Happy (early) Galentine’s Day!
This year, to celebrate Galentine’s Day, I invited my friend Victoria to join me on a weekend getaway. As she and I are both steadfast career women with busy work schedules, I knew that a local ‘staycation’ would be our most ideal option. She and I are both blessed to call this amazing Northern California region our home, and as such, we have incredible world class spas and resorts at our fingertips. To celebrate, we decided what better place to spend a spa weekend than Calistoga, and in the heart of the Napa Valley?!
For our weekend getaway, we chose to host our Galentine's Day celebration at the Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort, in Calistoga. As it was Victoria and my first visit to the property, we were excited to check in and explore! Before our arrival, we made sure to book a geo-thermal mud bath for two. The Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort is famous for its geothermal mineral pools, dry sauna, and spa. We both had never tried a mud bath before, and were wondering what to expect...spoiler: it’s awesome, and just a *little* bit weird (at first).
Located at 1300 Washington Street, Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort is located right off the main drive in Calistoga. It is a hidden gem that offers free WiFi and parking to guests, and is a beautifully kept lush green property. Even in the middle of January, the resort looked like a tropical oasis.
Checking in was swift, and easy. One of my favorite features about the rooms was their adorable old-fashioned room key: it was an actual key! The pillows and linens were the star of the room...I soon learned that Victoria and I weren’t the only ones who were in love with them: so many guests make inquires about the linens and pillows that the resort now has them available for purchase at the front desk. If you have someone in your life that loves their bed and all the luxurious makings that go into it, these would make the perfect gift for them!
After checking in, we made our way to the pools. The Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort offers three pools; all of which contain natural geothermal water. Two are located outside, and there is one indoor pool. Each pool varies slightly in temperature, with temps ranging from 92 - 103. We mostly had the pools to ourselves, with the exception of maybe 3-4 other guests.
One thing I noticed was how quiet the grounds were. When the breeze would blow, it was so relaxing to hear the palm trees rustle, and simply detach from the busyness from the world outside. Victoria and I spent our time catching up, and simply melting into the weekend.
The following morning we were up and headed to the spa for our 9am Mineral Mud Bath. The Spa is located on-property, so it was a short brisk walk to our appointment. One thing that I quickly noticed about the spa is that it was much more casual that I have seen from previous spas - seeing this lead me to believe that perhaps it is a little older than the rest of the resort. Upon checking in, we were escorted to our room where we changed into spa robes, were given cool cucumber water, and then into the mud bath room. As is it truly a mud bath experience, the room was tiled, with two showers and four tubs: two were the actual mud baths, and the other two mineral soaking spa tubs with jets.
So - how was the mud bath? Victoria jumped right in! I needed some coaxing. Upon seeing the tub I immediately went from excitement to having a lot of questions: was it really mud? Where did it come from? How often was it changed? How often were the tubs cleaned? What were the benefits of this, exactly? The most interesting answer I received was that no - it was not in fact mud! The mixture was a combination of peat moss and volcanic ash. Peat has a high thermal capacity, and is believed to promote relaxation, and stimulate the bloodstream. It also provides the benefits of trace minerals and vitamins. We soaked in the mud bath for 20 minutes before rinsing off and soaking in the mineral jet tubs. To be perfectly honest, it took me about 10 minutes to relax while in the mud bath...I just had a hard time wrapping my head around what I was sitting in! Victoria on the other hand loved it immediately. It was fun to see our different responses to the experience (which I am so glad I did!).
After our spa treatment, it was sadly time to check out. Victoria and I both waxed poetic about leaving the beds and pillows behind, but thankfully we know exactly where to find them - and now where we can buy them too! After checking out, we took a short walk around the corner to a Calistoga cornerstone - Sarafornia! I had never been before, but wow will I be back! Our breakfast was absolutely divine. I loved how seasonal and veggie-heavy the meal options were. I chose the veggie hash, and had them “surprise me” on the sauce (they gave me the avocado tomatillo). I can’t wait to return!
A big thank you to the Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort and Sarafornia for hosting both Victoria and I for our Galentine’s Weekend Celebration! I am thankful for the Calistoga experience, and for the opportunity to share it with my readers. While I was comp'd this experience in exchange for Instagram content, this article write-up was not a part of the exchange; I chose to write this because I wanted to share my experience with you, my readers! All opinions are mine. ♥
