Sometimes, you need a warm sack of flaxseeds around your shoulders. “Ooooooh,” I said, when the spa attendant looped one on me at the Halehouse at Stanly Ranch. “Every guest says that, yes,” smiled Sarah, the spa attendant dressed in a moss colored uniform. On a chilly February up in Napa Valley one morning, I was visiting the state-of-the-art Halehouse, the centerpiece of the Stanly Ranch, one of the Auberge collection’s newest editions in Napa Valley. 

Built on the wetlands of the Napa river, Stanly Ranch is just a 10 minute drive from the charming Peanuts’ cartoons covered Napa County airport, or just a one hour drive or so from San Francisco. The property is right off a major roadway, but the spa itself is another world, a circular compound with “modern farmhouse” elements consistent with the ranch itself. Before driving over to the back of the ranch where Halehouse is located, a 60 foot loop sculpture comes into view. It’s an audacious piece of art for an area that otherwise counts a “welcome to this world famous wine growing region” sign as its largest piece of public art. The rust-colored Corten steel sculpture by Gordon Huether signals something chic and captivating is afoot. 

Halehouse doesn’t have so much of an entrance. Part of that is due to its circular design by Texas based architecture firm, Overland Partners. Another part is because the space was deliberately constructed to braid the indoor with the outdoor, much like how a forest doesn’t “start” at a particular spot. The landscaping surrounding and within Halehouse is California dreamy: pear and plum trees, rosemary and California lilac bushes, and natural

The yoga room at Halehouse overlooking Gordon Huether 's sculpture. 

A treatment room at Halehouse. 

The main relaxation area for awaiting treatments at Halehouse. 

One of the recovery rooms at Springhouse.