In Good Spirits at Napa Valley's Carneros Resort and Spa

It’s hard to imagine improving upon the bucolic bliss of Napa Valley’s Carneros Resort and Spa, a stunning property set on 28 acres featuring, fruit trees, and fragrant herbs and flowers. But a $3.5 million renovation of the Spa at Carneros does just that, transforming the 5,919-square-foot space into an even more appealing relaxation destination. “We are constantly striving to enhance the guest experience at Carneros Resort and Spa and offer the highest quality amenities in Napa Valley,” says Edward Costa, managing director of the resort. “The spa renovations reflect the resort coming full circle since its rebranding and renovations in 2016 and is the last piece to establishing the property’s identity as a destination resort.”

The spa's relaxation room.

The renovation, which was led by Nina Chiappa Interiors and TLCD Architecture, features a new spa entrance, an airy guest reception and retail space, an expanded relaxation area, and newly designed treatment rooms and suites. Spa director Kristin Brock calls the update simply “transformative,” adding that “the new stylistic architectural elements, finishes, and fixtures exemplify a sophisticated modern farmhouse design.”

The outdoor pool.

The farmhouse theme, which is also the style of the overall resort, and an appreciation for the picturesque beauty of the region are at the heart of the spa's metamorphosis. Guests are welcomed to the spa via a Mediterranean-style garden with a central water fountain, benches, lounge chairs, and a trellis. They enter into a reception area with a dramatic 26-foot open ceiling. Interior design elements include rift-cut stained oak, ivory-colored walls, limestone floors, chevron-patterned oak cabinets, and black-iron accents. The coed relaxation area now features an enlarged indoor space with a fireplace, built-in bookshelves, and cozy lounge furniture and an outdoor deck with plenty of seating that is surrounded by verdant blooms. Each of the treatment rooms is now outfitted with light wood flooring and new massage tables, furnishings, and equipment. Among them is a spacious couples’ suite with a private outdoor deck, a soaking tub, a solarium shower, and a specialty suite with a private covered porch featuring its own infrared sauna and private shower. Additionally, a new lighting program sets the mood for each area of the spa, from minimizing lighting in the individual treatment rooms for deeper relaxation to producing improved natural lighting in the coed relaxation area. “Carneros Resort and Spa is true to its surroundings with farm-inspired architecture, relaxed service, and an elevated style that permeates through every element of the property,” says Brock. “The spa blends wine-country warmth and innovative spa technology.” 

Treatment ingredients.

Also enticing is an inspired spa menu that features a number of new treatments, including several that reflect the bounty of wine country and the herbs and flowers that grow in the resort’s half-acre Culinary Garden and services that stimulate the senses with state-of-the-art technologies. Highlights include Body Botany ($270, 90 minutes), which includes a body scrub and massage using a blend of the client’s choice: the immune boosting olive leaf and rosemary scrub; the refreshing coffee, lemon, and shea butter scrub; or the nourishing hibiscus and blood orange scrub. The Tune Me Up ($120, 60 minutes) tri-sensory experience, meanwhile, guides guests through an infrared sauna, a DIY scrub, and relaxation in an anti-gravity chair in the specialty studio. “The menu was influenced specifically by the uniqueness of its location (being positioned between both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys) and its proximity to San Francisco,” says Brock. “This unique setting produces grapes and a recognizable distinction of wine varietals and, as such, should influence a unique spa experience. Having said that, it’s not all about wine and farms. Because Carneros Resort and Spa is a desirable drive-to destination from San Francisco, it caters to a slightly more urban sensibility than properties that are located deeper in wine country. Highly skilled human touch balances well-researched technology as the foundation for treatments that deliver tangible results.”

Vaulted ceilings, oak beams, and black-iron accents add to the farmhouse style of the new spa.

This prime location makes the spa enticing to Bay Area residents and national and international travelers alike who are drawn to the beauty of wine country, which keeps the 22-member spa team busy and accommodating between 20 and 40 treatments daily. Thankfully, they are up to the challenge. “Our team members come to the table with a passion for care for each guest who walks through the door,” says Brock. “The team upholds a high standard of service and listens to guests’ needs and have different passions for different areas of their craft. We can customize each guest’s experience and pair them with the best therapist for their needs. Every team member, from receptionists to therapists to attendants, shines in a different way and makes what we do possible.”

Each of the nine treatment rooms were updated as part of the spa renovation.

Now, the challenge is to share the news of the exciting spa and property updates and to establish the spa as wine country’s top relaxation retreat. “In the last two years, Carneros Resort and Spa rebranded, enhanced its amenities and guest offerings, and renovated almost every space across the 28-acre property,” says Brock. “We are excited to share that we have refined and elevated the resort’s spa and facilities to establish ourselves as a destination resort offering a quintessential Napa Valley experience.”

 

SPA STATS

Owner: GF Carneros Tenant 

Spa Director: Kristin Brock

Opened: 2003

Renovation Reopening: July 2018
 
Client Base
: 80% female, 20% male
 
Space:
 5,919 square feet; 9 treatment rooms
 
Renovation Cost: $3.5 million 
 
Product & Equipment: Babor, Bodybliss, Celluma, Chadsworth & Haig, Comfort Zone, Elemental Herbology, Living Earth Crafts, Palermo Body, Precor, Prima Fleur, Spa Soft, Tata Harper, Yeah Baby 

Architect: TLCD Architecture (Santa Rosa, CA)
 
Interior Designer: 
Nina Chiappa Interiors (Oakland, CA)
 
Spa Consultant: TLee Spas (Marin County, CA)
 

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