IS ALL THIS WRETCHED EXCESS OR A DESERVED REWARD? WHO, REALLY, CARES. 88 South Bay Accent Picture a secluded outdoor tub in a patio graced with towel hooks, lounge chairs and stone shower. Rolled towels and cucumber slices top a plate of ice on the tub’s edge. IPA beer turns the bath water a mellow yellow. All you do is steep yourself like a human tea bag. The treatment is paired with local IPA craft beer and artisan nuts so you can be “beered up” inside and out. First timers are so transformed they often return for a command performance. Since this soak promotes slumber, “it is perfect for the ultimate unwind,” says Wittman. The beer formula includes moisturizing agents to hydrate the skin as well. “Our guests love the visual appeal of the bath and presentation, especially with the hops floating on top of the warm water. It’s a perfect prelude to any massage.” In fact, the steamed towel massage is a popular follow up. “As the bath preps the body by loosening tension pain and relaxing the muscles,” she explains, “the steamed towel massage includes heated compresses, aromatherapy and inhalation therapy to therapeutically address tension and stress.” INSIDE TIPS If your body is still craving something luxurious, the Wine and Chocolate Indulgence for two is a choice gift for Valentine’s Day and beyond. Therapists incorporate real chocolate and Grenache grapes into a sugar scrub to slough off dead skin. Now that you smell good enough to eat, you both lunge into a private bubble bath consisting of chocolate goat’s milk while you sip champagne and savor chocolate mousse. The concluding note is a body massage with wine oil. Is all this wretched excess or a deserved reward? Who, really, cares. Just fill my flute again, por favor. If you are still alert, trek down to Napa wineries. Then dine at the Auberge du Soleil Restaurant for a top notch meal and a heady view of Napa Valley vineyards. Led by Chef Robert Curry, this foodie destination serves up seasonal offerings with elements of Japanese, French, and California cuisine. The three-course tasting menu at $110 or four-course for $130 provides an array of options such as a day boat scallop with glazed pork belly and prime beef pavé with wild mushrooms. Back at the Ranch, perfect your backstroke at the pool, toss a bocce ball, join an exercise class, or conquer the short Valley View Trail. Patchwork vineyards with the Mayacamas mountain range in the distance are the payoff at the hike’s pinnacle. RATES START AT $800. CALISTOGA RANCH, LOMMEL ROAD, CALISTOGA, CA, 800/484-8829. VISIT CALISTOGARANCH.AUBERGERESORTS. COM/RESORT n designed that it attracts customers even in the rain. Open only to Ranch guests, the adjacent bathhouse area is a hidden treasure, sequestered down a winding path. Behind the iron gate lie small, wood-shingled buildings, similar in architecture to the guest cottages. They house the gift shop, five treatment rooms, men and women’s lockers, and steam room. In keeping with the Ranch’s distrust of artificial boundaries that separate interior and exterior, the entire relaxation area is outdoors, under wood canopies with numerous unobtrusive heat lamps to keep you cozy. Two fireplaces, side tables for water and snacks, cushioned chairs, and stone walls provide for intimacy. Potted orchids, plus ferns and views of the forested stream are nature’s decor. Multilevel wood decks surround not one, but two hot tubs. APPROACH Ale Bath for 30 minutes at $90. You know that buzz you get after drinking beer? It’s not imagined. Hops, the brew’s main ingredient, is naturally sedative and very effective in the Ale Bath immersion. While Napa Valley prides itself on viticultural excellence, it has also become a popular stop for craft beer, so in 2013 the spa added beer to the lineup of soaking rituals. “We also offer a Cabernet Crush bath, which includes muscle soothing bath salts and wine extracts,” says spa director Kathryn Wittman. “It’s great for relaxation, though the blend in the ale infusion is best known for its sedative qualities.” COURTESY OF CALISTOGA RANCH CALISTOGA RANCH Guests find balance in nature with meadow yoga.
South Bay Accent - Feb/Mar 2016
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