Recline, Dine & Wine: The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

I spent my childhood summers in the town of Sonoma, long before it became a world-class wine growing area. Even then, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa was a classy oasis in this bucolic setting and a place to escape the heat. Today, it’s a 5-star resort owned by The Fairmont Hotel chain blessed with America’s only natural thermal mineral water spa, yet only an hour drive north of San Francisco.

The tre elegant, state-of-the-art Spa pays homage to ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, which believed in the axiom “Sanitas Per Aquas.” The restaurant Santé is designed to exude the California Wine Country and serves extraordinary cuisine. The hotel is a Fairmont all the way with upscale amenities and accommodations ranging from recently restored Fairmont Heritage rooms ($279/night) to signature suites ($399/night and up).

The Spa’s signature $85 Bathing Ritual Experience starts with an Exfoliating Shower, using the supplied thermal mineral kur shower gel to exfoliate and cleanse your skin; a Warm Bath (Tepiderium), easing into the 96-98-degree warm mineral bath; a Hot Bath (Caldarium), relaxing in the 102=degree hot mineral bath with jets; a Re-hydrating Drink, enjoying a tall glass of water, which is vital for re-hydration; a Cool Shower, cooling your body with a brief shower; an Herbal Steam, resting in the herbal steam room; a Sauna, enjoying a few moments in the dry heat of the sauna; a second Re-hydrating Drink; a second Cool Shower; and Rest, reclining in the serenity of the relaxation lounge as your body renews and restores.

100 Boyes Boulevard, Sonoma, CA 95476; Phone: 707-938-9000; Web: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.