“For 2012, I hereby solemnly swear to treat myself well. When I feel healthy and happy, I perform better in both work and my personal life. Because I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”
If you’ve ever seen Al Franken perform on Saturday Night Live, you know what this is all about. With his character, Stuart Smalley, he created a wealth of daily affirmations that range from helpful (“I am a human being, not a human doing”) to the not-so-much (“I don’t know what I’m doing. They’re gonna cancel the show. I’m gonna die homeless and penniless and twenty pounds overweight”).
Yet amid the humor, we can all glean this: taking good care of ourselves isn’t just for pleasure, but helps us function better in all aspects of life.
So why not relax those tight shoulders with a massage? Soak away that stress in a steaming vichy shower. Brighten your outlook with a rejuvenating facial, and tighten your grasp on the world with a smooth, polished manicure.
Gaige House Inn
For guests who want the intimacy of a bed-and-breakfast but the amenities of a luxury resort, this small family-run home brims with high style and top-notch service, making it one of Wine Country’s most spectacular destinations.
Start your visit by relaxing poolside or in a hammock overlooking Calabazas creek, then move on to utter bliss with treatments in the spa loft. For the most luxurious retreat, reserve a Zen Suite or even get a message in the gardens or by the creek.
The eight new Japanese-style spa Zen suites are hard to resist, however, inspired by the ancient inns of Kyoto, complete with granite soaking tubs for two, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls and private bamboo gardens.
Details: 13540 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, 707-935-0237, gaige.com.
Kenwood Inn & Spa
Blink and you might miss the boutique hotel shrouded by ivy, roses and trees on a gentle Sonoma hillside.
It’s an exclusive retreat, with just 29 rooms priced up to $800 a night.
But here’s a secret: even us everyday folk can indulge in pampering at the elegant, intimate spa tucked next to the restaurant. Pad softly up the jagged stone walkways past the private hot tubs, and discover what was the first Vinotherapie center to open in the United States.
Treatments showcasing the anti-aging properties of grape-derived extracts are specialties, such as a wine bath and wine wrap. Lotions and oils will have you positively melting, custom made with red wine extracts, Chardonnay and Riesling oils, fruit pulp, seeds and herbs. Here is a delicious extra, too – your spa visit grants you access to the Cal-cuisine restaurant, normally reserved exclusively for overnight resort guests.
Details: 10400 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 707-833-1293, kenwoodinn.com.
Blush, A Day Spa
Even if you’re on a tight schedule, you can still fit some be-good-to-you time into your day.
With this intimate retreat on the edge of old town Sonoma, you’ve discovered a tranquil oasis offering a sophisticated and healing approach to optimal beauty and wellness.
Directed by international skin care expert Dolores de Alba, the spa specializes in facial and body treatments designed to balance spirit along with the body, and also give you take-home knowledge of skin care regimes you can continue on your own.
If an entire afternoon or a day won’t fit your schedule, in as little as an hour, you can enjoy a petite facial, a power cleanse/power nap/power glow treatment, or a green tea and mint foot scrub sure to put new spring in your step.
Details: 561 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-935-0116, blushspasonoma.com.
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
One of Wine Country’s iconic destinations, the spectacular, state-of-the-art Willow Stream spa spans 40,000-square-feet across a rotunda, 36 treatment rooms and indoor and outdoor pools.
Guests come from all around the world to experience the baths, fed by the resort’s own ancient source of natural thermal waters rich with 24 trace minerals.
You can actually feel the earth’s healing and relaxation powers flowing from the springs 1,100 feet directly beneath the Inn. The waters rise at 135 degrees, and are so vital they have to be cooled for guest use.
The signature Bathing Ritual is a must and is included with every visit, featuring an exfoliating shower, two mineral water soaking pools, herbal steam, dry sauna, and cool down showers.
Details: 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, 707-938-9000, fairmont.com/sonoma.
