San Francisco Wellness Experiences Worthy Of Your Weekend Plans

By Olivia O’Bryon

San Francisco’s iconic landmarks and sparkling bay provide great inspiration to get outside and get … [+] GETTY IMAGES

San Francisco is known for its health-conscious vibes, so it should come as no surprise the city has an abundance of wellness experiences to choose between. While that might be attractive on the surface, it can also make it difficult to know where to start in picking the right wellness activities for your hard-earned time off. From biking to rooftop spa treatments and gourmet health food, San Francisco is a wellness dream—but which experiences are unique enough to warrant working into your schedule?

Even if you’re a long-time San Francisco local, trying new wellness activities can reignite your love for the city and yourself. Likewise, mixing in some San Francisco classics you haven’t tried in awhile can have the same effect. After all, everyone benefits from stepping out of the same old routine. Allowing yourself to try different local wellness experiences can be rejuvenating for the mind, body, and soul. The following unique mix of classic and new San Francisco wellness experiences is worth adding to your weekend plans whether you live in the city or not.

Book A Treatment At Bamford Wellness Spa

Rooftop soaking tubs await visitors at Bamford Wellness Spa for an out-of-the-ordinary self-care … [+]HOTEL SAN FRANCISCO

Have you ever bathed atop an eight-story building in downtown San Francisco? Bamford Wellness Spa on the top floor of 1 Hotel San Francisco offers guests the opportunity to relax in soaking tubs while taking in the downtown skyline and Bay Bridge water views. The surprisingly serene space is known to welcome the occasional hummingbird—probably thanks to the hotel’s chef’s garden and beehives behind the tubs—and is said to be a local favorite when it’s raining.

The spa also offers massages and facials with Bamford skincare and body products featuring organic and sustainably-sourced ingredients. Treatment rooms face out to the Bay Bridge, which twinkles with dancing lights in the evening hours and gives visitors a water view in the daytime—both unique views for a spa experience in San Francisco. Massage clients can expect highly-skilled practitioners for a soothing whole body experience that includes heated pillows for weight and deeper relaxation. Possible add-ons include hot stones, dry brushing, and muscle release balm.

After your spa experience is over, you may be tempted to skip the trip home and stay at 1 Hotel San Francisco for extra relaxation. The quiet hotel offers luxurious rooms facing the bay with an eye for sustainability and wellness details like filtered water available in the halls. Rain showers in the bathrooms offer a relaxing way to wash your stress away and then sink into bed with views of the bay for the ultimate day of rest. For those who’d like to be more active, the hotel’s unique event calendar includes wellness activities like botanical watercolor workshops and yoga sound healing—which are available to everyone for registration, even if you aren’t a hotel guest. The hotel is also partnered with local studios for yoga and fitness classes and personal training options.

Grab A Healthy Bite To Eat At Terrene Restaurant

Terrene Restaurant & Bar offers deliciously healthy meals made with local and organic ingredients. TERRENE RESTAURANT & BAR

When you’re following a health-conscious diet, finding places to eat out can be challenging. Terrene Restaurant & Bar does a beautiful job of offering high-quality, often organic ingredients sustainably sourced within 100 miles and prepared in delicious San Francisco-inspired dishes including some of the most appetizing vegetable plates you’ll find anywhere. Don’t let the healthy description fool you, the food is delicious. Offerings also include shrimp, chicken, and steak skewers and beautifully colorful salads. And, for those who are in the mood to indulge a bit more, the menu also features flatbreads and grilled skirt steak as well as craft cocktails championing a variety of worthy causes. As a bonus, the kitchen is very accommodating of dietary restrictions with advance notice.

Bike The Golden Gate Bridge

Bicyclists on a bike path near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.  GETTY IMAGES

Locals and visitors alike gravitate to the Golden Gate Bridge and the surrounding trail system for bike riding. If you haven’t tried it or haven’t been on a bike in awhile, riding over and around the Golden Gate Bridge is an exhilarating wellness experience. Bike rentals spare you the commitment of needing to buy a bike (or having to get your bike tuned) and might just lead to a love of cycling—especially when taking in the views of the city and the bay from atop the Golden Gate bridge. Be sure to plan your route ahead of time and prepare to fall in love again with San Francisco.

Find Peace In Golden Gate Park

An aerial view of the SkyStar Wheel in Golden Gate Park. GETTY IMAGES

Another local favorite, Golden Gate Park is filled with opportunities for wellness experiences. Even if you’ve lived in San Francisco your whole life, it’s easy to forget what a treasure this 1,000+ acre park is to the city. And while the extensive trail system provides opportunities for physical wellness, the other attractions—including the California Academy of Sciences, de Young and Legion of Honor museums, and Japanese Tea Garden—offer opportunities to exercise and relax the mind. One of the biggest secrets of wellness is to get out and have new experiences, which is exactly what Golden Gate Park offers around every corner. With any luck, you might even stumble upon a herd of bison.

Via Forbes