I remember taking a mud bath about 15 years ago in Calistoga and remember it being a blast. I'm looking for a recommendations for places for mud and mineral baths that are reasonably priced. I don't need any upscale spas just a fun place to wallow in the mud!

The later it gets, the funnier these posts are to me

I always thought that wallowing in the mud would be fun at the spa in California, I think it is Nine Palms or something? anyway-I hope you find some good answers and have a good time playing in the mud LOL

Did someone say SPA???!!!! One of my favorite kind of questions about my "backyard". Just basic good clean fun you say is what you desire? Then make haste to the following websites:
1.www.spawc.com and search for the Golden Haven. (I know, sounds like a bordello does it not?) Of the 4 spas in this group-this is IT! You will find lucious, well-maintained mud and
mineral baths. As well as a large outdoor spa and pool to float around in for as looooooooonnnnnnnnggggggg as you like. The mid-week internet prices are super. A little more up-scale(but not too...)is
www.indianspringscalistoga.com
Same mud/massage & mineral, yet and olympic size outdoor pool.
Venture on my friend and do report back on your quest or with any questions!
Scarlett: I'ts only 8PM here and sure to get funnier!
R5
(rasnes5)

O.K., not to discount your glowing recommendation for Golden Haven razzle, because everyone has different experiences, but ours was completely different from yours.

We stayed at the Golden Haven Spa around 1994 I believe. Now unless there have been some MAJOR renovations AND a change in locale, I would never in a million years recommend this place to anyone. IMO, it was a dump in middle of a transient, rundown farming community. "Luscious" is not a word I would use to describe it. "Dank" would be more like it. I remember lots of concrete, very spare and minimal, not the image of a spa that I had in mind when I booked it. The pool had algae in it and the "massage therapists" were local teenagers. Blech, just thinking about it again makes me feel icky all over, lol.

I'm sure there are plenty of nice spas in the area, but in our experience, Golden Haven was NOT one of them.

'Vell dearest "gold person" I know not where you were ...let's see... NINE Years ago-uping to TEN..yet I was there in 2003... so what's a decade or two????...some of us like to get out of the house more often 'tis all! This "vacaman" asked for reasonable prices-
I am certain his request does not include algae (and company!!!!)LOL
nor was that my response. The place I am advising is clean, well-run, and well
deserves a better look than 1994.
Dear, dear do get out more!
R5

....And a note from my DH..."why not just live by a travel guide from 1995..or 96-jeez what do you think this website is all about???? At the very least it is CURRENT-this century
perhaps. Yowzah!

R5DH"

I was at Golden Haven in 2001 and unless they did some major, major rennovations since then, I find Gold Person's comments to be very accurate. It really was like a Motel 6 with a mud bath. With that said, the mud bath facilities seemed clean, but not modern. The staff was friendly, rates reasonable, and it was fun. I would never stay there, would not go into the pool, but for a mud bath, it was sufficient. It might be on par with what vacaman is looking for but if you are going to compare it to a Mondera or Canyon Ranch, it will seem like a dump. There is nothing "lucious" about it...

We were there last summer (2002), and I agree. It's a little rustic, and the hotel is like a Motel 6, not what you'd expect from a spa. The mud baths were fun, though, so if that's all you're looking for (and you can ignore the surrounding atmosphere), you should be fine.

Got married in Calistoga in May 2002. Wedding party, family, and myself stayed in a super cute boutique hotel in "downtown" Calistoga. The Mount View Hotel. The hotel has onsite spa offering variety of treatments! Fabulous, darling hotel, spa, etc.! Though Calistoga is only 3 blocks long there are some superb restaurants and cute stores. Far from the "farming community" described earlier. There is also a day spa just down the street from the Mount View where I actually had a mud bath on my wedding day! Happy wallowing!

Snide comments aside razzle, do you have some affiliation with Golden Haven? (*wink*) Touting it as some luxury destination is just plain misleading, as others have attested. Label it what it is -- the Motel 6 of spas (perfect description, lol)

From Vacaman's original request-"I'm looking for a recommendations for places for mud and mineral baths that are reasonably priced. I don't need any upscale spas just a fun place to wallow in the mud!" You all must learn to read more carefully! I said the mud was "lucious". (*wink*)I never touted the GH as a luxury destination at all. Vacaman never requested a luxury destination.(*wink*)I do not see any mention of this individual requesting accomodation advice, do you?(*wink*)
(*wink*)IME Calistoga spas are rather "rustic" -as someone said-not dirty (well, other than the mud)or unclean. I am sure the Canyon Ranch ladies lunch bunch wouldn't care for Calistoga. And as you have not been there in 10 years...well,so silly... thanks to others of you in supporting my origianl reply to Vacaman's original request. Nothing fancy bout GH.. never asked for never said there was.(*wink*)(*wink*)(*wink*)Vacaman can always look at Indian Springs or the Mount View if he wants to consider home equity.
Now if you want to debate luxury spas...(*wink*)(*wink*)hmmmm....
R5

No matter how much you twitch, your review was simply not accurate. I was there 2 years ago, I bet it hasn't changed.