The modern eco-chic Bardessono resort is one of only three platinum LEED certified hotels in the US. Green to the max, this property features solar power, salvaged wood, an on-site organic garden, complimentary use of carbon-fibre bicycles, organic linens and more. Located in the small Wine Country town of Yountville, California, aka "gourmet heaven", Bardessono is around the corner from the world renowned French Laundry restaurant and also offers its own gourmet locavore restaurant, Lucy.
The wine country location influences everything from the spa treatments offered (you'll see plenty of grape and wine-influenced facials and body treatments), to packages that include gourmet meals and wine tastings.
Bardessono stands out as one of the only properties in California that offers a "Spa Suite" option, so that you never have to leave the room to enjoy a day at the spa. The suites have massage tables tucked away in the cabinet, an enormous jetted tub (seriously, it’s bigger than the property's own hot tub), and the "Steam Spa Suites" include a steam shower.
Bardessono’s newly launched Red Flower Nature Ritual is two and a half hours of head-to-toe pampering. Incorporating products infused with Arctic berries and collagen-enhancing Omega 3 and 6 oils, this extravagant organic experience is one to remember. Heather, my therapist, began with a body scrub using bio-active berry white-peat exfoliant, followed by a mushroom and phyto-nutrient body wrap. While encased in the wrap, a relaxing foot massage and a heated water pad placed over my belly made this treatment a standout.
Following the body wrap, Heather put her stellar head-massage techniques to excellent use during her application of a scalp serum. A 75-minute massage, a mini-facial and more scalp massage were the grand finale to this incredible treatment.
Lucy, the on-site gourmet restaurant at Bardessono, offers a carefully crafted menu that continues the eco-theme of Bardessono by offering dishes based on local, organic and sustainable ingredients. Room service from the Lucy menu is offered for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining.
High-end foodies and wine aficionados, dog lovers (Bardessono is very dog friendly, even featuring a "Dog Hour", a happy hour where you can bring your furry friend along too, for human and canine treats), eco-conscious honeymooners.
Bardessono knows how to welcome arriving guests, offering a glass of premium wine (your choice of red or white) upon arrival. TCHO chocolates at turn-down, and house-roasted rosemary almonds as a guest gift, are just a few of the little touches that make this resort shine. Though most rooms can be turned into your own personal spa, there is also a small, but lovely, spa building at Bardessono where guests can enjoy facials and other treatments that can’t be done in-room. It features one of the only infrared saunas offered at a resort spa in the area; I loved going to relax in the sauna after an in-room treatment. Bardessono’s spa shop also offers a unique and creative selection of merchandise.
For more information on Bardessono, visit www.bardessono.com
Find out more about Stateside Spy and spa trends in the USA at her Spalicious blog.
Stateside Spy
3rd April 2013
Spy Likes:
Authenticity; happy staff; mineral waters.
Spy Dislikes:
Treatments that are showy and lacking in substance; uncleanliness; poorly thought out spa aesthetics; badly trained therapists.
