Credit: Four Seasons Napa Valley

I want Spa Talisa to feel like a home away from home for everyone
– Natalie Posner

Luxury hotel operator Four Seasons has opened a new resort and spa in California’s Napa Valley, complete with a working winery and vineyard.

Designed by Napa’s own Erin Martin, the 85-key Four Seasons Napa Valley in Calistoga has been conceived with a bespoke spa concept called Spa Talisa.

The 13,050sq ft Spa Talisa is inspired by a Native American term for ‘beautiful water’ and was chosen as a homage to Calistoga’s 150-year history as a holistic spa and wellness destination.

Natalie Posner has been appointed spa director at the resort after 15 years of industry experience, including a previous role as assistant spa director at the largest Four Seasons spa in the US, the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village.

Posner told Spa Business: “Our vision for Spa Talisa is to marry modern science with ancient healing traditions to ensure a focus on the three W’s; wine, wisdom and wellness – in all aspects of programming.

“I truly want Spa Talisa to feel like a home away from home for everyone.”

An outdoor relaxation terrace anchors the spa, encompassing a garden overlooking the vineyards and Palisades Mountains, a sunken whirlpool and sunning benches.

Private patios with steam decks are also provided for a Native-inspired steam experience authentic to Calistoga, plus a mud and sun bay created to draw toxins from the body with mineral-rich volcanic ash.

Curry Spa Consulting helped realise the facility which is home to eight treatment rooms.

Spa treatments and services incorporate grape seeds and olive oil produced on-property as well as products from Italian spa and skincare brand Seed to Skin and Napa-based boutique skincare brand LIV + GRACE SKINCARE.

Spa Talisa’s signature 100-minute Brave Spirit Body Ritual (US$500, €434, £372) has been curated as an invigorating yet restorative experience. It features a full-body thermal mud mask using Calistoga’s mineral-rich mud, a grounding foot soak, a marine algae and salt scrub, a body and craniosacral massage and an aromatherapy aura cleansing ritual.

Active guests at Four Seasons Napa Valley can find a fully-equipped fitness centre including an outdoor deck for spin classes and complimentary bicycles to allow them to explore the local area.

To round out the experience, guests can visit the on-site Elusa Winery in partnership with Calistoga resident and world-renowned winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown.

Visitors can explore the winemaking process from harvest and sorting to blending and ageing, with hands-on demonstrations, opportunities to meet the winemakers, and wine tastings that include a variety of wines from the Napa region.

Four Seasons Napa Valley will be upgraded with Four Seasons Private Retreats in 2022; luxury farmhouse-style villas with a dedicated host designed to accommodate private gatherings.

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