The 15 Best Spas in the San Francisco Area (And the Coolest Treatments to Try at Each One)

• Location: Larkspur
• What to try: In Fiore Facial ($200 for 60 minutes; $265 for 80 minutes)

I'm still mourning the closing of International Orange’s SF location, but I’m celebrating this outpost because it's an excuse to cross the bridge for the Marin Country Mart. (Plus, the Larkspur location has an amazing outdoor roof deck for lounging pre- and post-treatment.) This next-level facial uses products from the proprietor's renowned botanical beauty line. The experience starts with an In Fiore cleanse, followed by a brightening peel and mineral boost to refine and enrich your skin with nutrients and antioxidants. And then your facialist will treat you to IO’s signature “slap, tap & roll” facial massage, which will relax and awaken your skin at the same time. You’re guaranteed to walk out glowing.

2421 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 43, Larkspur; 415-563-5000 or internationalorange.com

• Location: Berkeley
• What to try: Therapeutic Relaxation Massage ($222 for 50 minutes; price includes 20 percent admin charge/gratuity)

Berkeley’s beloved spa at The Claremont is open Friday through Sunday for signature treatments, like the therapeutic relaxation massage. This personally tailored Swedish-style massage uses gentle intensity to increase circulation, improve energy levels, melt away muscle tension and even promote better sleep. Bonus: Before you go, make an advanced add-on reservation for the hotel’s famous pool, so you can take a dip pre-massage. 

41 Tunnel Rd., Berkeley.; 510-549-8566 or fairmont.com/claremont-berkeley

• Location: Yountville
• What to try: AromaSculpt ($250 for 50 minutes; $350 for 80 minutes)

You probably head to Wine Country to visit wineries and drink wine, but what if I told you about a spa treatment designed to sculpt and rejuvenate while you lie back and relax? B Spa’s total body toning ritual starts with a warm sugar scrub that melts into a nourishing moisturizer. Then, you’ll enjoy an aromatherapeutic massage using bamboo sticks to invigorate skin, while temporarily smoothing the appearance of cellulite. Both gentle and vibrational, the specialized technique promises to energize and sculpt the legs and glutes for a full body-slimming effect that will leave you feeling lighter and more toned.

6526 Yount St., Yountville; 707-204-6000 or bardessono.com

• Location: Sausalito
• What to try: Cavallo Point Signature Massage ($230 for 60 minutes; $330 for 90 minutes)

Do you prefer Swedish or Thai massage? With Cavallo Point’s signature treatment, you don’t have to choose. The unique, aromatic massage (using one of the spa’s five exclusive aromatherapy oils) blends the two techniques: long, flowing strokes common with the Lomi Lomi style of Swedish massage and the compressions and stretches of Thai massage. The spa’s steam room, jacuzzi, showers and meditation pool are available to hotel guests with spa treatments. The only thing that would make this experience better? An après-spa cocktail (or hot tea) with a view of sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge—which there’s no shortage of on the grounds of this special inn and spa.  

601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito; 415-339-4700 or https://www.cavallopoint.com/spa

• Location: San Francisco
• What to try: Javanese Lulur Body Treatment with Private Bath ($215 for 80 minutes; $265 for 110 minutes)

Kabuki is beloved for its Japanese-style communal baths and dry sauna with salt scrub, but it’s also worth splurging on a private treatment. With the Javanese Lulur body treatment package, you’ll get to experience a traditional Indonesian ritual beginning with an aromatherapeutic massage using jasmine-frangipani oil followed by a turmeric and rice body scrub. After the skin is cleansed, you’ll be pampered with a yogurt application before dipping into a deep Japanese furo tub for a final soak in a flower bath. Definitely worth the splurge, right? 

1750 Geary Blvd., San Francisco; 415-922-6000 or kabukisprings.com

• Location: Forestville
• What to try: Moon Milk Bath ($180 for 45 minutes)

The rustic-chic Wellness Barn at Sonoma County’s boutique Farmhouse Inn truly stands out with a treatment menu emphasizing holistic wellness and nature. Yes, they have your standard massage and facial, but I recommend opting for a more unique service: The moon milk bath. This is one of the spa's distinctive bathing rituals—here you soak in a hot bath specially prepared with herbs selected to correspond with the phases of the moon, whether that might be new moon intention-setting or full moon healing. Another option I highly recommend is the Sound Bath Meditation ($210 for 60 minutes) that uses aural vibrations to help relieve stress, deepen relaxation and bring clarity.

