Your Body

Unless you’re working all day in the vineyards, staying fit and healthy in Wine Country takes a little work. One cannot, after all, fit into one’s stylish jeans and kitten heels after drinking wine and eating foie gras and sourdough bread all afternoon without a trip to the gym once in a while. Cropping up in rather convenient places with state-of-the-art equipment, entertaining classes (like kickboxing and yoga), and the requisite flirt-worthy exercise instructor or two, working out is no longer a chore—but something to be sought out on semi-regular basis. And yes, that means more than twice a year. Since 1983, Napa folks have been pumping iron at Exertec Fitness Center downtown. Now offering everything from babysitting to nutritional consulting, personalized workout techniques, massages and yoga, it’s a one-stop regeneration station. (Don’t worry, they still have exercise bikes, treadmills and weights, too). Sonoma’s Parkpoint Club is the favorite sweat and stretch spot for locals. It includes a 4-lap heated pool that’s a popular hangout spot for swimming and water aerobics. In the Upvalley, Health Spa Napa Valley takes a holistic approach to health with a full-service spa facility in addition to its exercise and workout areas. Members can access personal trainers, nutrition consultants and even private yoga classes to go for that extra calorie (and stress) release.

>>2006 Winners in the Your Body Category

Spa Bliss

Everyday life can do a number on your joints, your skin and your poor, aching chakras… not to mention your manicure. Sometimes a girl (and let’s face it, you boys, too) just needs to take the first off-ramp from stress and the wrinkle-inducing unpleasantness of the cubicle life. Napa’s favorite spot to spa is Greenhaus, headed by German-trained aesthetician Sonja Akey. A special treat for the ladies: the Martini, Makeup and Manicure night that includes an evening of nail polish, hairstyling, lip gloss and maybe a pillow fight or two. In the Upvalley, Ms. Dixie & Co. is the choice for primping and pampering, while Sonoma visitors (and locals) head to the Raindance Spa in the Lodge at Sonoma for blissful indulgences like the Encapsulated Wrapsody—a full-body scrub, massage and cocoon-like wrap. Emerge transformed! (Or at least really clean and relaxed.)

Best Golf Course

The greens are groomed daily and Napa's best-known course is renowned for its 360 acres of lush vegetation, ponds and gracefully arching trees. But what seems to make everyone happy is the fact that the Silverado Resort does just that—make everyone blissfully gleeful. Out on the green, the chippers can chip, the putters putt…and those who don't know the difference between a tee and a ten-iron can wile away the afternoon soaking and primping in the spa.

At Ease

Relax. Take a breath and let someone else worry about your sanity for a change. Napa, Sonoma and the Upvalley are almost as well known for the pampering lifestyle of its residents (and lucky visitors) as for its food and wine. Which makes sense, because after all that eating and drinking, one really does need to get a little exercise—which of course leads to sore muscles that will most definitely need some attending to. Green and lush, the valley’s golf courses are part relaxation and part social scene. The Silverado Resort, Vintners Golf Club and Sonoma Golf Club are home to some of the best links around. But after all that swinging and chipping, its nice to know that a deep Swedish or Thai massage at any one of the valley’s spas—like the Raindance Spa at the Lodge at Sonoma—can ease away the hazards and over pars of the day.