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2 0 1 5 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A 69 healing programs and "hippie hot springs," the array of retreats will dazzle even the most experienced serenity seeker. Here are some of our favorite spots for the new R&R: Retreat & Reinvigorate. Taking the Waters Home to numerous large geothermal areas, California has for centuries been a cele- brated mineral springs destination, with myriad spas statewide. Two hours inland from Los Angeles, Desert Hot Springs offers dozens of options, from the glamorous, sprawling Two Bunch Palms (featured in the movie The Player) to cozy boutique inns like Hacienda Hot Springs. The Central Coast also boasts famous baths, such as Esalen (equally known for its extensive list of alter- native-education workshops) and Tassajara, the first Zen monastery built outside of Asia. But small, funky Calistoga in the north is the state's oldest spa town, renowned not only for hot springs but also abundant volcanic ash used for therapeutic mud treatments. Eight thousand years ago, the Wappo Indians named the area "Ta La Ha Lu Si," meaning "Beautiful Land" or "Oven Place," and today spa facilities run the gamut from luxurious to laid-back. The oldest in Calis- toga—and likely California—is Indian Springs, opened in 1862 by Sam Brannan, the first Gold Rush millionaire. The property fea- tures an Olympic-size heated mineral pool (complimentary with spa treatment on weekdays; $30 extra on weekends), an adults-only saltwater pool, mud baths, steam rooms steeped with eucalyptus, and a medi- tation pond. (Tip: in the winter season, book a hotel stay between October 26 and March 26 and get two free mud baths.) Wine Country Wellness Californians are known to soak up a lot more than wine in Napa Valley and Sonoma. Residents have long enjoyed the area's natural mineral waters, and today's spa menus overflow with treatments using grape seeds and skins, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols. For first-class pam- pering, lavish accommodations and a three-star Michelin dinner, visit the spa at Meadowood and order the Cabernet Crush, a warm grape-seed body wrap, followed by a grape-seed oil massage or facial. But it's not all about grapes in wine country. At Sonoma's Osmosis, an innovative, SONOMA MISSION INN & SPA: Yoga Studio, top; Watsu pool, middle; couple's spa treatment, boXom.