Spa Breaks: A Wellness Showcase Across Northern California

Wellness continues to be a growing holiday trend as travellers look for ways to boost their overall wellbeing or simply disconnect from their busy daily lives. Whether it’s spa-focused resorts, nourishing food or activities in nature, wellbeing looks a little different for everyone, but Northern California effortlessly caters to each taste. 

Credit: Ventana Big Sur

Authentic NorCal wellness experiences are closely tied to the landscape. Monterey County brings the restorative power of the ocean, where nature lovers can ramble the headlands, breathing in the fresh, salty air. Hidden in the foothills, resorts offer the chance to try something new, like Reiki underneath redwood trees or tarot card reading. 

In Sonoma County, wellness focuses on exploring bucolic vineyards and relaxing in the cool waters of the Russian River. Resort spas bring their guests closer to the forest with open-air bath rituals and forest bathing body scrubs. 

Further inland, the Napa Valley is a hotspot for geothermal pools and treatments using mineral-rich mud from the region’s volcanic activity. Read on to discover the best wellness experiences in Monterey County, Sonoma County and Napa Valley.

Monterey County

On the Pacific Coast, Monterey County offers energising walks where nature lovers can breathe in fresh, briny air and let their gaze rest on the distant horizon. The outdoors is an integral part of wellbeing here, with plenty of places to connect with the landscape. 

Credit: Derek Thompson via Unsplash

For hikers wanting a feast for the eyes while they stretch their legs, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is a favourite. Hugging the coastline, its trails weave across jagged granite cliffs with views of the Pacific Ocean. Redwood trees tower 300ft overhead while McWay Falls (above) plunge 80ft down to the frothing white surf below.  

Just outside Carmel-by-the-Sea, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve overlooks a rich marine habitat that is described as "the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world". Hiking trails lead around its headland to coves home to sea lions and otters. It’s worth bringing binoculars as whales can sometimes be spotted offshore. 

Credit: Edible Monterey Bay

For a dose of TLC at the hands of experts, the Renewal Studio & Spa at Sanctuary Beach Resort offers treatments inspired by its coastal setting. Guests can detox with seaweed masks and relax on the outdoor deck overlooking the bluffs. At Monterey Beach Hotel, the brand-new Reset Lab sets weary bodies to rights with its outdoor Sauna + Cold Plunge circuit. Alternating between hot sauna and cold plunges, it’s designed to boost circulation and mental clarity. 

Tucked in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, Alila Ventana Big Sur is a welcome stop on Highway 1 to stay the night or visit the spa. Guests can indulge in a menu of soul-soothing massages using locally-sourced botanicals or try something different, like meditation, tarot reading or Reiki under the redwood trees. For those in need of a soak and some quiet time, award-winning Refuge Spa Carmel (above) has outdoor thermal pools where silence is encouraged to slow racing minds. 

Sonoma County

Sonoma County is a laidback nature-led destination just north of San Francisco. Its mountains and lush green hills are shaped by bucolic vineyards and redwood forests, giving visitors an outdoor escape that regulates the nervous system. 

Credit: Sonoma County Tourism

The Russian River Valley is a popular summer destination, offering a wealth of fun, family-friendly activities on and around the water. Visitors can hire canoes and paddle to charming riverside towns, go for a swim and try tubing in the cool water or explore hiking trails that wind past ancient redwoods. 

Dawn Ranch (above) invites guests to do just that, then return to its spa to unwind after the day’s excitement. Its treatment menu is inspired by the surrounding forests, with highlights including open-air bathing rituals and forest bathing body scrubs. Hidden under the trees are cabins, chalets and even tents for guests to stay in understated luxury that brings them closer to nature. 

For those wanting a different way to explore Sonoma’s diverse wine region, visitors can go on complimentary self-guided vineyard walks at selected wineries as part of the Sonoma County Vineyard Adventures program. They can follow signposted trails and learn about the soils and unique climate that have put Sonoma’s wine region on the map. 

Napa Valley

Tucked between two mountain ranges, the Napa Valley’s wine, food and wellness are influenced by the region’s volcanic soils and geothermal activity. Calistoga is one of the best places to go to experience all three. 

Credit: Max Whittaker, Visit California (via Visit Napa Valley)

The town is located at the northern tip of the valley at the foot of Mount Saint Helena. It’s quieter and more laidback than busy downtown Napa, but it’s famed for being the valley’s hot springs capital. Visitors have come to bathe in its healing, mineral-rich waters since the 1800s. 

Spas here range from high-end to casual, including one of the original wellness resorts, Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs. Its signature treatment, ‘The Works’, harnesses the healing properties of volcanic ash and hot pools in a session involving a whirlpool bath, a mud facial mask, a steam room body wrap and a massage. 

No trip to Calistoga is complete without a proper mud bath, and Indian Springs Calistoga is one of the best resorts in the area to try it. Guests are covered in warm volcanic mud from neck to toe before soaking in a geyser-fed mineral pool. 

Credit: Auberge Resorts

Another notable resort is Meadowood Napa Valley, home to an award-winning spa that focuses on harmony with nature. Hidden among leafy trees, it’s secluded and private with a garden lounge to unwind in. Its unique treehouse bath experience is a must-try, with treatments designed to boost circulation and nourish the skin. 

Set on the sunlit slopes of Rutherford Hill, Auberge du Soleil Resort (above) reserves its spa treatments for guests only. The wellness journey begins in the courtyard lined with olive trees. Guests can relax in the temperate soaking pools, treat themselves to a massage and start the day with yoga or Tai Chi.

Northern California offers wellness experiences with a deep connection to the land, whether that’s the windswept coast of Monterey, the vineyards and riverine forests of Sonoma or the wineries and geothermal pools of the Napa Valley. Wellness and nature go hand in hand here, and each destination can be easily added to a wider Northern California itinerary. 

If your clients are craving more wellness in their trips, consider inviting them to try a road trip with soothing hydrotherapy in Monterey County, forest bathing in Sonoma County or a quintessential Calistoga mud bath in the Napa Valley.

For more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch via info@rocketlondon.co.uk