Those of you who are into holistic wellness treatments won’t be new to Calistoga California. The place is filled with motels and resorts that offer healing mineral waters in their pools and mud baths, both of which I’ve experienced in Calistoga about a half a dozen times over a twenty year period. A few years ago, we reviewed the Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort, which is one of the older properties in Calistoga but the oldest, or you could also say the original wellness resort goes to Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs, which is along the main drag, Lincoln Street.
The front of the property houses a couple of picnic tables and Doc’s Buick from the original days
When I drove across country in 2004, I stayed at the property but Calistoga has changed over the last couple of decades. Many people may have heard about the much larger and comprehensive Indian Wells Resort, which is also along the main drag — we had lunch here at Sam’s Club and walked around the very picturesque grounds. If you are traveling in a group, it’s a great spot to try out.
They’ve been providing wellness to visitors since 1952, so you’d imagine that quite a bit might change. Recently, they underwent a design overhaul in both their rooms and outside on the grounds. Although their mud baths weren’t yet open to the public while we were there in July, they anticipate that they’ll be available to guests starting later this summer. If you’re traveling as a family, Dr. Wilkinson’s is a fun option; their renovation has an upbeat vibe which is really appealing to kids as well as millennials.
The Rooms
We stayed in one of their standard king rooms — note that some of the rooms face the main street whereas others are closer to the pool, so be sure to note your preference when you book.
There’s more of a modern motif to their new design — clean lines with oranges accents against white painted walls on one side and white painted brick on the other.
Below, our King room. Each guest room features mid-century style, natural wood furniture and a walk-in shower. The other thing I’d add is that their Internet is mighty fast — six times faster than our service at home, a godsend for me as I was uploading video and pictures from our day.
Retro is what it’s all about with their new look-and-feel, so Smeg tea kettles is part of the ambiance. They offer Copper Cow Coffee and infusion flower tea bags — if you want Earl Grey or another black tea, you can head down to their outdoor cafe which is right next to the pool and the reception area. There’s also a retro Galanz fridge as well so you can keep your food old, water or in our case, wine we picked up from nearby vineyards.
For an additional fee, you can purchase some of their wellness samples, such as creams, scrubs or oils from their stocked Apothecary Medicine cabinet. Malin & Goetz is their “go-to” brand for shampoo, conditioner, hand wash and creams.
Above, the retro Galanz fridge in our room
There’s air conditioning which you need during those hotter summer months in Calistoga — this is desert territory even though it doesn’t look like it at first glance. Calistoga is one of those California towns you can easily imagine from the Gold Rush — a small town with shop fronts and cafes that were likely once saloons and motels for original weary travelers.
The Victorian House. Credit: Dr. Wilkinson’s.
The Bungalow House. Credit: Dr. Wilkinson’s.
The Family Room offers bunk beds above the main bed. Credit: Dr. Wilkinson’s.
The Grounds
The grounds are lovely — here you can find lime trees, flowers and several hammocks which you can lounge on to pass the day away when you’re not at the pool.
Below is an outdoor area where you can relax after you’ve had a spa treatment, which will be open later this summer for guests. Massages are available inside or outdoors under one of these cabanas and I chose the latter. Who doesn’t love a good massage outdoors?
If you have kids in tow, they’ll love Doc’s swings which are hanging from a tree just off the outdoor cafe.
There’s that fabulous Buick again.
Although the property was sold to new owners in August 2020, the message is that they plan to stay “true” to the original character of the resort that original founders Doc and Edy Wilkinson created.
There are 50 renovated guest rooms and apparently all of the renovations will be done by October. You can also lay low in one of the cottages and let’s not forget the ever so charming Victorian House.
The Garden
There are plenty of flowers on the property, an added bonus.
Nature is always so healing, so why not incorporate as much of it as you can at a wellness motel?
Below are extra chairs you can use around the property and for kids, don’t forget the pie machine where you can grab sweets.
The Pools
There are two pools on the property, both of which are open to both adults and children, so if you want complete peace and quiet, you may want to opt for a Calistoga property that offers adult-only pools or larger grounds. One pool was in the 80’s and one was in the 90’s, so you have a choice of temperature.
Cabana areas around the pool
The Spa
Because we were visiting during a transition period as businesses are slowly opening post Covid, not everything in the spa was open. The hot tub was still in renovation as was the lounge area outside the spa and the mud bath treatments. Below are areas where you would rest after a treatment, something I experienced in this very same resort nearly twenty years ago. My outdoor massage was absolutely lovely though and if you do opt to have it outdoors, book one in the morning or end of day if you’re there during one of the hotter months.
Below, indoors at the spa at Dr. Wilkinson’s Resort.
These are the tubs where you would have your mud bath, which is oh so Calistoga. In other words, many of the nearby resorts have similar style tubs and resting areas after your treatments.
The outdoor area for massages.
They also had a few tubs outdoors for mud treatments as well, something that I don’t recall being available during my last stay.
The indoor pool (below right) was not open during our stay but they expect it to be available to guests sometime later this year (between August and November).
The evening is wonderful to walk around the town — there are several places where you can dine outside. A short walk away from Doc’s Resort is the Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery where we hung our hat on one of our evenings. Great wine, great service and outdoor music to boot. Be sure to also read our review of Fleetwood, a newly opened restaurant in town, about a mile or so out of town which offers both outdoor and indoor dining options.
Below, our healthy dinner at Calistoga Inn while listening to live music in their courtyard. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to review more restaurants during this stay, but be sure to read our 2018 foodie guide for fun options.
DETAILS:
Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort
1507 Lincoln Avenue
Calistoga CA 94515
707.942.4102
https://drwilkinson.com/
_______________________
Note: we were hosted by the property but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
