Who else loves a good getaway? I do, and today I want to share my itinerary for a wellness weekend in Santa Cruz with you. This famous place on the Central Coast is a great spot for a quick escape in California. I’m here now and I can’t wait to show you all the things you can experience. Read on for my guide.
Wellness Weekend in Santa Cruz
I’ve been invited to Santa Cruz for a complimentary stay at a hotel called Chaminade Resort & Spa. As part of their new wellness program, they’ve lined up a weekend of activities and treatments for me. I’m excited to discover what’s in store.
Located in the mountains off Highway 1, Chaminade offers spacious guest rooms, a range of outdoor activities, a spa, and a restaurant with a view. Once here, you won’t want to leave. I certainly don’t.
Friday
After picking up my rental car at SFO and driving south from San Francisco, I arrive in time for a 3pm check-in. I’m given a warm welcome by a front desk staff member. He greets me with a smile and directs me to the building where my room is.
Chaminade is made up of a main lodge and a group of outbuildings with guest accommodations. There’s also a central area with a spa, outdoor heated swimming pools and hot tubs, and tennis and pickleball courts.
My room is conveniently located in a building right next to the reception area. It’s decorated in classic-meets-stylish earth tones, and everything from the bathroom to the furniture looks brand new.
I have a bedroom on one side and a living area with a sofa, dining table, and kitchenette on the other. It’s a great place to call home-away-from-home for my wellness weekend in Santa Cruz.
Spa
After getting settled into my room, I take a walk around the property to check out the swimming pools, restaurant, lounge areas, and grounds. It’s all to my liking, from the decor in the reception area to the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean from the restaurant terrace. There’s even a disc golf course in the foreground.
At 5pm I head to the spa at Chaminade. I walk past the impressive gym before arriving at the reception desk. After a friendly welcome, I head into the locker room to use the sauna and steam room before my treatment. I can’t help taking a dip in the outdoor hot tub, too.
At 6:15pm, a therapist escorts me to a treatment room with stunning views of the redwoods. I’ve been offered a complimentary 80-minute seasonal massage, complete with scents that whisk me off to a more relaxed world.
As soon as the treatment begins, I can tell that Kelly, my masseuse, knows what she’s doing. For the next hour and 20 minutes she works out all the tension in my muscles and leaves me feeling like a new human.
Dinner at The View Restaurant & Bar
When my massage is finished, I walk to dinner at The View. There’s live music playing, and the dining room is packed. I sit down and take my server’s suggestion to try the wild king salmon. It comes in a deep bowl that’s a bit difficult to get a knife and fork into, but it’s so good I persevere until every last bite is gone. It’s a great way to end my first day in Santa Cruz.
Saturday
The next morning I head to breakfast at The View. It’s a glorious sunny day, and I’m seated at a table with an ocean panorama. I order chilaquiles and a coffee, and enjoy them as I soak up the scenery outside.
Wellness Retreat
Soon I’m heading upstairs to one of the meeting rooms at Chaminade. The resort has booked me into a day-long wellness retreat with Wendy Figone, a certified Forest Therapy Guide and expert-level Myofascial Release therapist (among other impressive things).
Wendy, who regularly works with Chaminade, is leading a Somatic Restoration Retreat that blends nature-based Forest Therapy and Self-Myofascial Release — gentle, sensory practices designed to help rebalance the nervous system and unwind embodied stress through slow connection with the land.
As soon as I walk into the room, I’m offered a warm welcome. Wendy starts the day with an overview of Forest Therapy (Shinrin-Yoku). It’s an evidence-based therapeutic practice that was developed in the 1980s in Japan. It aims to improve health through immersion in nature using the senses.
Recognized by the American Psychological Association, Forest Therapy is a globally-used wellness intervention that’s been integrated into healthcare systems in Japan, South Korea, Finland, and Canada.
After the orientation, Wendy takes our group outside. Chaminade has a series of trails through the redwoods that guests can take advantage of during their stay. With Wendy’s help and guidance, a path has been developed into one of California’s first certified Forest Therapy Trails, complete with benches in the woods.
For the next few hours, Wendy guides us through a Forest Therapy session with gentle invitations to use our senses to observe nature. From a tactile walk to a scent walk and sight-based observations of light and shadow, we slowly immerse ourselves in the natural world. I can feel the layers of stress peeling off with each passing hour.
When we emerge from the forest, we’re ready for lunch. The staff at The View has set up a table for us on the terrace. We soak up the sun as we tuck into salads, main courses like fish and chips, and desserts.
When lunch ends, we head back upstairs to the meeting room for the Self-Myofascial Release workshop. In this hands-on session, Wendy teaches us simple, sustainable techniques to unwind chronic tension, soothe overworked muscles, and support our nervous systems through mindful pressure, breath, and gentle movement.
By the time we’re done, I’m relaxed and filled with the confidence I can take my learnings home with me. The retreat has offered a powerful reset that makes me feel like I can approach my daily routine with greater ease, clarity, and resilience.
Spa
When the session finishes, I say good-bye to Wendy and my fellow group members. I’m too full from lunch to think about dinner, so I head to the spa to continue the day’s relaxation.
I spend an hour working my way through the sauna, steam room, and hot tub, then head back to my room for an early night.
Sunday
The next morning I’m up early and off to breakfast at The View. I enjoy a plate of huevos rancheros while soaking up another sun-drenched vista of the Pacific Ocean.
Hike
After breakfast my wellness weekend in Santa Cruz continues with a hike along the Blue Trail and Green Trail. They’re part of the network of hiking paths at Chaminade.
The trails take me deep into the eucalyptus and redwood groves, along a creek, up hills, through meadows, and into the natural beauty of Santa Cruz. They’re peaceful, beautiful, and everything I love about a hike in Northern California.
Forest Therapy Walk
After the hike I check out of my room and meet back up with Wendy for another Forest Therapy Walk. She’s leading one for hotel guests, and I’m excited to participate.
The experience is similar to the one from the day before, but with different invitations and stops at meadows and other spots along the Forest Therapy Trail.
It’s a great way to discover more of the woodlands, deepen my relaxation from the previous two days, and learn additional facts about the health benefits of being in nature (Wendy has an encyclopedic knowledge of the science behind it all).
Downtown Santa Cruz
When we get back to Chaminade, I wave good-bye to Wendy and the group, hop in my car, and make the short drive to Downtown Santa Cruz. It’s a gorgeous day, and I spend an hour walking up and down Pacific Ave.
The outdoor tables at the cafes and restaurants are buzzing, there are people line dancing in a plaza, and the whole place is alive with the energy of a sunny afternoon. It’s a great way to end my weekend in Santa Cruz, and a fun stop before my drive back to San Francisco.
Santa Cruz Wellness Weekend
As I navigate the winding curves of Highway 17, I can’t help feeling amazed by how much I’ve seen and done in 48 hours. I feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and empowered to take my learnings home and continue practicing Forest Therapy and self-myofascial release on my own. I hope my blog post has inspired you to visit Chaminade for a wellness getaway, too.
Find this helpful? Buy me a coffee!
Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the California Wayfaring blog.
Pin it!