robust treatment menu offers a Hiker’s Delight Massage (hot stones and light exfoliation with infused oil) and Ayurvedic skin treatments. Free workshops include face yoga, coloring, aromatherapy blending, and mindful stretching. In winter, the Lodge helps guests experience the park’s wondrous firefall phenomenon—when Horsetail Fall glows bright orange as it streams down El Cap—with a guided experience that bypasses the NPS's reservation system.
// 34001 CA-120 (Groveland), rushcreeklodge.com
Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort, Calistoga
(Mark Compton)
Cheerful Dr. Wilkinson's, on Calistoga's main drag, is one of the historic town's many hot spring resorts—the ever-energetic Old Faithful Geyser is just down the road. But at Dr. Wilkinson’s, you can also detoxify in a mud bath made from volcanic ash and peat moss, which improves blood flow and tames inflammation, or opt for the heady Beer Brew Soak, which immerses you in hops, ale yeast, malt, and barley.
Though “Doc” opened this spot in 1952 to capitalize on the site’s mineral springs, the midcentury-styled property constantly renews itself, most recently adding a spa garden, Peloton space, and the House of Better (the resort’s playful backyard restaurant), and renovating its guestrooms.
// 1507 Lincoln Ave. (Calistoga), drwilkinson.com
Orr Hot Springs Resort, Mendocino
(Courtesy of @lena_cher_)
Orr Hot Springs Resort, a woodsy, down-to-earth outpost on 27 acres in Mendocino, strips things down to the bare necessities: It’s a clothing-optional retreat in rolling hills where you can soak in healing mineral waters alone, with others, or under the stars. The natural hot springs are said to relieve everything from arthritis to liver disorders, especially if you’re wearing nothing but your birthday suit.
A day-use pass ($50) also grants you access to the spring-fed cold plunge pool, dry sauna, and constant-flow mineral steam room. Masseurs here draw on techniques spanning reflexology, aromatherapy, shiatsu, myofascial, craniosacral, marma point, and energy work. Overnight lodging includes yurts, 1930s-era cabins, and campsites.
// 13201 Orr Springs Rd.(Ukiah), orrhotsprings.org
NewTree Ranch, Healdsburg
(Courtesy of NewTree Ranch)
NewTree Ranch calls itself “a self-sustaining agritourism retreat and wellness haven” where your choose-your-own-restorative-journey amid the redwoods could include forest bathing, a bee-rewilding lesson, a private meditation session, a massage in the Japanese tea house, a rejuvenating facial, a Wim Hof ice bath, and a Tibetan sound journey on the 120-acre estate’s private lake.
Two villas are available for overnight stays, and there’s a solar-heated pool and a zen garden, plus three outdoor baths with a view of farm animals—which are available to brush, feed, or cuddle.
// 3600 Wallace Creek Rd. (Healdsburg), newtreeranch.comEsalen Institute, Big Sur
(Courtesy of @esalen)
Esalen Institute in Big Sur has been a famous New Age hub since it opened in 1962, drawing major thinkers from the Beat generation and beyond. Though many know it as a historic center for psychology, mysticism, and human potential, not everyone knows that Esalen (which is on Native Esselen land) also maintains an elaborate staff of massage masters.
Book holistic healing treatments that include the signature Esalen Massage, or opt for craniosacral sessions, Gestalt therapy (this modality was born here), somatic astrology, herbal clearing rituals, chakra balancing, crystal rites, dreamwork, tarot readings, or the womb ritual: an abdominal massage performed with flowers and an herbal poultice. Soak in cliffside geothermal baths before and after, or take a life-affirming workshop or two.
// 55000 CA-1 (Big Sur), esalen.org
