Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/776538
DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2017 46 provide a soothing outdoor view. Book treatments, ranging from a massage to a milk-and-honey bath, and the therapist will come to you. The chef will even deliver a light lunch or a bottle of bubbly while you relax and unplug for a few hours. Michael Conte, director of spa and wellness, says guests fill out health and lifestyle question- naires before arrival so staff can draw up a plan to improve their overall health. "We want to get to know the guests," says Conte, "not just what muscles are hurting." At Indian Springs resort, a short walk from downtown Calistoga, everyone knows the best treatment for sore muscles is a mud bath. Thanks to a volcano that erupted nearby millions of years ago, locals and visitors can swim year-round in naturally heated pools. I must admit I was anxious about my first mud bath as I donned a plush bathrobe and waited my turn. A woman in a purple shirt took me down a long white hallway to a noisy industrial room where four long rectangular concrete tubs awaited, one filled to the top with glistening jet-black mud as thick as pudding. Anna beckoned me to sit on the edge of the tub and slowly lower myself onto the mud, placing my head on a pillow. First surprise, I didn't sink! It felt like lying on a warm bed. Anna proceeded to pick up gobs of mud on either side and roll them expertly over my body until I was evenly covered, which took several min- utes. I'd lie there 10 to 12 minutes, she said, before she disappeared. The mud felt like a heavy blanket, making it a little hard to breathe. As I dug my hands and heels deeper, the tempera- ture rose. Water dripped continuously from spigots in the other tubs. I tried to relax but couldn't. How long has it been? What if they forget me? Of course, they didn't. Anna says her reg- ular customers believe the volcanic mud is good for arthritis. It takes two hours in the morning to prepare the tubs, she said, pointing to a bucket full of grey ash that's mixed with hot water to form a thick paste. Another attendant guided me to a shower to rinse off the mud, then to a white room of long claw-shaped porcelain bath- tubs with sloping backs. I slipped into the clear hot water and drank the glass of cold water she offered. Next stop, the steam room, followed by a brief nap in a Spartan room, cucumber slices covering my eyes. I finally began to relax, and thought how delicious a glass of Napa wine would taste right now. Cabernet season, indeed. ABOVE: Harvest Inn restaurant. Paige Green BOTTOM: Shop for tasty treats and souvenirs at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. Visit California/David Collier DS Plan your visit at VisitNapaValley.com. T R A V E L P L A N N E R REPEAT PERFORMANCES Throughout our Napa Valley trip, we were treated to wonderful accommodation, culi- nary delights, amazing wines and relaxing spa treatments. For more information, visit: STAY Chateau de Vie B&B, Calistoga: cdvnapavalley.com The Inn on Randolph, Napa: innonRandolph.com DINE Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer, St. Helena: harvestinn.com La Toque, Napa: latoque.com Oxbow Public Market, Napa: oxbowpublicmarket.com TORC, Napa: torcnapa.com WINERY TOURS B Cellars Vineyards and Winery: Bcellars.com Brasswood Cellars: brasswood.com Robert Mondavi Winery: robertmondaviwinery.com SPAS Indian Springs, Calistoga: indianspringscalistoga.com Meadowood Napa Valley, St. Helena: meadowood.com/spa