Relaxation in Napa Valley: Unwinding at a Calistoga Spa

Napa Valley is always eventful, but sometimes you need a day of relaxation.

A few weeks ago, my sister and brother-in-law were in town so my husband and I planned a fun-filled weekend of wine tasting. We spent Friday afternoon winery hopping throughout the valley. On Saturday night, we danced under the stars at a winery harvest party. Both days were exciting but took a lot of energy out of us. By Sunday, we needed some downtime.

The guys spent Sunday at the Fortinet Golf Tournament that happened to be in town while us girls ditched them for something even more relaxing. We took a scenic drive up the valley to the charming town of Calistoga and spent our day at the spa.

Calistoga is about a one-hour drive from downtown Napa and well worth it if you want a spa day because there are tons of options. It was hard decide where to go, but ultimately we planned on visiting Moonacre Spa & Baths at the Calistoga Motor Lodge. I booked our reservations about a week in advance, and it was easy to find availability and book online.

We arrived an hour before our scheduled massages and got a day pass to the hotel pool. We stowed our stuff in the provided lockers, grabbed some delicious lemon-infused spa water and walked over to the pool area. An hour gave us plenty of time to relax in the jacuzzi then lay out on the lounge chairs. There were a few other guests in the pool but it was not loud or overly crowded at all and easy to find a sofa set to claim while we were there.

After the jacuzzi, we headed back for our massages. There is a cute waiting area to lounge in until your masseuse is ready, then you move into private rooms with relaxing music and get ready for your massage. We each scheduled one-hour massages and they were wonderful, as expected.

Afterwards, we stayed at the spa for another hour enjoying the amenities. The weather was perfect – sunny but not too hot, so we took a nap in the hammocks out back. Next, we spent time relaxing in the steam room. Due to the pandemic, current restrictions only let one party in at a time, which meant we had it all to ourselves. It’s also important to note there are usually mud amenities available outside, but again due to the pandemic, that area had not reopened yet. After the steam room, we showered and weren’t quite ready to head out, so we relaxed on the back patio for just a little bit longer. We sat on the rocking chairs and listened to the fountain while reading books. It was so peaceful out there!

Overall, it was the perfect day of relaxation. Calistoga is the perfect escape when you want to slow down from the hustle and bustle of downtown Napa. Moonacre Spa is a very chic, quaint spot that provided just what we needed.