This month’s Spa of the Month:

Sonoma” derives from a Native American word meaning
“Valley of the Moon,” so named because the trail winding along both sides of the hills reveals the rising moon seven times along a traveler’s journey.
After generations of sacred Native American ceremonies, sweat lodges in the valley gave way to the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel in 1875. In 1927 the current inn rose from the ashes of a disastrous fire as an architecturally accurate replica of a California Spanish Mission. Its welcoming, expansive courtyard features a graceful three-tiered fountain splashing into a pool filled with smooth river stones, highlighted by bright red kalanchoe and exotic potted plants. Thirteen surrounding acres are equally as beautifully landscaped.
Whether drawn to this sacred healing ground to partake of its 135 degree natural hot springs as early inhabitants did for hundreds of years, or lured by Sonoma’s legendary vineyards and sunny, mild ambience, discerning visitors choose the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa for its lodging. Recipient of the AAA-Four Diamond and Mobil-Four Star Awards, it was also included in Condé Nast Traveler’s “Top 54 Spas in North America” in 2008, and boasts many local awards as well.

A spa with a hotel

The elegant 40,000 square foot indoor and outdoor spa enjoyed a $5 million renovation, completed in 2000. It is one of the only spa resorts in the U.S. with its own source of natural thermal mineral water, which flows 1,100 feet directly beneath the inn. The Spa’s philosophy pays homage to the original inhabitants who first discovered the Sonoma waters, as well as ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, which believed in the axiom sanitas per aquas, or healing through water.

Signature spa features include a self-guided Bathing Ritual, which begins with a shower, followed by a dip in a private whirlpool at 102 degrees and concludes with a cool shower.

A wood burning fireplace in the Bath House’s sky-lit lounge adds to the spa’s sensual luxury, although I visited on a “Spare the Air” day, when wood fires are prohibited in the Valley. At one point in its history, the Bath House served as a movie theater, where there are rumors of a ghost—perhaps from the fire in the 1920s.
The color scheme of light apricot walls, leather and wooden armchairs with light turquoise pillows evokes Northern California’s sunny ambience and blue skies. Resting rooms, the picturesque outdoor relaxation loggia with its comfy chaise lounges overlooking lush oaks, pines and palm trees sequestered in the courtyard, and a healthful snack bar with light fare make a full day at the spa a cushy getaway.
The Good Neighbor program, which has been implemented under Fairmont management since 2002, welcomes area residents to partake in spa amenities, excluding holidays and weekends, for a reasonable per diem. As the largest employer in Sonoma County, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa has retained many staff members for more than 20 years, thus cultivating long lasting friendships with spa regulars, both locals and tourists.

Water all around

Signature spa features include a self-guided Bathing Ritual, which begins with a shower, followed by a dip in a private whirlpool at 102 degrees and concludes with a cool shower. Next is the herbal steam room and then if desired the dry sauna, once again culminating with a cold shower. Individual mineral baths, special Vichy showers, many treats for couples and a dedicated Watsu pool, where only water shiatsu can be performed, are also available.

The 125 full and part-time staff work six to seven hour days, four days a week, and they are offered complimentary fitness classes in Pilates, circuit training, yoga and spinning.

Watsu combines Zen shiatsu, a form of massage that emphasizes stretching to increase energy flow, with the relaxating sensation of floating in warm water. Many Watsu recipients find the experience not only soothing but also profoundly transcendent, according to Director of Spa Operations, David Erlich.
In the King’s Bath, couples luxuriate in a massive, bell shaped metal bathtub, filled with the Inn’s thermal mineral water to which soothing, stimulating or medically rejuvenating dried herbs are added. Whirlpool jets combine current technology with tried and true comforts. “We follow The Bath with a side-by-side massage,” says Erlich, who believes the spa can be utilized as a healthful means of strengthening relationships.
Relationship and tarot card read­ings may reveal important clues, and chakra balancing, reiki and other such services help harmonize the mind, body and spirit.

Authentic wine country

With a focus on authentically local, organic wine country services, I chose the signature Harvest Kur, a regenerative treatment that begins with exfoliation to stimulate the body’s immune system. Kur treatments, a European tradition loosely defined as “taking the cure,” are considered by many to be the ultimate spa experience.
Products for the Kur treatments are all high in antioxidant ingredients and vitamins C and E, such as the warm grape seed oil infused bubble bath followed by a warm grape seed mud body wrap. The Kur concluded with a full body massage using grape seed body oil.
I followed the Harvest Kur with the Sonoma Lavender Facial, where, cocooned on a Golden Ratio bed, which keeps knees elevated by following the natural curve of the body, the esthetician finished off the treatment with acupressure to stimulate circulation. The combination of treatments lulled me into such a deep state that I actually forgot the location of the locker room—a true hallmark of bliss!

The facility includes 10 massage rooms, two couples massage rooms, a full service salon, a complete range of fitness treatments and a weight room in a sumptuous workout area.

Care for the caregivers

The staff at Sonoma are hand selected, highly qualified individuals. The 125 full and part-time staff work six to seven hour days, four days a week, and they are offered complimentary fitness classes in Pilates, circuit training, yoga and spinning. Treatment trades are encouraged. “Our emphasis is on quality throughout the spa—from personnel, equipment and décor to spa services and products,” Erlich explains. “To retain quality staff we provide them with a quality experience as well.”
“For our guests, we offer an extensive menu of spa treatments including wraps, flotation wraps that allow the body to slip into its natural alignment, numerous body scrubs and polishes, as well as facial treatments.”
Massage styles offered at the spa include shiatsu, a Japanese finger pressure massage used to balance energy pathways and reduce stress, the eclectic and therapeutic full-body Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa Massage and the vigorous Sports Massage with stretching directed at major muscle groups. The spa also features aromatherapy for relaxation and detoxification reflexology to restore a sense of balance and the Pregnancy Massage for mothers-to-be.
The facility includes 10 massage rooms, two couples massage rooms, a full service salon, a complete range of fitness treatments and a weight room in a sumptuous workout area for doing yoga, aerobics and body sculpting services, as well as guided Wine Country hikes and bike tours. Nutrition consultation, stress management classes, image consulting and guided personal meditation are also offered.

A variety of specially priced spa and spa/golf packages feature luxurious accommodations.

Special events

A variety of specially priced spa and golf packages feature luxurious accommodations, meals at Santé, the Inn’s restaurant—offering both spa cuisine and impeccable gourmet selections, and unlimited use of spa facilities and golf at the championship Sam Whiting course at Sonoma Golf Club (seasonal). The Sonoma Golf Club will host the prestigious PGA Charles Schwab Cup Senior Championship Tournament in October, 2009.
If venturing into the city after a Valley of the Moon sojourn, visitors are awed by the Fairmont Sonoma’s magnificent sister property, the Fairmont San Francisco, crowning Nob Hill and within strolling distance of Chinatown and Union Square.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is located 40 miles north of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge at 100 Boyes Blvd. in Sonoma Valley, the heart of Northern California’s wine country, www.fairmont.com/sonoma, 800.441.1414.

Patrice Dickey is a life transition coach, speaker and award-winning author. She is the author of the report, “101 Simple Ways to Kick Depression Without Prozac.” Visit www.PatriceDickey.com.