Canyon Ranch Woodside

More than a few high-end lodgings claim to offer something more than simply a luxury-hotel stay, but Canyon Ranch makes perhaps the most persuasive case. You certainly don’t grab a room for the night at their iconic Tucson resort just because you’re passing through town without a place to sleep. And you don’t end up at Canyon Ranch Woodside, the brand’s smaller, retreat-focused property on the mountainous San Francisco Peninsula, without a bit of advance planning.

Not that it’s a chore. Canyon Ranch’s advisors contact you in advance of your stay to coordinate all the details and scheduling. But as spectacular as the retreat itself is, nestled among giant redwoods in a hidden hillside forest, it’s the programming that makes Canyon Ranch what it is. Guests choose from a wealth of offerings, from spa treatments to health and fitness interventions and even a substantial spiritual wellness program, overseen by staff with advanced degrees in divinity or theology. Private sessions, group classes, guided walks, art workshops, lectures — there’s something available at every hour of the day, though the accommodations, it must be said, are perfectly suited for down-time contemplation.

The Tucson property was the first, and it was born from its founder’s desire to create a more holistic, more sustainable, and more positive alternative to the health retreats of the mid-20th century. Canyon Ranch Woodside, in a concession to the wine culture of the San Francisco Bay Area, serves wine by the bottle, and is the only Canyon Ranch retreat to do so. It’s accompanied, of course, by meals that are unimpeachably healthy, but without any sense of self-denial; it’s a testament to the chefs’ skill (and to the quality of the fresh local produce) that it never feels like “health food.”

Hard to believe all this sits just minutes from Silicon Valley, and half an hour from San Francisco International Airport. Guests, naturally, include plenty of locals and near-locals looking to reset, recharge, or otherwise restore themselves. If it were just a luxury resort, it would be impressive enough; approached with a bit more ambition and intention, it’s the sort of place where transformations are made.