I tried forest bathing at a California redwood resort. I didn’t expect my brain to get this quiet

Guests pause beneath coastal redwoods along the certified forest therapy trail at Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz, California. (Chaminade Resort and Spa)The guide asked us to spread our blankets over the damp pine needles, lie flat on our backs and simply feel the weight of gravity pulling us into the earth.

Above me, ocean fog filtered through a canopy of coastal redwoods and eucalyptus. There were no phones in our hands, no fitness trackers counting steps and nowhere we needed to be. Somewhere between the sharp scent of crushed leaves and the sound of branches moving overhead, my brain went quiet.

I was forest bathing at Chaminade Resort & Spa, a 300-acre mountaintop retreat tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains 800 feet above Monterey Bay.

I had arrived skeptical. I travel constantly, spend far too much time staring at screens and have tried enough wellness experiences promising a "reset" to be wary of the word.

Two hours later, I felt noticeably different.

Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is the Japanese practice of slowing down and immersing your senses in nature. Chaminade introduced guided forest therapy in 2025, partnering with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy to develop a certified trail through its wooded grounds.

The biggest surprise was how little walking we did.

Instead of covering miles or chasing a viewpoint, our guide led us through a series of sensory "invitations." We listened to the breeze moving through coastal oaks, widened our peripheral vision, ran our hands over coarse bark and eventually stretched out beneath the canopy and did absolutely nothing.

That last part may have been the hardest.

The practice has been studied for its potential effects on stress, mood and well-being, but I wasn't thinking about research while lying on the forest floor. What I noticed was much simpler: my shoulders had dropped, the usual chatter in my brain had softened and I wasn't mentally racing toward whatever came next.

I wasn't transformed into some permanently serene forest person. I was still me.

Chaminade Resort & Spa sits on 300 secluded acres overlooking Monterey Bay in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The quiet continues back in the guest rooms, which recently emerged from a $7.5 million property-wide renovation.

Chaminade has been part of the Santa Cruz Mountains for nearly a century. The Spanish Revival property was originally built in 1930 as a Catholic school and later served as a monastery, and pieces of that history remain visible throughout the resort.

Northern California-based EDG Interior Architecture & Design renovated all 156 guestrooms and suites, including 44 suites, leaning into the building's Spanish Revival roots rather than trying to make an almost century-old property look brand new.

The result feels warmer and more residential than corporate. Rooms mix natural woods and woven textures with details like sculptural wood-plank headboards, leather strapping and terracotta-colored barn doors.

My favorite detail was in the bathroom, where custom wallcovering depicts a vintage map of Santa Cruz and the historic Chaminade grounds.

Many rooms also have private patios or balconies facing either pockets of forest or Monterey Bay. After spending the day deliberately paying attention to the landscape, having the trees just outside my room felt particularly fitting.

If forest bathing was about getting out of my head, the next stop worked on everything travel had done to my body.

The Spa at Chaminade sits in a quiet pocket of the property surrounded by eucalyptus trees. At 1,700 square feet, it isn't a sprawling destination spa, but after two hours moving slowly through the woods, that intimacy suited the experience.

I slid onto a heated treatment table for a massage focused on the knots and stiffness that seem to accumulate somewhere between airplane seats, hotel beds and too many hours hunched over a laptop. The therapist worked through the tension with herbal botanicals whose earthy scent carried some of the forest indoors.

There are facials here too, including the Hydrafacial treatment I've tried before for travel-dehydrated skin. But on this trip, it was the heat I wanted.

Between treatments, guests can move between eucalyptus steam rooms, a Himalayan salt sauna and an outdoor spa patio with a hot tub tucked against the hillside.

The signature half-pound "Bee" burger with honey bacon jam and secret sauce, served on the terrace at The View Restaurant & Bar.

The View Restaurant & Bar makes a compelling argument for staying on the mountain once the sun begins to drop.

Its large outdoor terrace looks across the wooded hillside toward Monterey Bay, and on a clear evening, dinner comes with the kind of sunset that makes ordering another glass of wine seem entirely reasonable.

Executive Chef Avram Samuels draws heavily from Central Coast farms and producers, with a menu that moves between more ambitious dishes and the sort of comfort food I wanted after spending much of the day outside.

A locally foraged wild mushroom pithivier wraps earthy mushrooms in flaky French pastry, while a char-grilled Duroc double-cut pork chop takes things in a heartier direction.

Then there's the half-pound "Bee" burger.

It comes topped with secret sauce and honey bacon jam made with honey harvested from Chaminade's own apiaries. The resort keeps beehives on the property and even offers seasonal Hive Dive experiences for guests interested in seeing how the honey is produced.

The wine list stays close to home as well, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the surrounding Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.

Poppy, the author's Chihuahua mix, rests along the certified forest therapy trail at Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz.

Poppy had been along for the forest portion of the trip, and Chaminade turned out to be one of those increasingly rare resorts where bringing a dog didn't make the experience more complicated.

Traveling with my dog Poppy, who has now logged nearly 200 flights with me, means I have encountered just about every interpretation of "pet-friendly."

Sometimes it means a water bowl in the lobby followed by a lengthy list of places your dog cannot go.

More than three miles of trails wind through the property's 300 acres, so our morning walks began outside the door rather than with a drive to a trailhead. Poppy could join me on the trails and sit outside with me on The View's heated terrace.

The printed Pooch Patio Menu includes dishes such as Sensational Salmon and Raw Ground Beef Muttballs, plus Peanut Butter Bacon Pup Cakes for dogs whose vacation philosophy apparently includes dessert.

The resort takes its dog obsession even further during its annual Pawsh Retreat, a summer event featuring activities such as agility courses, pet portraits and dog fashion shows.

After dinner, Poppy fell asleep beside my chair while I drank a local red on the terrace.

Apparently forest bathing works on 13-pound Chiweenies, too.

Chaminade makes the most sense for travelers who want Santa Cruz without spending their entire trip in the bustle around the beach.

The resort is close enough to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and coast for an afternoon by the ocean, but its 300 wooded acres feel surprisingly removed from town. San Jose Mineta International Airport is roughly 45 minutes away, while San Francisco is about 90 minutes north depending on traffic.

I'd especially consider it for a wellness weekend, a romantic escape or a dog-friendly Northern California getaway where you want access to nature without giving up a real bed, a massage and a good dinner afterward.

If forest therapy is the reason you're coming, reserve a guided session in advance through the resort since certified-guide availability can vary. Beyond the forest and spa, Chaminade has tennis and pickleball courts, seasonal beekeeping experiences and miles of private trails.

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