Sometimes, you need a warm sack of flaxseeds around your shoulders. “Ooooooh,” I said, when the spa attendant looped one on me at the Halehouse at Stanly Ranch. “Every guest says that, yes,” smiled Sarah, the spa attendant dressed in a moss colored uniform. On a chilly February up in Napa Valley one morning, I was visiting the state-of-the-art Halehouse, the centerpiece of the Stanly Ranch, one of the Auberge collection’s newest editions in Napa Valley.
Built on the wetlands of the Napa river, Stanly Ranch is just a 10 minute drive from the charming Peanuts’ cartoons covered Napa County airport, or just a one hour drive or so from San Francisco. The property is right off a major roadway, but the spa itself is another world, a circular compound with “modern farmhouse” elements consistent with the ranch itself. Before driving over to the back of the ranch where Halehouse is located, a 60 foot loop sculpture comes into view. It’s an audacious piece of art for an area that otherwise counts a “welcome to this world famous wine growing region” sign as its largest piece of public art. The rust-colored Corten steel sculpture by Gordon Huether signals something chic and captivating is afoot.
Halehouse doesn’t have so much of an entrance. Part of that is due to its circular design by Texas based architecture firm, Overland Partners. Another part is because the space was deliberately constructed to braid the indoor with the outdoor, much like how a forest doesn’t “start” at a particular spot. The landscaping surrounding and within Halehouse is California dreamy: pear and plum trees, rosemary and California lilac bushes, and natural grasses and strawberry shrubs. It gives a live potpourri to the spa, a verdant mix of soil, greenery, and petals that smells so intoxicating to the human nose. The “plant palette” was also designed to require little water, another hallmark of a California vibe and nod to sustainability.
It’s also quite California for a spa to be focused not on indulgent spa treatments (though those are quite available at Halehouse) but on all-out wellness. This starts at a stand alone facility within the Halehouse compound so aptly named Springhouse. I could spend half a day at Springhouse alone as all forms of salt, heat, steam, and cold are available for any guest looking to jumpstart their restoration and recovery. The Springhouse “regimen” features a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, cold plunge batch, cedar sauna, steam room, and tepidarium (the Roman style relaxation room with warm stone benches) within its stunning wood walled interior.
Across from Springhouse, the spa area includes 12 treatment rooms and a celestial locker room bathed in ample natural light. Halehouse’s focus on restoration and recovery continues in its robust spa treatment offerings, including the Pain Whisperer, a massage using neuro-stimulation, and cryotherapy facials designed to stimulate collagen production. My favorite treatment, and one I haven’t seen offered before, is the Foundation Fix, a massage that targets knees, ankles, and toes or the oft neglected fascial and meridian trigger points. I’m a runner, and this massage was a godsend.
Similar to other spas that are smartly positioning themselves as ongoing destinations for the wellness inclined, Halehouse has a great line up of programming. One day retreats are offered frequently for groups including mothers and daughters and endurance athletes. I don’t need my mom or a marathon to convince me to come back to Halehouse though-its a destination any day.
The yoga room at Halehouse overlooking Gordon Huether 's sculpture.
A treatment room at Halehouse.
The main relaxation area for awaiting treatments at Halehouse.
One of the recovery rooms at Springhouse.
