If you truly want to dig into Calistoga’s unique wellness offerings, you have to get dirty. Used by native Wappo Indians, mud baths are now offered at spas throughout town, with husband-and-wife team John “Doc” and Edy Wilkinson credited with introducing the concept to wellness seekers visiting Napa Valley. In 1952, the couple's hot springs resort began offering therapeutic mud baths using a recipe of volcanic ash, hot spring water, peat moss and other secret ingredients. Though purposely getting filthy may not seem relaxing, 70 years later the funky but fabulous treatment is still sought after.
The spa at Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs just emerged from an extensive remodel, but the mud baths and the zen-inducing state haven’t changed. Willingly sinking your body into a steamy vat of thick, wet dirt for a a wine country experience you’ll never forget.
