Every now and then, people should pamper themselves. That was precisely what I had in mind when I asked my wife where she would like to spend a few days relaxing.

“Calistoga,” Carol answered. My eyebrows shot up in puzzlement, so she added, “In Napa Valley.”

I checked the locale on the Internet and found it offered a surfeit of unique activities. “Done deal,” I answered.

California’s Napa Valley is bordered by the Mayacamas Mountains on the west and the Howell Mountain range on the east. Beautifully manicured vineyards sprawl across the valley floor and up the hillsides. The leaves of the older groves already were blush red and yellow when we arrived in October —the best time to visit—while those in the newer sections were mother nature’s patchwork of brilliant green and orange.

The scent of grapes filled the air. Fall is harvest and grape-crushing time, and the locals were busy with both. We had a Concord vine in the yard where I grew up, and I began to salivate at the memory of that tangy taste. By the time we reached Calistoga, at the far end of the valley, I almost was delirious with the urge to park our car on the side of the road, dash into the vineyards, and gorge on those little purple orbs of Cabernet.

Calistoga, a small town of nearly 5,000 residents, came by its name in an unusual fashion. In 1885, entrepreneur Sam Brannan encountered some of the local thermal springs and mineral waters. Familiar with New York’s Saratoga spa region, Brannan envisioned turning this California spot into the “Hot Springs of the West.” Known for his ability to tip a few, Brannan slurred a boast during one of his drinking bouts, announcing to anyone who would listen, “I will make this place the Calistoga of Sarafornia.” Brannan delivered, and the name stuck.

Cleansing the body and soul

I’d been up to my ears in mud once at the annual 10k “Mud Run” through Camp Pendleton’s obstacle course in California. My mud experience at Calistoga, however, was nothing like that — it was therapeutic. 

Despite my familiarity with the substance, you can imagine my apprehension as I settled into the brown ooze at Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort. Its tubs contain a mixture of peat moss, clay, and hot mineral water, which my attendant said “relaxes the muscles while drawing toxins from the skin.”

The mixture is so dense you actually have to work yourself in. Once under the surface, the feel is one of total suspension, with the mud enveloping the body like a hot blanket. I experienced an eerie pleasure when my attendant placed iced towels across my forehead at frequent intervals.

Twenty minutes later, after showering off the mud, I soaked in a hot mineral water whirlpool, relaxed in a steam room, enjoyed a blanket wrap, then topped things off with a half-hour deep-tissue massage.
The town is awash in hot springs, and most spas provide discounts on lodging and full-treatment packages that include massage styles from relaxing to vigorous. Couples can take a side-by-side dive into the mud at the Golden Haven Hot Springs Spa. All this translates into a recipe for physical bliss, not to mention the beneficial cleansing of the skin.

Dinner for two

We discovered that many of the local restaurants are rated highly in the Zagat guides—written by volunteers who eat out at least three times a week—as they should be, if the tri-tip sirloin and the quail with duck sausage entrees served at the Calistoga Inn are what the critics sampled. The inn was built in 1882, and by the 1930s its reputation had reached Hollywood. In 1940, Carole Lombard and Charles Laughton starred in They Knew What They Wanted, a movie about an Italian grape grower and his mail-order bride that was filmed at the inn. These days, the Calistoga Inn is recommended by publications such as The New York Times, Wine Spectator, and The Wine Enthusiast.

The Catahoula Restaurant owner and chef Jan Birnbaum and chef d’cuisine Chris Aken, however, are not to be outdone. Carol and I tried the oven-roasted calamari salad with white beans and olives—an absolute eye popper. Following that came the brick-oven-roasted rainbow trout amandine, deboned and wrapped in smoked bacon, then stuffed with brioche and Swiss chard for otherworldly results. But these aren’t the only treats the Catahoula offers its patrons. Diners also are given the opportunity to watch their meals being prepared, with an overhead mirror assisting those seated farther from the action.

The restaurant is located in the Mount View Hotel, one of the century-old spas in Calistoga. A National Historic Landmark, the legendary hotel long has been a favorite of literary giants, Hollywood divas, and even a few first ladies. Lou Henry Hoover, President Hoover’s wife, planted roses in the hotel’s garden.

