Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort and Mineral Springs, a Member of Design Hotels Press Room
Hotels We Love: Mud Baths and Mineral Pool Soaks at Dr. Wilkinson’s backyard Resort & Mineral Springs
Located in Napa Valley, the retro Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs is the ultimate homebase for a trip full of wine and wellness. Located on Calistoga's main drag, Lincoln Ave, it's easily identifiable by its original neon sign and mint-hued vintage 1952 Buick. As the name implies, Dr. Wilkinson's is more than a resort — it's a mineral hot spring oasis. The ethos of wellness helmed by John "Doc" Wilkinson and his wife Edy, remains inherent in the property over 70 years after its inception. Wellness seekers from around the world continue to flock to the rejuvenating mud baths and healing waters. Here's what makes this historic wellness resort the must-stay place while visiting Napa.
WHY IT'S AWESOME
Dr. Wilkinson's re-opened in 2021 after a multi-million dollar interior renovation and stayed true to its mid-century roots while remodeling guest rooms with comfortable and modernized amenities. Think furnishing with rounded edges in bright orange and pink hues, funky floor lamps and rugs, color-blocked art, retro-looking appliances such as a small sky-blue Galanz fridge, white bicycles with picnic baskets, and more.
Throughout the year Dr. Wilkinson's offers various events and activities for guests including backyard Pinot & Pétanque games and Wilk's Wine Night during Visit Calistoga's Fourth Fridays.
I got to experience the millennial-pink oasis during Wellness Week where I enjoyed activities including yoga on the front lawn, paint and sips, and a candle-making workshop. The highlight was a Cannescape dinner and breakfast self dosed with THC oil ($650 including hotel stay).
IN HOUSE FOOD + DRINK
When Dr. Wilkinson's reopened a few years back it came with a new addition — a new on-site all-day restaurant, House of Better. Open to the public and situated on the property's front lawn with patio-style dining tables, the counter-service restaurant and bar was created by Trevor Logan of Green Chile Kitchen in San Francisco and the Sonoma-based Chile Pies Baking Co.
House of Better serves healthy Southwestern-inspired dishes such as green chile stew, green chile cheeseburgers, and grilled fish tacos. For dessert, dig into Logan's famous fresh-baked pies offering an array of mouth-watering flavors like the green chile apple pie with a cheddar crust, walnut streusel topping, and a spicy chile glaze.
You won't find cocktails here but you can order local beer and wine with your meals. During your stay at the resort, detox to retox with fermented drinks, adaptogenic mushroom teas, and CBD-infused beverages. Don't forget to fill up your reusable bottle time and time again at the "fountain of youth" in the lobby. The water dispenser has an Aqua Ovo filtration system with rock salt, carbon, copper alloy, quartz crystal, and red clay that are alleged to have health benefits and are tasteless.
AMENITIES
Dr. Wilkinson's has three spring-fed geothermal mineral pools filled with water sourced from Calistoga's natural hot springs including a covered shallow circular mineral pool kept at 105 degrees Fahrenheit and a cold deluge shower in the Spa Garden. The other two are outdoors and are equipped with cozy lounge chairs, padded day beds, rentable cabanas, and vibrant murals.
The mineral waters have a near-neutral pH balance and have been evaluated by the Balneology Association of North America which certified that the healing water can strengthen skin, balance the peripheral nervous system, reset stressed nervous systems, and detoxify.
The highlight of any stay at Dr. Wilkinson's is indulging in a mud bath — it's the same treatment that guests have enjoyed for over seven decades. The secret blend of mineral-rich mud and organic Calistoga volcanic ash was created by Doc Wilkinson. The 60-minute $239 "Mudslinger" package includes a 15-minute mud bath and a 15-minute mineral soak — both in private tubs — a mud mask, steam room, and blanket wrap.
The mud doesn't have much of a stench but I won't lie to you and tell you it doesn't look like manure. It can feel quite heavy, similar to a weighted blanket, and is hotter the deeper you sink in but feels incredible once you relax and allow the mud to rejuvenate your skin. Go ahead and book a 60-minute massage, I promise you're not going to regret it. I loved the incredibly relaxing Amethyst Biomat Swedish Massage ($219).
The resort truly lives up to its tagline of "where wellness meets happiness" with life-sized chess pieces, a swing, and cozy hammocks in the backyard. There are small boutiques in the hotel's lobby and the spa's reception offering a variety of local apothecary products, world-renowned skincare items, and a mineral bath packet to recreate the mineral bath experience at home. If you loved the faded pink branded robes or plush resort towels you can buy them here as well as my favorite reef-safe sunscreen, Sun Bum.
The resort truly lives up to its tagline of "where wellness meets happiness" with life-sized chess pieces, a swing, and cozy hammocks in the backyard. There are small boutiques in the hotel's lobby and the spa's reception offering a variety of local apothecary products, world-renowned skincare items, and a mineral bath packet to recreate the mineral bath experience at home. If you loved the faded pink branded robes or plush resort towels you can buy them here as well as my favorite reef-safe sunscreen, Sun Bum.
ROOM TYPES
It's no surprise that the 50 refreshed guest rooms at the motel-like hotel embody California cool with a blend of vintage and modern aesthetics. I stayed in a Deluxe King room on the ground floor near the pools. The warm color palette of the room's decor pops against the stark bright white walls and oak floors. Adornments include one-of-a-kind handmade pottery pieces by local ceramics studio NBC Pottery.
I loved the easy access of walking out of my room in the blush robe directly to the bar counter to get a MUD\WTR and then into the mineral pools first thing in the morning. The Malin + Goetz peppermint shampoo was so invigorating that I went home and bought a similar one with a peppermint scent. Props to Dr. Wilkinson's for using reusable containers for its toiletries which are more eco-friendly. There are also recycling bins around the property and water refill stations.