Sonoma / Wine Country Events

The Spa Experience

Relaxation is a major Sonoma County export, and spas are a huge part of that. There's no Sonoma equivalent to Calistoga here, no one town with a huge concentration of spas. Instead, spas are scattered all over the county. It seems as though every hotel, inn, and B&B that does not yet have some kind of spa is in the process of building one. By and large, if a property doesn't have a full-time staff dedicated to pampering, chances are they at least offer a small exercise room and contracted massage therapists.

The queen of Sonoma County spa properties is the Sonoma Mission Inn. 2002 saw the hotel celebrate its 75th anniversary in its current incarnation, as well as the completion of a massive $50 million renovation project. Today the resort features 228 rooms and suites ranging from merely luxurious to jaw-dropping, $1,000 per-night lavish. Guests, even in the budget $259 rooms, are pampered with standard amenities such as cushy robes, sandals, complimentary wine, and generous samples of the Inn's own line of soaps and lotions. Guests can choose to eat at one of two on-site restaurants, either the gourmet Santé, or the more down-home Big 3 Café.
As spectacular as the rooms, service, and dining are, however, the spa facilities are what it's really all about. Loyal devotees would probably still come back again and again even if they had to camp. For starters, there's the water that comes out of the ground a silky, mineral-rich 135° F. Native Americans have used the healing springs for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Today, the waters are harnessed and used to fill every tub and pool on the property, and water is used in just about every treatment imaginable, from Shiatsu to Watsu and beyond.

A completely different kind of spa experience is the Osmosis Enzyme Bath and Massage. Located in the tiny (pop. 92) town of Freestone, the spa offers something you've probably only seen if you've been to Japan: the signature enzyme bath. Guests begin this treatment with a cup of enzyme tea. The brew is designed to speed the exit of toxins from your system, and tastes like a mild mix of peppermint and licorice. You'll also meet with your personal bath attendant, who will try to give you an idea of what to expect. Not that anything can prepare you for being buried alive under a pile of hot sawdust--and loving it.
When it's time for your treatment, you'll be ushered into a large bright room with a picture window overlooking a meadow. Two wooden tubs in the room are filled with what looks like sawdust but feels warm, heavy, and moist, like moss. The wood is in fact cedar mixed with rice bran and over 600 enzymes. The heat is caused by the fact that the enzymes ferment the wood, filling the room with the pleasant earthy smell of warm cedar. While in the bath, you look like you've been buried up to your neck at the beach, but that's not what it feels like. The sensation is more like lying under a dozen down comforters (all right, damp comforters). You can move if you need to, but after a few moments in the soothing, humid heat, you won't want to. Your muscles relax and stress escapes out every pore. The longer you stay in, the hotter and more penetrating the heat gets. Your attendant will check up on you frequently with water and cooling towels for your forehead.

Comfort Food

Ever taken a cooking vacation? For a select few (you know who you are), nothing beats a weekend learning how to whip up gourmet food. A stellar place for such a vacation is Ramekins Sonoma County Cooking School. The school offers a wide variety of classes of both the observational and the hands-on variety. Classes can last anywhere from three hours to the entire weekend and can cover anything from basic knife skills to advanced explorations of French cuisine.

John Ash (4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa 707-527-7687). When you're ready to splurge a little, John Ash is the place. The restaurant is pricey, but you won't be disappointed by chef Jeffrey Madura's creations, which combine local meats and produce in innovative ways that defy classification. Meals are complimented by a magnificent dining room that features a stone fireplace and views of a nearby vineyard. The setting is not coincidental--the restaurant has a near-fanatical devotion to local wineries, and offers a tome of a wine list--the overwhelming majority being Sonoma County vintages.

John Ash (4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa 707-527-7687). When you're ready to splurge a little, John Ash is the place. The restaurant is pricey, but you won't be disappointed by chef Jeffrey Madura's creations, which combine local meats and produce in innovative ways that defy classification. Meals are complimented by a magnificent dining room that features a stone fireplace and views of a nearby vineyard. The setting is not coincidental--the restaurant has a near-fanatical devotion to local wineries, and offers a tome of a wine list--the overwhelming majority being Sonoma County vintages.