I don’t know who needs to hear this, but take that trip and get a quick change of scenery! Switching up your environment is a shortcut to rebooting your creative energy, and Sonoma County is the perfect place to do just that.
Les Alfred,
Founder of Balanced Black Girl Podcast
Being a student when it comes to wellness is my favorite thing in the world. Experimenting with practices and allowing them to evolve over time has taught me so much—and I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned in Sonoma County with you.
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WHERE WE EXPLORED
We’ve made it easy for you to see the exact trip we took. Read on to learn more about our experience, then download the map and start planning your own intentional itinerary.
We’ve got an action-packed day ahead, but first—coffee. We were drawn to Plank Coffee in Healdsburg where we enjoyed some of their featured menu items, like the rustic cheesy toast with house-made vegan almond basil pesto. A few bites and a couple cups of coffee later, we were ready to head out for our first adventure.
Time to get moving! The guided tours at Getaway Adventures are an energizing way to see the beautiful vineyards and landscape while absorbing your surroundings and letting your mind wander. The electric bikes made the 10-12 mile trip a breeze as we stopped along the way to enjoy wine tastings at Domaine de la Riviere and Enriquez Wines and a picnic lunch of fresh, local foods. We cannot recommend this tour enough—it was one of our very favorite parts of our Sonoma County experience.
Expert Tip: Don’t forget to play. With the play mindset, adults can rediscover the rules of recess: Be eager and enthused. You don’t need to know how to do it. Don’t wait for an invite. Jump in.
Next, we met up at Red Car Wine, a winery dedicated to sustainability and being environmentally responsible to their community. And while they’re home to award-winning wines, they also offer forest bathing within their Zephyr Farms Vineyard led by Certified Forest Therapy Guide Jenny Harrow. No, it’s not a bath in the forest. Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in nature, tapping into all your senses in order to connect with your physical world in a more present way. And it’s not just theoretical—forest bathing has been found to lower blood pressure and heart rate while reducing cortisol (a stress hormone). This is just the experience you need to help you slow down and transition from “doing” to “being” as a part of your relaxing reset.
Expert Tip: Take purposeful pauses. Find a place to pause and fully observe one spot in particular, noticing it shift and change from moment to moment. Take a few deep breaths and invite the fresh air to restore your body and mind. Bring your attention to the rhythm of nature and all that continues to move and transform.
Salt & Stone’s picturesque courtyard is affectionately known as Kenwood’s gathering place, and it’s easy to see why. The rolling hills and views of Sonoma County serve as a backdrop to the thoughtful, local fare being served up for brunch, lunch, and dinner, while the laid-back atmosphere makes you feel instantly at ease.
We kept the laid-back vibe going around the clock by staying at Flamingo Resort, an iconic mid-century oasis with an extensive list of wellness amenities. Guests can enjoy a heated pool year round, as well as a lap pool, hot tub, spa, yoga, and cycling and more. If your work up an appetite, you can nourish your body with delicious “Cal-Pacific” cuisine at their Lazeway Club, self-dubbed as a vacation within a vacation and Santa Rosa’s Ode to Idleness. We highly recommend leaving time to enjoy their incredible menu featuring the flavors of far-flung destinations prepared with fresh, local ingredients.
Feeling refreshed and energized, we started day two of our trip with an incredible breakfast at Café Frida’s stunning patio. Featuring an array of unique, handcrafted coffees, bakery items, and fresh, vibrant breakfast options, Café Frida was created as an artists hangout—a place for visual art, music, poetry, film, dance, and, of course, good coffee. Being surrounded by all this creative energy left us feeling inspired to set out on the adventures we had planned for the day.
An important part of relaxation is embracing stillness—a concept that’s much, much easier when it involves luxurious spa treatments. Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary offers revered healing modalities that instantly relax, soothe, and transform. Osmosis is the only day spa in the U.S. that offers a Cedar Enzyme Bath—a rejuvenating heat treatment from Japan that soothed our sore muscles and freed our minds to wander.
Expert Tip: Relax into your body. As you engage in this restorative experience, practice full-body awareness to help you discover more ease. Notice the weight of your body on the massage table, or the sensation of your breath. When we feel into our body, we can regain a sense of wholeness, reintegrate our body and mind, and return to present moment awareness.
Relaxation helps the nervous system transition from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest” mode—and after that amazing spa experience, we were more than ready for a nourishing meal to help us refuel. Offering the creativity and quality of a fine dining restaurant with a casual vibe, Blue Ridge Kitchen’s menu offers upscale twists on classic dishes, like ahi tuna tartare featuring smashed avocado and Asian pear coulis, a smokey Heirloom Tomato Soup, and a vegan Cauliflower Steak so good, it can win over any meat lover. We recommend enjoying a leisurely lunch before strolling around The Barlow, a cool outdoor market district in Sebastopol where this little gem is located.
After a short drive up the coast, we arrived at Bodega Head, a small rocky peninsula with stunning views, enticing trails, beach access, and abundant wildlife. You might even see whales splashing in the water as you walk along the cliffside paths. This is another opportunity to tune in to the senses—from the way the scent of the air fluctuates with each cycle of the crashing waves to the feeling of freedom as the sun lightly warms you from head to toe.
Fern Bar is a bar-focused restaurant serving up what they call “garden-to-glass” cocktails and mocktails, elevated flavor experiences with and without alcohol that take farm-to-table to a whole other level. The modern American menu is inspired by the biodiversity Sonoma County enjoys, which means the chef can unleash their creativity with a wide array of deliciously sustainable ingredients. Even the environment itself is unique and interesting, with lush greenery and natural materials mingling with industrial lighting fixtures and architectural seating.
Expert Tip: Practice gratitude and make it stick. Ask yourself “What Three Things Went Well?” and reflect on the day with gratitude. Envision them in your mind as clearly as you can and think about how these experiences made you feel in your body and what emotions arose. Consider writing them down.