The view from here

Early one morning, a pair of honeymooners, a couple from Scotland, and Carol and I settled into the basket of a hot air balloon operated by chief pilot Joyce Bowen of Bonaventura Balloons, one of many ballooning companies in Napa. During our tour in the clouds, Bowen, who has flown balloons all over the world, gave a running commentary on the region’s history, then pointed at an oak tree far below. “If you take a leaf from a tree and put it under your pillow,” she said, “your dreams come true.”

Then, to everyone’s amazement, she eased the basket right alongside the oak. The basket never touched the foliage as I reached out to pluck a leaf. Bowen then lit the propane burners, and away we soared.

When it came time to land, Bowen used a cell phone to call her ground crew. Below, a pickup hauling a trailer turned off the main highway and onto a dirt road. I asked what the arrival plan was. “Right on that trailer,” she said. After some maneuvering and dropping mooring lines to the crew, Bowen gently seated the 1,500-pound basket on the trailer bed. Heather Milligan, one of our fellow travelers from Scotland, captured the moment: “Fly like a bird, land on a sixpence.”

The afternoon was spent in the Silverado region, famous for once being the fifth-largest producer of silver in the world and for a visit by author Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed there for six weeks in 1880 with his wife. From that experience, he wrote The Silverado Squatters, which mentions a nearby petrified forest, a tourist attraction that still draws visitors. Some 3.4 million years ago, a grove of giant redwood trees was wiped out by a volcanic eruption. The trees fossilized as dripping silicon, and ash replaced the wood.

Three miles from Calistoga is another popular tourist attraction: Old Faithful. This well-known geyser spurts more than 100 feet every 40 minutes, according to the provided literature, “except when an earthquake is imminent.” While we were watching, the geyser spouted about every 18 minutes— watch out, California!

Drink and be merry

Our adventure also included a wine tour. This region boasts numerous micro-climates, all ideal for growing different varieties of grapes. Napa Valley is home to more than 200 wineries, most of which offer tours, tasting, and the chance to purchase. You can opt for a limousine tour, starting at $175 a couple, or take the Napa Winery Shuttle van for $45 a person for the whole day. Many of the winery names—Sutter Home, Stoneybrook, and Mumms, for instance—are familiar, but others resonate new, such as Esquisse (pronounced ess-kiss), whose motto is “A kiss on your cheek and Esquisse in your glass,” and V. Sattui, which is not sold in restaurants or stores but claims to make $20 million in sales annually right on the property.

Director Francis Ford Coppola’s lavish Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery displays all of his Oscars, which visitors can admire while tasting the estate’s wines. Another unexpected site is the Andretti Winery, started by Indy 500 champion driver Mario Andretti. Both of these famously named vineyards offer prize-winning vintages.

Don’t miss tasting the fine wares at St. Helena Olive Oil Co. in St. Helena, Calif. There you can feast on rye bread dipped in different oils, spices, and sauces. At the S. Anderson Vineyard, you can tour a manmade cave and taste-test sparkling wine for $7. Don’t expect to find cheap wine here; few of the tasted wines go for less than $10 a bottle, and many charge $5 to $7 for a sample.

If neither the limousine nor the van is your ideal mode of transportation, you can ride the Napa Valley Wine Train. Although it doesn’t stop at the wineries, this restored 1917 Pullman dining car offers fantastic views, a gourmet five-course meal, and numerous wine selections. Once you choose the wines you like, you can order them through shops such as the Vineyard Outlet in the town of Napa. The Vineyard Outlet has the same wines—except for exclusives—for a few dollars less and can ship your purchases together for a savings on mailing costs.

For those who enjoy the taste of a good brew, never fear: Calistoga is home to the Napa Valley Brewing Co., one of the many emerging micro-breweries of the California North Coast.

You might be wondering if the mineral water treatments, mud baths, and libations had any effect on Carol and me. Well, taking my wordsmithing from Sam Brannan, I’d say we came out feeling toga-lly wine-derful!