7871 River Rd., Forestville; 800-464-6642 or farmhouseinn.com

• Location: San Francisco
• What to try: Acupuncture + Bodywork Signature Mix ($175 for 50 minutes; $255 for 80 minutes)

If you’re curious about traditional Chinese medicine but aren’t quite sure where to start, book yourself a combo of treatments at one of Redmint’s two serene locations. Here, you can pair more familiar bodywork—such as Swedish, therapeutic, lymphatic and prenatal massage—with practices like acupuncture, gua sha therapy, reiki and reflexology. For beginners, I recommend the Acupuncture + Bodywork Signature Mix, where you’ll get to give acupuncture a test drive, followed by the therapeutic massage of your choice.     

2044 Fillmore St., 2nd fl., San Francisco, 415-326-7741; 1958 Union St., San Francisco, 415-322-8964 or redmint.com

• Location: Freestone
• What to try: Cedar Enzyme Bath ($155 for 60 minutes)

Spa junkies looking to try something new should head straight for Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary in Sonoma County for their signature Cedar Enzyme Bath. In this unique Japanese fermentation bathing ritual, you’ll immerse your entire body in a tub of soft and fragrant ground cedar and rice bran mixed with living enzymes. The sensation might be unusual, but you'll sweat out toxins, stimulate metabolic activity and get a deep skin cleanse. Health benefits also include improved circulation and joint and muscle pain relief. Follow the treatment with tea in the Japanese garden where you can lounge in a hammock for the ultimate Zen retreat.

209 Bohemian Hwy., Freestone; 707-823-8231 or osmosis.com

• Location: Healdsburg
• What to try: Green Earth Body Polish ($265 for 60 minutes)

In this Spa Montage’s Green Earth Body Polish, California Pacific Sea Salt and antioxidant-rich extracts exfoliate the skin before application of a quenching hydration of olive oil buttercream. That's par for the course in this spa, which blends elements of nature (basalt stone massages, honey wraps from local hives) with high-tech (diamond dermabrasion, Myolight micro-current facials). It's the biggest decision you'll have to make in this relaxed respite, other than what wine to order with a late lunch.

100 Montage Way, Healdsburg; 707-979-9000 or montagehotels.com

• Location: San Francisco
• What to try: 24-Karat Magic Gold Extract ($200 for 90 minutes)

Go for gold at this Korean-style, ladies-only spa, and I mean that literally. In this unique body scrub and full body massage, you’ll be wrapped in a mineral gold body gel to calm and refine your skin, leaving you glowing. While you’re there, be sure to check out the spa’s other unique offerings, including a pool of marble-sized clay balls, a Himalayan salt room and a gilded lobby perfect for a pre-treatment selfie. General admission day passes for the steam room, sauna, and tubs are currently unavailable, and appointments are required for all services.

1654 Post St.; 415-580-7142 or pearlspasf.com

• Location: San Francisco
• What to try: Venik Platza Massage ($47 for 15 minutes)

It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you want a true Russian banya experience, give the Venik Platza Massage a try. The hot massage, performed in a steam banya, uses fresh birch or oak tree branches soaked in hot water to bring out their oils and aromas. The veniks are carefully lashed and compressed on the body to remove dry skin and increase blood circulation. Reward yourself post-treatment by soothing your muscles in the popular Bayview spa’s heated pools and saunas. Then, for a truly Zen experience, cool down with a lounge on the rooftop deck. Bonus: Weekday “Happy Hour” gets you a four-hour pass for $47.

748 Innes Ave., San Francisco; 415-206-9000 or banyasf.com

• Location: Oakland
• What to try: La Stone Facial ($140 for 90 minutes)

With an abundance of offerings—from super budget-friendly hot tub time to affordably indulgent massages, facials and body treatments—the no-frills Piedmont Springs has been bringing Zen vibes to Oakland for more than 40 years. I recommend booking the La Stone Facial, which also includes a hot stone massage for extra R&R. While you’re there, extend your stay and take a dip in one of four private outdoor hot tubs ($30 per person for 60 minutes), detoxify in the cedar-lined sauna ($20 per person for 30 minutes), hydrate and deeply cleanse your skin in the steam room ($20 per person for 30 minutes), or reserve the sought-after combo room with private hot tub and sauna ($45 per person for 55 minutes).

3939 Piedmont Ave., Oakland; 510-652-9191 or piedmontsprings.com