EDG Interior Architecture + Design and SB Architects Renovate Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs

Wine isn’t the only draw to Napa Valley. The region is also famous for its mineral-rich hot springs. Decades ago, a certain chiropractor named John Wilkinson was ahead of his time, studying alternative medicine and wellness practices, believing in the restorative and preventative properties of mud baths and massages. So much so that, in 1952, he and his wife Edy opened Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs, a one-building spa—and an excellent example of California mid-century design—in Calistoga. The Wilkinsons’ children sold the property to Chartres Lodging Group in 2019, and, following a year of renovations by EDG Interior Architecture + Design and SB Architects, plus the COVID-19 shutdown, it has reopened. Among highlights are the addition of eight guest rooms, bringing the total to 50, a new restaurant, fittingly called House of Better, enhanced spa facilities and mineral pools, and a pair of graphic murals, all done in an Instagrammable retro palette of pale wood, mustard, peach, and cobalt. It’s, as the property’s original neon signage declares, where wellness meets happiness.