Spavalous uncorked

A vineyard lines the roof of natural caves at Spa Terra, a Tuscan-designed spa that also houses a small space for the Meritage Resort's signature wine Trinitas tasting bar.

It is Frank's first visit to Napa Valley, California, and I am so happy to watch him experience his dream place. But first, he needs to relax, and as the fiance of a spa writer (that would be me), it is blasphemous for him to have NEVER received a spa treatment! He had been refusing couples treatments for months, but this time he couldn't refuse, as this treatment was prearranged, and we were far from Boston. He had nowhere else to go.

So, once in robes and slippers, I met up with Frank in the meditation room, where he seemed surprisingly at ease. From there, we were led to a room of grandeur – large Tuscan doors that opened under the curved archway into spacious room with two massage beds leading to a Jacuzzi for two, already bubbling with sparkling wine and infused berries. We were breathless, but knew we had but 25 minutes to enjoy the Spumante treatment -- and we did.

As we soaked and enjoyed the jets, we drank champagne and snacked on chocolate truffles while sounds of classical music surrounded us. Frank was happy, I was happy. And just when you think you could spend your lifetime in a bubble bath, a knock on the door brought us back to reality.

We dried off and headed to the corner of the room, where we had been instructed to pick out an aromatic oil of our choice. Each of about a handful of choices were related to a lifestyle issue. As most people would chose the de-stress oil, Frank and I were both headed there, but since it was his first spa treatment, I decided to go with my second choice: a de-tox version. Hindsight would tell me that I chose this "before" I ventured into wine country, sipping toxins at every stop. Oh well.

As this would be Frank’s first professional massage, and he would have flat-out refused a full body treatment, I booked a shoulder neck and scalp massage for both of us, as part of the Spumante treatment. Frank had no clue as to how good it would feel.

Our back, shoulders, neck and head were massaged with perfection, and as we enjoyed our treatment, we never said a peep to each other. The two masseuse’s worked our knots out for about 20 minutes before sending us back to the meditation room -- in a stress-free state of mind.

Frank (pictured above) looked as if he were floating out of the cave, with a look on his face that spoke volumes of the massage’s effects. He absolutely loved what had "just happened to him," as he has since referred to the treatment. Although resistant when I first told him about the spa treatment, he will never again argue when it comes to accepting total relaxation.

We left the wine cave, crossed the courtyard and headed back to our room that overlooked both the poolside courtyard, Spa Terra cave entrance and the vineyard. And we were thoroughly and joyously relaxed and ready to explore wine country.

If you'd like to read more about our adventures in California, click here.