Calistoga California: Wellness over wine; try a mud bath
By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Content Agency
Taking the Kids
Let’s get down and dirty in the mud. Not just any mud. This is special mud that is a combination of organic peat moss, volcanic ash and geothermal mineral water.
Welcome to Calistoga, California, just 75 miles from San Francisco, where soaking in a mud bath, followed by lounging in a geothermal pool has drawn visitors for more than a century. “People knew about this since before the wine boom,” said Eric Reichert, president of the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce. “Now it’s more wellness than wine.” And that includes wellness and relaxation for families.
That’s because though there are 550 wineries in the 47-mile stretch of Napa Valley – 55 right around tiny (population around 5,000) Calistoga – people are drinking a lot less and are seeking other ways to relax, often with kids in tow.
We found the kid- and dog- friendly Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs, the ideal getaway, whatever your age. The iconic 50-room resort has been a fixture here since 1952 when “Doc” John and Edy Wilkinson founded this wellness resort. Though the resort has been completely renovated, the design honors its past with a mid-century vibe. Guests are still welcomed with the same neon sign, and the Wilkinson home is now five guestrooms that sleep 15, some with bunks. A blue 1952 Buick, like Wilkinson drove, is still in the driveway. (Rates start at $256 a night. Check out special offers.)
Calistoga was founded in 1862 as a wellness resort by entrepreneur Sam Brannan, though Native Americans appreciated the therapeutic qualities of the mineral water for centuries before that. Brannan intended to make the resort the “Saratoga of California,” to celebrate the hot springs like those in the New York state town of Saratoga Springs. But he misspoke during a speech and said, “Calistoga of Sarafornia.”
Some 90 years later, Wilkinson popularized mud bath treatments, today the cornerstone of the region’s spa scene. Today there are eight resorts and day spas that offer volcanic ash mud bath treatments, each a little different with a different recipe of mud.
I opted for “The Works” – 15 minutes of soaking up to my neck in an oversized bathtub of the special mud (using Wilkinson’s original recipe) followed by a soak in a mineral pool, a massage and a moisturizing face mask made from local grape sap and steam. I hadn’t felt this good in months. My daughter and son-in-law loved the three thermal pools of different temperatures, the hottest (104 degrees), just for adults, adjacent to a Spa Garden, hammocks and outdoor lawn games.
“I was nervous when my husband suggested this,” acknowledged Monica Semel, visiting from Reno. “But it was very nice.”
“I felt like this must feel like being in a womb.” Said Diane Zelaya of Oakland, California, back for a return visit with her friend, Veronica Banks.
The resort attracts a mix of couples, families with babies and young children, grandparents, women on girls’ trips and dog owners. One mom from Petaluma, about an hour away, said this is a perfect quick getaway. “a vacation in a minute” with her kids. One night after dinner, there was a spirited game of Marco Polo in the pool with a group of middle-schoolers.
“The atmosphere is very chill,” said Banks, from Austin, Texas. “I’ve been to a lot of resorts, and this is more relaxed than most.”
Dr. Wilkinson’s is in an ideal location, just steps away from Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga’s main street with quirky shops, homemade ice cream and restaurants, whether you want a burger, pasta or wood-fired halibut or shrimp and grits as we enjoyed at the new Eight North, owned by Betsy and Sarah Lawer who are the proprietors of the local Lawer Estates winery. The new restaurant is dedicated to showcasing local ingredients and wines. (Don’t miss the baked Alaska for dessert!)
We also enjoyed the food and drinks at Dr. Wilkinson’s outdoor House of Better where health food meets comfort food – everything from avocado toast and breakfast burritos to margaritas and salads, fish tacos, pozole and burgers in the afternoon and evening. You can eat poolside. The resort is known for its pie, including the signature green chili apple pie with a cheddar crust and fruit pies. “We always get one to take home,” said Zelaya. Drinks include a fire cider wellness tonic, kombucha on tap and special teas designed to detox and hydrate. Mud Water is a blend of chai, cacao, mushrooms and more.
Though our focus was on wellness, we couldn’t resist one wine tasting so we opted for the most unique one we could find – Castello di Amorosa, the most visited winery in California built in a recreated medieval 14th-century Italian castle built over 30 years by owner and winemaker Dario Sattui. There are 107 rooms spread over three acres, including towers, a drawbridge and moat, prison and torture chamber, armory, huge murals and of course, a tasting room. (Our entertaining tour guide, Riddhii Agrawal, newly arrived from India, has just launched her own wine lover’s website.)
Surrounding the castle are 171 acres, 30 planted with grapes. Sattui, descended from generations of Italian winemakers, wanted to create a place to honor his Italian heritage and Italian wines. Kids would love exploring this place and families are welcome on self-guided tours. (The tours that include wine tasting are limited to those 21 and older.)
If kids can be tempted out of the pools, there is a big playground at Pioneer Park in town, and an eight-mile Wine Trail for biking and walking. (Rent bikes in town.) Nearby is the Petrified Forest with trails through petrified redwood trees dating back millions of years and the Old Faithful Geyser of California, one of only three in the world that like Yellowstone’s Old Faithful and New Zealand’s Lady Knox erupt on a schedule, in this case every 15 to 30 minutes.
While you are waiting, meet the goats, sheep and llamas – and then head back to the irresistible pools.
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)
©2026 Eileen Ogintz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.