My first solo escape to Calistoga was when my son was three. I needed a break from mom life and wanted to go somewhere healing that wasn't a far drive, low-key, quiet, and luxurious. I decided on a night at Indian Springs.
As I rode around the grounds on one of their cruisers, memories from years before becoming a mother and attending a bachelorette weekend in Calistoga came back to me. We'd stayed at Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs (before their fabulous revamp), where the girls and I swam, wined, and danced in our room into the late night. I was giddy and thirty. Now, I'm grateful in my forties.
Over the years, I'd go to Calistoga with whoever would join me. I'd stay at Golden Haven or Calistoga Motor Lodge. On the way, I stopped at wineries and tried restaurants in Yountville and St. Helena. As a mother of two, when every minute I get to reset is precious, I no longer feel mom guilt about restoring my health and leaving my kids for self-care—the better I feel, the better I can show up for my kids.
And Calistoga keeps calling. This time, I invited my sister-in-law, Cara, another working mother of two. She hadn't spent a night away from her youngest yet, and I was happy to help her get a much-needed break.
In addition to being a healing vortex where hot springs pump through nearly every faucet, Calistoga is sublime during any season. It's just a different vibe. We went on a rainy Saturday afternoon but didn't care; swimming in warm geothermal water in the rain is immensely cleansing.
We stayed at the family-owned Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort. We got into the room a couple of hours earlier than the 3 p.m. check-in, which was appreciated since I had a CBD massage scheduled, and Cara was happy to take a quiet stroll. My massage at the Baths at Roman Spa was a blissful 45 minutes that melted away any tension I'd had from the drive up. I met Cara in our room, where we ate take-out Thai in our kitchenette.
I booked the 'Couples and Friends' mud bath experience at Golden Haven, about a two-minute drive from the resort, because I always liked their A-frame indoor/outdoor pool, where you can swim before and after treatments. This is usually the case with Calistoga resorts. The Golden Haven pool area has two hot tubs, one 98-100℉ and the other 101-104℉. The ultimate pool is at Indian Springs, where their Olympic-sized mineral pool is one of the largest pools in California. If you're a hot tub type, the adults-only tub at Dr. Wilkinson's with waterfall cooling showers is the place to be for an evening dip before bed.
Mud bath time
Cara and I were led to a steaming private room with an L-shaped bathtub. We were instructed on how to enter our double tub filled with detoxifying brown mud safely. Our attendant applied clay face masks and cold washcloths to our foreheads. I played like a child, plopping the mud over my stomach and wiggling my toes in the sludge.
The temperature was warm, and when I really started to feel the heat, our attendant returned and told us to rinse off in the showers. Then, because we'd chosen the 'Rosy Coconut Bath' upgrade, we had a cooling bath in a bubbling purple cauldron. We soaked in serenity while drinking spa water.
In the last step of our mud experience, we entered a zen room illuminated by salt lamps. We lay down on massage tables. The attendant tucked us under lightweight blankets and placed cucumber slices over our eyes. My body was buzzing, my mind quiet; I could have fallen asleep.
After more swimming and hot tubbing, we changed clothes and walked to the nearest restaurant for dinner. No joke, the closest restaurant was named after my daughter, Evangeline. A French bistro with a Creole soul, Evangeline has a pretty outside seating area, but we opted for a corner table inside for its coziness. We were famished, so we split the beet salad, and both had Evangeline burgers. After dinner, we returned to the room, where we curled up in our queen-sized beds and watched Pitch Perfect 3 before falling asleep. It's the simple things.
Cara slept in the following day while I lazed around, texting with an old friend. It was still raining outside, my bed was a cloud, and my body was ache-free. We indulged in a slow pace. We went out for breakfast at Cafe Sarafornia, a quick walk around the corner. It had been forever since we'd been out for breakfast without wrangling little humans. We popped into the Mad Mod Shop and Robindira Unsworth for some browsing. We packed and returned to reality after one last soak in Roman Spa's hot tub.
Where to:
Eat:
- Cafe Sarafornia
- Calistoga Depot
- Calistoga Thai Kitchen
- Evangeline
- House of Better
- Lovina
- Sam's Social Club
- Solbar
- Sushi Mambo
Shop:
- Terra
- Copperfield's Books
- Field Trip
- Mad Mod Shop
- Picayune Cellars & Mercantile
- Robindira Unsworth
- Rove Boutique
- Sugar Daddy's Consignment
- Terra
- West of Poppy
"...Calistoga is sublime during any season. It's just a different vibe."