As our fast-paced lives and high stress jobs wear on us, a wellness-focused vacation geared toward relaxation and rejuvenation rises to the top of the bucket list.
In northern California’s gorgeous Mendocino County, wellness is easy to come by. It’s possible to plan a retreat-like vacation based around spas, hot springs, quiet hotels, and restorative hikes, all within Mendocino.
Stay at the Mar Vista Farm + Cottages, set in Anchor Bay on nine expansive acres laced with organic gardens. The farm’s retreats revolve around meditation, forest bathing, beachside yoga, stargazing, campfires, and Japanese soaking tubs. The retreat sits on scenic Highway 1 and features eleven vintage cottages with fireplaces and farm animals.
Also tucked along Highway 1 with sprawling ocean views, the Little River Inn’s new Wellness Package puts rejuvenation front and center with a two-night package including a 90-minute massage and seaweed body scrub for two, two-hour relaxation session for two with a doctor of Chinese medicine and acupuncture and two tickets to the seaside Mendocino Botanical Gardens, for a meander by the sea.
Practicing the Danish mindset of Hygge, the contemporary Arts and Crafts-style Brewery Gulch Inn offers a two-night escape package built around coziness and wellbeing. The Inn’s crashing ocean views and locally sourced organic cuisine set the perfect stage for daytrips into the Redwoods, sea kayaking, or horseback riding along the beach.
For the ultimate escape by the sea, the Stanford Inn by the Seasteps up with a great selection of health and wellness programs. These include daily yoga, medication, and outdoor activities, plus meals at the award-winning, plant-based Ravens Restaurant.
The 2,000-acre ranch at Inn at Newport Ranch is a must for wellness vacations. The retreats here focus on activities like yoga, guided walks and meditations, Swedish massage, and more. The nine guest suites are capped off with a hot tub aptly perched atop the water tower for the ultimate chill down. At California Landmark No. 980 – better known as the champagne mineral baths – off Highway 101 near Ukiah, soaking is relaxing.
Enjoy the water at Vichy Springs Resort and Spa, a 700-acre facility boasting America’s only warm and naturally carbonated Vichy mineral baths (and Olympic-size pool). Or, check out Orr Hot Springs,located next to Montgomery Woods State Park. This 27-acre bucolic escape has secluded mineral baths, with options of two communal tubs set between 104–107 degrees or stargazing tubs located atop of the bathhouse building. The enormous cold pool, a 15 by 60 ft., spring-fed plunge built into a rock sidewall set at a delightful 65–75 degrees, offers the ultimate chill down. There’s also a dry sauna and constant-flow steam room, plus massages. The springs has 23 guestroom cottages, plus yurts and cabins.