Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort

Since 1952, this clean, friendly, family-owned resort has allowed visitors (most of them day-trippers) to experience Calistoga’s iconic mineral waters and volcanic mud baths—at very reasonable prices. The signature treatment, a three-part process, involves sitting in a concrete tub of warm, bubbling mud, then soaking in a steaming mineral bath and lounging in a steam room; afterward, thoroughly purified patrons are wrapped in blankets and left to snooze in a relaxation room. The whole deal costs just $89 a person; add an hour-long massage (for an extra $80), and it’s still a steal. The treatment price includes all-day access to the property’s three hot-spring-fed swimming pools.