[ Features Index | Sonoma County | MetroActive Central | Archives ]

Easy Does It "Stress reduction" is the key term. It's all the same to the relaxation-deprived. Whether you're an off-duty cop luxuriating in your regular shiatsu massage and deep-pore facial; a world-weary attorney ready to kiss your caseload goodbye for an hour, immersed up to the neck in bubbling mud; or a frazzled mom surrendering to the sweet joy of an aromatherapy body wrap and extended soak in the hot springs. We all need to unwind, and the more pampering involved the better. Luckily for us, there are plenty of places to unravel knotted minds and muscles in Sonoma and Napa counties. Just check out all the upscale Wine Country spas, natural hot springs, and volcanic-mud baths practically in the back yard. Choose from a myriad of tension-busting treatments. Some folks just relish being packed up to their chins in hot wood chips and enzymes, a unique Japanese heat treatment offered at Osmosis in Freestone. It's a relaxing dry bath that uses fragrant cedar fiber, rice bran, and enzymes to chill you out. Another alternative treatment is the "Watsu" offered at Glen Ellen's Gaige House Inn and described as a "gentle form of water massage done in a pool while cradled in the arms of a trained provider." Others prefer to seep solo under the stars at Calistoga Spa Hot Springs, a resort/motel off Calistoga's main street, that opens its four outdoor naturally heated mineral pools and its steam room to the public each evening. But the truly adventurous love to wallow in the ooze at one of Calistoga's mudbath emporiums, such as Dr. Wilkinson's on Lincoln Avenue, which uses volcanic ash left over from the eruption of Mt. St. Helena, mixed with the boiling mineral water from the gurgling geothermal well on the property and a bit of peat moss for texture. In addition, salt glow rubs, seaweed algae wraps, "manual lymphatic drainage" (designed to unblock lymph nodes and strengthen your puny immune system), numerous styles of massage, and many other de-stressors can be found at various day spas in the area. Big spenders may want to check out the recent multimillion-dollar renovation at Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, Sonoma's crown jewel, for total, unashamed indulgence. But if you're stressed out because you're pinching pennies, you can troll the local herb farms and retail outlets, such as Mom's Head Gardens in Santa Rosa, Rosemary's Garden in Sebastopol, and local bath shops, for comforting aromatic and inexpensive de-stressors you can savor in your own boudoir. A few suggestions: Sonoma County Alles European Day Spa 432 Orchard St., Santa Rosa. 573-3068. Aesthetic Profiles 990 Sonoma Ave., Suite 2A, Santa Rosa. 523-0893. Essentials Day Spa & Salon 1229 N. Dutton Ave., Suite D, Santa Rosa. 526-3766. Florencia 26 E. Washington St., Petaluma. 789-0168. Gaige House Inn 13540 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen. 935-0237. Mermaids 115 South Main St., Sebastopol. 823-3535. Osmosis 209 Bohemian Hwy., Freestone. 823-8231. Panache in the Wine Country 15500 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg. 433-8171. Paradise Spa 699 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 775-3233. A Simple Touch 239 Center St., Healdsburg. 433-6856. Simply Skin 10 Fourth St., Suite 104, Santa Rosa. 569-7546. Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa 18140 Sonoma Hwy., Boyes Hot Springs. 938-9000. Sonoma Spa 457 First St. W., Sonoma. 939-8770. Spa off the Plaza 706 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 431-7938. Therapeutic Massage and Facial Center 101 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park. 584-0433. Wine Country Spa 1601 Terrace Way, Santa Rosa. 545-8390. Bath Factory 481 First St. W., Sonoma. 935-5903. Hampton Court Essential Luxuries 631 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 578-9416. Mom's Head Gardens 4153 Langner Ave., Santa Rosa. 585-8575. Rosemary's Garden 132 N. Main, Sebastopol. 829-2539. Soft Shell 40 Kentucky St., Petaluma. 773-4950. Sonoma County Bathworks 6 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma (763-2724); 2320 Magowan Drive, Santa Rosa (526-7627). Napa County Auberge du Soleil 180 Rutherford Road., Rutherford. 967-9990. Calistoga Oasis Spa 1300 Washington St., Calistoga. 942-2122. Calistoga Village Inn and Spa 1880 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 942-0991. Emerald 1523 Main St., Napa. 226-2700. Eurospa 1202 Pine St., Calistoga. 942-6829. Health Spa of Napa Valley 1030 Main St., St. Helena. 967-8800. Lavender Hill Spa 1015 Foothill Blvd. (Hwy. 29), Calistoga. 942-4495. Lincoln Avenue Spa 1339 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 942-5296. Meadowood 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena. 963-3646. Mount View Spa 1457 Lincoln Ave. Calistoga, 942-5789. Oasis Spa 1300 Washington St., Calistoga. 942-2122. Calistoga Spa Hot Springs 1006 Washington St., Calistoga. 942-6269. Doctor Wilkinson's Hot Springs 1507 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 942-4102. Lincoln Avenue Spa 1339 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 942-5296. Nance's Hot Springs 1614 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 942-6211. Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort 1300 Washington St., Calistoga. 942-4441. White Sulphur Springs Spa 3100 White Sulphur Springs Road, St. Helena. 963-8588. Calla Lily 1222 Main St., St. Helena. 944 1540. Deva 1213 Coombs St,, Napa. 224-1397. Free Time 1348 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 942-0210. Heaven and Earth 1317 Main St., St. Helena. 963-1124. [ Sonoma County | MetroActive Central | Archives ]