Getting into Hot Water in Calistoga

Calistoga is at the "end" of the Napa Valley, farthest away from the city of Napa. It is more rustic and more offbeat than the other towns that comprise "Napa." Legend has it that it was supposed to be called Saratoga, California but the founder got drunk and proclaimed it "Calistoga, Sarafornia." True? Does it matter? It is a great place to relax for a weekend or a mid-week getaway, and the fine restaurants of Yountville and the rest of the valley are just minutes away.

Quick Tips:

Check out the websites for the various spas to see which suits your life style and wallet. For example, http://www.napaspas.com/

Best Way To Get Around:

Most of Calistoga is on one main street, which can be covered easily on foot, but to see all of the surrounding area, and even to do some wine tasting in Calistoga itself, a car is necessary. It is great biking territory.

From the moment you see the 50's style neon sign, you know this is not a posh, snooty spa. The design of the building is pure 50's motel, but the rooms have been refurbished not long ago and are quite comfortable. Our room had a king-size bed (with lots of pillows and an attractive bedspread) and a refrigerator. My husband brought his road bicycle, and when he wheeled it into the room, the housekeeper rushed in with a sheet to put under it, but she was very nice about it.

Guests have access to the mineral pools -- there is a large indoor whirlpool, a hot (about 100°) outdoor pool, and a normal swimming pool temperature outdoor pool.

The motel is at the end of the main street of Calistoga, so it's easy to walk to shopping and restaurants. Spa packages are available that include room and spa treatments. And everyone who work there seems to be smiling all the time, even when things are busy.

Brannan's interior has been described as Craftsman style. It is a classy, yet comfortable room, with booth seating in the bar area and tables in the dining area. Service was cheerful and not intrusive.

For one lunch, I had baby back ribs, a specialty. The ribs were good, but not spectacular. What was spectacular was the heirloom tomato salad that was on the specials menu for the day. The tomatoes tasted as if they had been picked from someone's garden that day and tasted the way tomatoes are supposed to taste. On another visit, I wanted a light lunch, so I ordered the duck confit quesadilla. Delicious. The salty, garlicky duck blended well with cooked chopped apples and brie cheese inside and the extra-thin tortillas on the outside had been sauteed in butter until crisp. It was exactly the lunch I wanted.

There is a full bar and an extensive dinner menu as well.

The Catahoula is the state dog of Louisiana, and the restaurant aims to glorify Southern cooking, in particular the cooking of the Bayou. I was not impressed.

I started with "fried little fish and chips", which was served in a newspaper cone. The "chips," which were large wedges of potato, had not cooked through and were greasy. The fish, too, was greasy, and by the time I was half done, the rest of the fish tasted only of wet newspaper. The waiter did not ask if wanything was wrong when he removed the half-eaten serving. For a main course, I ordered their "famous" gumbo. I asked the waiter how spicy it was, and he said it was about a 3 on a scale of 1-10. Well, I was very glad I ordered a side-dish of "Soft Sexy Grits" to go with it because it was about an 8 on a scale of 1-10. It tasted like soupy chili, and had a bunch of little unidentifiable bits of meat in it. I ate less than half of it. The grits, however, were outstanding. My husband ordered the squab. It was cooked to his liking, but the plate was a muddle of side dishes all piled around in an unattractive way. The flavors did not blend, and he wasn't too happy overall. For dessert we shared a piece of lemon chess pie with buttermilk sorbet. The sorbet was nice (especially after the hot gumbo) and the pie filling was good, but the crust was the thickest, toughest crust I've ever encountered in a restaurant.

Formerly Napa Valley Ovens, this crowded bakery is my choice for breakfast. In fact, I ate here all three mornings on a recent stay. Line up at the counter and select one (or more) of a variety of wonderful breakfast pastries, bagels, muffins and cookies. The pecan sticky bun I had one day was fabulous! And while you're there, pick up a loaf of fresh-baked bread for a lunchtime picnic. The coffee is good -- serve yourself from thermos pots -- and there are a few tables at the front of the store to sit and enjoy your breakfast while you watch the people walk by on Calistoga's "main drag."

The store is full of Hawaiian shirts. Not the authentic, collectible ones, but nevertheless very attractive modern ones for men and women. I must have spent an hour here, looking and trying on. I ended up buying a retro-looking Tori Richards of Honolulu shir for about $50. They have a wide range of Tommy Bahama fashions, including silk shirts for men and women, and silk pants, skirts, shorts and dresses for women in lovey tropical pastels and patterns.

As part of my spa package, I got "The Works," an aftrnoon of pampering and strange experiences.

I was led to the locker room, where I left my clothes and wrapped myself in a large, soft sheet. Then I was guided to the famous mud baths. I expected a slurry-like substance, like the facial-in-a-jar mud, but it was more like a big bathtub of hot, soupy potting soil! (But it didn't smell bad.) The attendant helped me in; you kind of rest under a layer of it, almost floating. The attendant placed cucumber slices on my eyes and covered my head and face with a towel dipped in ice water. I sat there, trying not to giggle, for about 10 minutes. It was not very relaxing for me -- just weird -- but the woman in the tub next to me said she fell asleep almost instantly.

From there, I showered off the peat moss with a hand-held shower and hopped into a hot whirlpool tub for a soak. Another cold towel covered my head, and a cup of ice water was placed at my fingertips. After another 10 minutes or so, I was led to a steam room where I could stay as long as I wanted. Then I was taken to a cubicle where I could lie down and was wrapped in sheets, supposedly to "equalize" my body temperature. After about 20 minutes, the attendant took me to a small, darkened room where I had a lovely hour-long massage. By the time I was done, I was noodle-like! I don't think I'd do the mud part again, but the rest was great.

As part of the spa package I did at Dr. Wilkinson's, I spent the morning at the salon. My salon person started off with a Cerofango Treatment for my feet, which began with a delightful foot massage. Each foot was then dipped into a warm mixture of clay, paraffin and herbs, then wrapped in plastic, then covered with a heated bootie. While my feet cooked, I was given a relaxing facial with lots of moisturizing lotions. Finally, a facial mask was put on and I sat back in the darkened room for about 10 minutes while the mask dried. It was gently scrubbed off and more emollients were massaged into my face. I left the salon totally renewed.

A variety of other salon treatments are available, including a seaweed body wrap. Prices range from $50 to $95, and packages combining treatments and massages are available.