Spa Profile: The Spa at Farmhouse
Set amidst a serene 10-acre wooded property of rolling hills and vineyards in the Russian River Valley region of Sonoma Country, California, Farmhouse Inn is the ultimate elegant country wine escape, offering the hospitality of a family-owned country inn with the amenities of a Four-Diamond luxury boutique hotel. The property is home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, 25 stunning rooms (which include barn rooms, suites, cottage rooms and guest rooms in the original farmhouse), and beautiful storybook gardens.
Guests also enjoy an array of farm-to-table spa treatments at The Spa at Farmhouse managed by Francis & Alexander, which was conceived as a natural extension to the Sonoma farm-inspired experience. Gracious service and exclusive treatments utilizing produce harvested on-site are the cornerstones of the spa, and the spa menu menu sparkles with Spring Forest honey and heirloom cider apples from the Inn’s own home ranch, along with herbs grown in the kitchen garden.
We spoke with Loma Alexander, who co-manages the Spa at Farmhouse, and she offered insider tips, recommended treatments, and more.
Why You’ll Love It: Our attention to guests, and to details before and after the treatment time. I have always felt the entire property is a spa. Each guest room has a steam room, and you can choose your bath salts, scrubs, and soap at check in. This interactive experience creates a feeling of spa from check-in to check-out.
Key Features: The guest rooms all have steam rooms. We have a fun treatment to integrate the spa and the hotel experience called the Playful Passion. We do see guests from off-property from time to time, but the spa was built to accommodate the hotel guests only.
This treatment (available in 60 and 90 minute sessions) begins with exfoliating each other with a special scrub in your own private steam room. Following the steamy session, you will head to the spa to receive a side-by-side lover's massage. Once back in your private room, luxuriate together in a sensually-scented, skin softening bubble bath. Complete the evening with a game designed to inflame your passion for one another.
Insider’s Tip: We created three aromatherapy blends at the spa that we offer for massage, along with a grounding signature mist we end each treatment with. We are hands-on, no pun intended.
Farm to Table is expressed in three ways:
The Scrub and Shrub. Our Farmhouse chef and spa apothecarist work together on seasonal scrubs, using local ingredients and shrubs that work with the internal and external benefits of the treatment.
Apple of the Eye Treatment (offered late July to November) with grated apples from the owner’s estate farm are placed into tea bags and soaked in a chamomile teasane. Then they are cooled and placed on the guests’ eyes. This chamomile soothes the eyes, while apples act as an anti-inflammatory and help with puffiness from being face-down on the massage table.
Our Herbal Compress have herbs grown in Northern California with a choice of three oil blends we have created made from our Apothecary Bar: Serenity, Vitality, and Muscle Ease. We also offer these blends in all of our Farmhouse Inn massages.
Bonus: We serve a tranquility shot prior to guests’ treatment. After their service, the chef makes a prebiotic seasonal shrub and a treat to go with it.
Snacks Served: We have different elixirs, tea, and dried local fruit. The kitchen roasts the nuts each week for the guests of the spa.
Unique/Splurge Treatment: A Roll in the Hay (2 hrs/$390 per person). Weather permitting, this is for couples only, as we are a romantic destination and our clients are mostly couples. Begin with a couple’s spicy mocha scrub to smooth the skin and wake up the senses. After an outdoor rinse, cozy up next to each other on a heated, private back porch lounge and nestle into a wrap under a warm body pillow filled with aromatic herbs and sweet alfalfa.
A side of seasonal treats from our estate kitchen and wine is yours to share with one another as you rest, cozy and content. Once your bodies have melted, sip on aphrodisiac elixirs and enjoy side-by-side massages with our sensual blend of oils. (Alternative beverage selections are available if wine is not preferred.) We recommend the Body Melt when our Roll in the Hay is unavailable due to weather.
The Body Melt (90 min/$280) begins with guests nestled into a large warmed moist body pillow filled with muscle-healing herbs of alfalfa, lavender, and chamomile. The herbs assist in detoxifying the body, calming the mind, and relaxing the muscles while transporting you into a deep rest. A full-body massage using our handcrafted herbal Muscle Melt Balm completes the service.
Insider’s Favorite: Cream of the Crop (3 hrs/$565). After a house-made farm-to-body scrub and outdoor shower, your skin will soak in our nutrient-rich seasonal body balm during a full-body massage and wrap. While cocooned in the balm, receive a lavender and tangerine scalp treatment complete with hair replenishment. A personalized facial for your skin type will leave you cleansed, hydrated, and refreshed from tip-to-toe.
Featured Products: Our Spa Apothecarist, Tamara Walker, makes our several of our products. Brands we feature include Body Bliss, Mayacamas Ranch, Rene Furterer, Thaiyrveda Herbal Products, and Wine Country Botanicals.
For more information, visit the inn’s website and follow them on Instagram: @farmhouse_inn
[Images courtesy of Farmhouse Inn]
Farmhouse Inn
7871 River Rd.
Forestville, CA 5436
707-887-3300